Looking to upgrade your bathroom with the latest technology? We ask industry experts whether smart solutions are really worth it; and if so, where you should invest your money and which gizmos to avoid…

Let’s be honest, up until recently, the majority of homeowners would probably baulk at the idea of ‘smart’ bathroom products – it often smacks of ‘all the gear and no idea’. But can the latest innovations truly make a difference and, most importantly, make our bathing routines easier rather than more fiddly? KBB journo Charlotte Luxford investigates.

The recent explosion in the wellness industry has had an impact on the market, with a focus on products that can enhance our wellbeing and provide a spa-like experience at home.

The Global Wellness Institute states that the UK is now the fifth biggest wellness economy globally, and according to Grohe’s recent survey, 64% of people associate showers with relaxation and 41% with wellness.

Sunshowers

One of the hottest new entries to the wellness space is the Sunshower – a sleek, integrated shower unit that combines infrared therapy with UV light to support vitamin D production; essentially, it’s like a SAD lamp for your bathroom. It’s also designed to support muscle recovery, better circulation, stress reduction, and skin rejuvenation. “Sunshower hits the sweet spot between science, self-care, and smart living,” says John Naughten, managing director of Bathroom Design Studio.

Apparently, it’s also a doddle to install, as it can be recessed, surface-mounted, or corner- fitted. It is energy efficient and cost effective, too, costing about £10 per year to run.

Chromotherapy

According to Natalie Bird, Laufen’s brand marketing manager, colour-change lighting (aka chromotherapy) is another big feature of spa-style bathrooms, where different hues can set the mood – whether that’s a cool blue or violet to promote relaxation, or a sunny yellow to start the day. The brand’s new VAL Luminex bathtub, by Konstantin Grcic, is made of a new groundbreaking, translucent material that allows light and colour to be projected into the water, with no garish coloured spotlights in sight.

The design is stylish and subtle, for a soothing experience; we’re not having a disco in the bath, after all. Laufen’s MySpa shower system is also a noteworthy release that combines ambient light and sound with different sprays for a multisensory experience customisable via a touch display.

Shower toilets

While all these wellness products sound heavenly, it’s perhaps unsurprising that when it comes to smart tech, the typical UK homeowner is looking for something a bit more ‘practical’. According to UK Bathroom Store, its most-asked-for ‘tech’ product is actually a self-cleaning shower toilet – a finding that seems to resonate with most independent retailers.

Louise Ashdown, head of design at West One Bathrooms, has revealed that 1 in 10 of their WC sales is now a washlet. “There’s been a huge rise in the popularity of shower toilets, which have truly revolutionised the bathroom industry, offering a level of hygiene and comfort that is second-to-none,” adds Emma Scott, director of client design at C.P. Hart. “The Toto Washlet, for instance, has redefined bathroom standards with its self-cleaning, auto-flushing, and deodorising capabilities, all the while using less water – Toto has become one of the most revolutionary toilet brands in the world.”

Smart and intuitive

As we’re becoming more eco-conscious as a nation, water-saving products are also high on the agenda. Increasingly, companies are looking at ways in which they can capture, treat, and reuse water. Orbital, for example, offers a circular shower system that saves up to 90% of the water while you shower, filtering out the dirty waste water while also using significantly less energy.

There’s also the Orbital Tap, which saves up to 100% of the water used in the sink and purifies it before it’s reused to flush the toilet. The upshot is that the products that are really in demand are those that are practical, sustainable, and life enhancing. And for smart bathroom tech to truly work, it needs to be intuitive, rather than gimmicky. Still, many designers agree that a lot of ‘smart’ products out there are overcomplicated.

“Beyond shower toilets, most smart bathroom products are solving problems that don’t exist… App-controlled shower systems when manual ones work perfectly (and more reliably), or voice-controlled lighting that’s more complicated than switches,” says Issak Baron, operations director at Indesign Bathrooms & Kitchens. According to Issak, the real opportunity isn’t adding more connectivity, it’s taking proven technology and making it work more instinctively.

“Instead of app-controlled everything, why not have motion sensors that actually learn your patterns? Ventilation that kicks in automatically when humidity rises but doesn’t sound like a jet engine, or mirror lighting that adjusts to time of day or to the amount of natural light without manual programming?” he says. “But these sorts of tech [features] either don’t exist or come as part of overcomplicated systems.”

Ultimately, should you invest in smart bathroom tech?

While it seems that smart bathroom tech still has some way to go, on the lower end of the ‘smart’ scale, there are some products that are relatively simple yet effective at solving common issues or enhancing your bathroom routine. Such as the Ecoso Linus electric heated towel rail with an integrated fan that heats up your bathroom space and dries your towels more efficiently, or halo-lit mirrors with built-in demisters, and water-saving sensor taps that are motion-activated with a simple wave of the hand.

“The real luxury in smart bathroom products lies in not having to think – everything just works for the better,” says Rikki Fothergill, bathroom style expert at Big Bathroom Shop. “Before long, what we now call ‘smart’ will simply be the new standard of modern living. However, I do think it will be a long time before we see this great shift.”

Save or splurge?

Justine Bullock, director at The Tap End, says it’s best to invest in the real deal, and avoid any cheap copies or gimmicky products. “However, if it’s an investment in wellness or something you believe will genuinely enhance your life, then it is definitely worth splashing out,” she says. “For example, the Sunshower is a product that’s worth the hype all day long!”

For now, it seems it’s worth investing in practical tech that helps solve everyday problems, and certainly those products that have water-saving features. But a shower that requires extensive programming via an app before I even step foot inside? I’ll probably stick to my simple thermostatic shower mixer for the time being.

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