I trust we’d all agree it would be folly to purchase a car without at least one test–drive. On a smaller scale, I wouldn’t trust a man who’d buy a suit without trying it on. So why is it that when it comes to buying the centerpiece of the most important room of our house, we feel comfortable pointing to a picture and trusting that what’s delivered lives up to our expectations? Shouldn’t we all be test-driving our bathtubs? 

Yes, we should, which is why I found myself heading to my friend Jean’s house for a bath after being worn down from a long week of work. Jean called to insist I soak away my stress in her new BainUltra tub while her kids were ensconced at school—and guaranteed it would be revelatory. Since our rental house features a pink bathtub circa 1960 with spotty water
pressure, I gratefully accepted. 

Once in Jean’s bathroom, I closed the door, poured some oil in the tub and sank into the most heavenly experience this side of the clouds. The scent of eucalyptus cleared my head and air
bubbles gently massaged my back while I conducted my own laser light show with the chromatherapy—blue soothed, then red helped stimulate me to eventually drag myself out 40 minutes later. Who knew that a bathtub experience could border on the religious? I was a convert. 

As it turns out, getting that revelatory bath experience is a lot simpler than dropping in on an accommodating friend. Visit bainultra.com for a list of places to actually go and test-drive their bathtubs so you know which one to take home. In the near future, I have no doubt
everyone will be test-driving their tubs. In this issue of HomeSpa, we show you how the rest of your bathroom will also look in the near future—sleek and sophisticated, with your wellness the top priority (page 36). In the meantime, take pleasure in a New York spa bathroom
that’s forward-thinking and fabulous right now (page 28). E-mail us your thoughts at aross@spafax.com. 

Amanda Ross, Editor-in-Chief