How to make Japanese "Ofuro" bathroom in US
Bathroom Renovation in US
Wants to take a bath at Japanese style bathtub
American type tubs are too shallow and can’t get the whole body in.
You have to add hot water every time new person takes the bath
There is only shower room and no tub.
Tub is too small that I can not take a bath with kids
There is not a washing space in the bathroom aside from the tub
On be half of all Japanese people living in US, I hear you the concerns like above.
But in US, you can also just renovate to create your own bathroom.
I had the same concern and made my own Japanese bathroom about 4 years ago.
Now, it’s one of my favorite part of the day and feels like all the fatigue of the day is gone!
Something to look for at the end of the day!
And it helps to sleep like a baby!
I highly recommend to anyone who likes to enjoy taking the bath-Japanese OFURO!
Yes, it does cost to renovate.
#1. Is This Project Going To Raise The Value Of The House?
It is important to think if this is the investment to the house that house will be sold with more value in the future or not
#2. Is This To Raise The Level Of Happiness For Family Or Yourself?
For us, the bathroom project was for pure happiness and joy.
It is a part of my culture to take a bath everyday and I want to enjoy that everyday.
It was expensive but it was worth the money.
Any renovation project, you have to think about the reason behind it because it costs.
Tips of making Japanese type bathroom
In US, so called “contractor” manages the process of renovation, and the contractors will be using their networks to manage the professionals they want to use.
For example, if the electricity is needed, they have certain vendors they use and depending on the level, price, availability, credibility, they will coordinate accordingly.
House owner will be having the contract with the contractor and will pay for the whole thing to the contractor.
Contractor Pick Will Be Very Important.
If you never worked with any contractor, it is best to get some recommendation from the friends who have worked with them.
All the meeting will be done with the contractor and having discussion on how you want the renovation to be done.
Probably, if you ask the contractor to make the Japanese bathroom, they may not know what you mean, unless they have made it before or lived in Japan or traveled to Japan.
The key is to make sure contractor understand what you want to build.
Below is something I used to talk to my contractor, which I took off of Pinterest.
5 Key details to watch out for
#1. Bathtub should be not too big but not too small
This dictates how long you have to put hot waters for and how much water to use.
So tub size is really important. Most important!
In US, many types and sizes are available.
I have seen really big one!! So be careful what to pick.
What you need is NOT SO WIDE not so wide but have ENOUGH HEIGHT.
You want to be sitting down with both of your knees up and front. Then, you want to fill the water up to your chest height.
As you know in US, most of the tub is VERY LOW.
So you need to be careful on height.
Also, if you have family, think of yourself going to take a bath with your kid.
(this is very common in Japan at least till kid is 10-12 years old).
As for mine, it takes about 10 min to fill up to shoulder chest height.
In US during the summer, it is sunny till 9pm.
So you can have a great view, depending on the place you put windows.
Scenery can be different by house to house.
Luckily, our in front of our house, there is not house close by and our bathroom is at 2nd floor.
We asked to make a window where we did not have one before.
It usually does not have that in American bath tub or shower room.
It also makes a good Circulation system when opened.
We have fan in there, but window is much better.
Also, love the outside hot spring feel when you open up and feel the breathes coming thru!
The advice is to place the window at little above the chest height.
At the end, because of moisture, window will be smoked and nobody won’t see you.
#3. Washing space size and Slope Construction
Size should be about 100cm x 120cm if you can secure.
You don’t need it that big but not too small for you to be able to shower and wash your body.
The key is to have the gutter that slopes down to make sure water goes to vent.
Everything that water may stay, you need to make sure it has the slope that water won’t stay and go down to the gutter.
You also need the ridge at the entrance so that water does not go over.
#4. Shower-head Adjustability
Our shower head is hand held type, and there is also one that is fixed above the head height.
Not sure what it is called but I guess 2 way version.
One call out I made to my contractor is to have the hand one lower than usual.
In Japan, we often sit down on the small bench and wash our body.
Therefore, you want the shower head to be lower height than usual to hang.
This will really enable myself to wash my body and my hair while sitting down.
Also, my son has easy time grabbing the shower-head.
When I just want to take a shower, I can use the top one while standing.
#5. Entrance Door Requirement
Usual American bathroom includes tubs, toilet and sinks.
And in the tub, bathroom curtain is used to protect the water from getting out to bathroom.
Basically, there is no door like that of Japanese bathroom.
Japanese bathroom is basically a separate room with door, just like how sauna room is constructed.
it is hard and probably very expensive to make it separate room like sauna.
So what we did was to create the glass wall and door to separate.
This will probably be better than Sauna type as it circulates the air little better.
Sometimes you see this type of door and wall at modern hotel but that is it.
that glass can be made by custom sizing.
It’s pretty cool looking!!
unlike Japanese ofuro, you can see the inside from the bathroom but you can also lock the whole bathroom if you want privacy.
Convenient bathroom items
I brought All of them from Japan but nowadays you could probably find in Amazon.
Once you start washing at the space, you also start to use the water from the tub.
just before you enter the tub or sometimes I use the left over water to wash my body or hair with that water and save some water from the shower.
That “handle” is the key.
Stool is used to sit down and wash your body.
Then, you would use the bucket of water from the tub to clean your self.
Also when shower head is placed lower, then you can wash your hair while you are sitting down.
you can find it in Amazon and be delivered to US.
#2. Tub cover for heat preservation
There is no function to re-heat the water just like most Japanese bathroom would have.
So for example for our family, my son and I will use the bath tub.
Then, my wife would go little later.
In order to keep the water warm, we cover it with this.
It won’t keep forever but it is much better than nothing.
This is “just nice to have.”
You can not set the water temperature so you would have to adjust by adding hot water and mixing with some cold water.
For me, usually 42-43 degrees Celsius is perfect.
maybe little lower during summer time.
We had this Kawaii thermostat from japan.
Don’t even remember where we bought it.
For renovation, let’s first start think about the reason of doing-investment or pure happiness.
Contractor choice is important.
Collect many images of your dream bathroom vision.
Size of tub is key. Not too big not too small but not too shallow.
Shower heads height adjustability-high and low
Stool, buckets, cover and thermostat are good to have.
