I've never understood this trend. This would automatically cross any potential home off of my list. Unless I could afford a live-in maid to make sure it stayed clean it would drive me insane. Even then there's something about it that just makes me uncomfortable.

Not even a partition just in case you chose to close off the area? Really?! Hate it!

I think bathtubs/hottubs in the room are gross ala something out of Scarface miami 1980s.

I have a split-level 70s condo with the vanity in an alcove off my bedroom (between the bathroom and closet) and love it though, so go figure.

Since it is just a tub and not a full bathroom with toilet and sink, it must be for people who like to take long, luxurious baths to relax, maybe while reading or listening to music. It is definitely not for efficiently getting ready in the morning for your day, and I don't imagine that it would be used every day, so you probably wouldn't need to clean it daily. I'm not a bath person, but I can see how someone would enjoy this.

I get the allure of an outdoor or outdoor-feeling (but still private) shower or bath. But a tub in the bedroom is a decidedly different (and decidedly less sexy) idea. I like to keep my sleeping and my showering separate, thanks.

i personally enjoy the little cocoon of steam and warmth that comes from an enclosed bath

Ugh, so not okay! I'll keep my tub in the BATHroom, thanks, where you're supposed to bathe.

More a romantic ideal than a practical reality. What if your partner gets up at 4 am and you don't rise until 7?

That said, my old house in the suburbs had an outdoor shower that I just adored. I will miss that.

I think these photos are gorgeous, but I don't think a tub in the bedroom is at all practical. (Not the least because I hardly ever even take a bath.) I had friends who had an open shower in their bedroom, and it always seemed a bit icky to me.

Te he....she said "titillating" *snort*

Sorry...couldn't resit....I know, grow up..... :D

We bought a house with an exposed tub and have never, ever used it. We are planning a big remodel in the near future. It looks pretty, but just not practical or desirable. I agree with everyone despite having one!

good on paper or in a hotel. i don't think could deal with a tub in my bedroom.

The first apartment I owned had a great location, tremendous views, lots of space, and a tub and toilet open to the master bedroom. It was on the market for over two years -- and I was able to buy it for a song -- because of this fact. The first thing I did was put that wall back up!

It just makes me think of Sybaris Pool Suites, a chain of "romantic" hotels where the bedrooms have hot tubs. Watching the couples in the commercials makes me want to take a shower and never get in a hot tub again. Yuck

I couldn't agree more, Emily the Cat.

While the pictures are gorg, and I think it would be ok to experience such a room at a B&B or something, I'd never want this set up in my own home. The steam from the bathtub getting into the bed sheets just seems gross to me.

I guess it's not so bad when the tub is in its own alcove, but if you're going to do that, you might as well just turn the space into a bathroom. But seeing a tub so close to the bed, dresser, etc. just looks wrong.

And I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't manage to take a bath without splashing a fair amount of water on the floor and making the room very humid. I wouldn't want that mess in the place where I sleep. Isn't humidity bad for linens, clothes, etc.? What about mold?

The only way this would work is in a very large bedroom with good ventilation and high ceilings. That way you get a luxe rather than tenement vibe, less chance of mildew, and the tub and bed aren't competing for space and attention.

oh, i like it! especially in the last picture where the tub has its own little alcove. and it isn't a shower or a toilet in the corner of your bedroom. it's a lovely clawfoot tub. i imgaine you'd use it right before bedtime. close yourself off in the bedroom. light candles. take a nice bath. crawl right into bed. ahhh.

i mean, in fairness, i'd probably end up actually doing that once a month or less. and i wouldn't install one. but still, i could totally see it being nice if you had the right kind of space.

I love the 6th one with the tub in the alcove, so 18th century! Where are the diaphanous curtains and les beaux chevaliers?

That said, I would not enjoy a tub or shower *in* my bedroom owing to the tenement factor.

well...i'm sure i'm the minority, but i take 2 baths a day. i love this idea, especially if the bathtub were situated right in front of a fireplace. love it. if i ever move into a house with the right kind of space, particularly if it need an extensive remodel, i plan to do this. additionally, i would like a bathroom with a shower.

We are in the process of building a home with a tub in the bedroom (the toilet is separate). We bathe everyday and if not together, then one of us is on the bed while the other is in the tub—we talk about our day. It is a ritual that is part of the glue of our relationship. For us, it makes sense as well as saves space.

NOT. Not Now, Not Ever. Never ever ever ever ever.

This is one of those areas where decor doesn't make any sense pragmatically. Apart from the 2 (?) people here who actually bathe in tubs (with/without others) often enough for this to work for them, I can't imagine anyone wanting to deal with the drafts, the humidity in the bedroom, the mess, the drips... There are reasons for separating wet rooms from dry ones. Having experienced what happens when a washing machine hose bursts for a mere five minutes (over $4000 in damage) IN a wet room, there is no way I'd consider having a tub in a living or sleeping area. But then I'm a shower girl... I use our air tub only after a day of heavy physical labor (landscaping) a few times a year...

we have an open-plan bedroom with an exposed bathtub and shower.
i love it.
i love the way it looks and, while i don't use it every day, i love the way it feels.

I was wondering when/if this would be covered on AT, because the condo we bought and moved into four months ago has an open bathroom in the master bedroom. A large soaking tub is adjacent to a glass-enclosed shower, with a vanity opposite. Beyond that are a toilet in its own room, and a walk-in closet. All this can be seen from the bed (well, not the toilet, luckily). The room has very high vaulted ceilings, but the footprint of the "bedroom" area itself is quite small, and would feel much smaller if a wall separated it from the bathroom area.

Like the property bought by a commenter above, our home was on the market for quite some time and we purchased it for less than would be usual for its age, square footage, condition, etc. When we first viewed it, I was turned off by the bathroom situation, and guessed that other potential buyers were turned off, too. Judging from the comments here, it looks like that was probably the case. I figured we could enclose the bathroom with a wall before selling the home, even though this will make the master bedroom feel much less spacious.

But for us, we love it! My husband prefers baths to showers, so he uses the generous soaking tub several times a week. In past homes/apartments I would often sit by him during his bath and talk about his day. This is so much nicer now that we are in our own bedroom and I'm not perched on a toilet. I take showers, myself, but I very much enjoy a long, luxurious bath once in a while. Giving my kids their baths is much more enjoyable in my room than in a cramped bathroom. I can get ready or put away laundry while my son is in the bath. The room is well-ventilated, and there haven't been any problems with moisture/mold. The tub is large, so water rarely, if ever, splashes out of the tub.

On the other hand, I can see how it could be perceived as icky, like the "adult" resorts advertised in the backs of magazines, with the heart-shaped hot tubs. Yeah, it's a little weird, but I prefer to think of it as luxurious.

I can see the impracticality of a bath in the bedroom, but the way Kathalal describes using this kind of space is wonderful!

Great!

"I'll keep my tub in the BATHroom, thanks, where you're supposed to bathe."

What a funny statement, considering it's only been since the mid-late 19th Century that bathrooms as we know them even existed - and then only for the very wealthy. It's not until the 1920's when a bathroom with porcelain tub, sink and toilet with hot and cold running water became a standard feature in all new Middle-Class American homes.

Prior to that, the washtub was brought out into the kitchen every Saturday night and filled with water heated on the stove - First Father would bathe followed by the boys in descending age, then Mother and the girls in the family - all using the same water. If the family had servants - the washtubs would have been brought into a bedroom or dressing room and the family members might have separate baths in clean water depending on their wealth and ability to pay for fuel to heat all that water and have it conveyed by hand.

Folks in urban areas or in the American West went to local Bathhouses where communal bathing occurred - this practice dates from Roman times (With the major exception of the centuries from the Middle Ages through to the Enlightenment when bathing was, at best, an Annual occurrance)

Ever wonder why the French invented perfumes and Eau du Toilette? To conceal the stench of their bodies for their lack of bathing, of course!

Me too @ kathalal.

I would love, love, love to have this setup. And as far as humidity is concerned, people add humidifiers to their homes all the time in winter, and in the summer, either the A/C is running, or the windows are open. I don't see the problem. A 15-minute super hot shower would be more troublesome I would think.

I like this idea: a tub in the bedroom and a small shower in the bathroom… :) Soak in the bedroom, quick shower before work in the bathroom, that sounds fantastic and it seems to me like it would justify a bigger bedroom and smaller bathroom. :)

Tubs don't add all that much humidity to the air. Showers are another matter. In a large room, the tub isn't going to be much of a problem unless you're in it soaking in hot water all day long. Especially if you live in a fairly dry climate, or in a space with central air conditioning and heating.

What a great blog! It's great fun to see one that generates so much discussion.

We've just gutted our master bath opening it up to the bedroom. The tub is sitting in the bedroom right now and we are itching to get it in.

Neither my husband nor myself are 'bathers' but we do love air-jetted massage so this is what we've gotten. It has chromatherapy lights, heated backrests and is contemporary in design.

The tub will be a feature in the bedroom but more importantly a respite from a long cold winter, therapy for sore muscles and an opportunity for us to chill together with the fireplace (also going in across the room but visible from the tub), wine and talk.

Proper ventilation is important, and required by Code, so talk of steamy or humid bedrooms is proof professional designers/architects are needed.

I'm blogging about the reno to create an open plan bedroom btw!

That last room is beautiful!

Dane

Aren't these technically open plan bathrooms?

I love the idea of an open bath. I think it's very sexy.

stayed at citizen m hotel in amsterdam (little open concept rooms with wall to wall bed and circular glass enclosed shower/open bathroom etc. with husband and 1.5 year old kid. kid had fun in shower looking out at us and running in circles but the fact is, i wanted more privacy, and if i wanted more privacy there with my closest people i would want more privacy at home too.

I have always loved this idea and would love to have my own bed/bath set up like this. I do like to take a hot bath and then crawl into bed without having to schlepp across the house with cold floors. It seems totally luxurious and sexy to me. A couple of people also mentioned being able to bathe the kids, or talk to their partners while in the bath, and I love those ideas too. Of course I think the toilet should be kept separate for hygienic reasons..