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ofuro in Paris weather

Dear Iacopo,
Thank you for your email. We were living in Tokyo for six years. After living in different countries, now we are back to Paris.
It is our dream to have an ofuro in our bathroom like in the onsen.
I have some questions for you:

1. How do I measure the bath, which size I have to choose? My husband is 185cm tall. I need a bath only for one person comfortably.
2. You said that I need a hygrometer to measure humidity, where can I find that?. My bathroom doesn’t have a window direct because is inside our bedroom. Do you think is possible?
3. How long will this ofuro last?

Please note:
The hygrometer: we will send you one together with the ofuro free of charge.

No problem if you have the ofuro in your bedroom ensuite.

Just be aware that air conditioning/heating will affect the tub mode and may dehydrate the wood. To prevent it you should use the tub regularly (2-3 times a week) and/or protect it with an airtight cover and place a bucket full of water inside so it can keep the air moist inside the ofuro.

About the longevity of the ofuro: please refer to our FAQ.

https://bartokdesign.com/?s=longevity

Please let me know if you have other question/problem.

Best//

iacopo

sawara tub and black tiles

We just received photos from a client of their beautiful new bathroom!

How lovely! The orange of the sawara wood goes very well with the dark tiles!
Very stylish and homey at the same time.
I see the ofuro is close to the shower. Be sure to rinse the wood after a shower to wash off the splashes of soapy water.

Apparently they first installed the shower and passed the sanitary inspection. Afterwards they just placed the ofuro which is actually for soaking so it is technically not a sanitary equipment. Very smart!

Have a nice bath!

Hi I promised you images I’ve been slow getting around to them. The tub is perfect I love it!!

T&B from Oregon

Testimonial from the East Coast

Last 31st December I created an open connection with zoom with Bartok design clients and friends which was very pleasant and full of surprises.
The best and happiest of all was when S. made me virtually climb the stairs of their beautiful home and conceded me a virtual tour of their stunning bathroom featuring one of our tubs. A well balanced minimalist ofuro in front of a huge Palladian window opening on a perfectly virgin corner of paradise!
And now they are doubling the pleasant surprise sharing some beautiful photos with all the community. Thank you soooo much!

Soaking in our Ofuro is still a special occasion every time, even after 2 years of regular use. It is not only a treat for the body, but a beautiful object that one can tell was created with great mastery and care. We know how privileged we are to own one, and we will never take it for granted!

S&C from the USA

happy endings and happy beginnings

How are you? I hope you are taking some time to relax from this stressful year enjoying some quality time … in your japanese ofuro ?!

2020 was full of disappointing experiences for most of us.
On the other hand, I think we should see also the positive side: thanks to the Covid experience the IT literacy increased tenfold and streamlined a lot of practices by cutting on bureaucracy and inefficient habits.

Less action but on the other hand, more thinking which is always a good thing to do.
And by forcing us to think out of the box we had the chance to reconsider our priorities and create a new lifestyle tailored to what we really want to do.

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testimonial from Portland

Hello from Portland Oregon!

I wanted to write a quick note to thank you. We absolutely LOVE our bath. Attached are some pictures of the final install. We use it every day. With the cedar lid the bath stays hot all night long! It’s amazing, just like Japanese Onsen! 

Thank you!

Comment from iacopo:
Dear B., this is absolutely amazing! It is people like you that give meaning to our work! Even if in the near future all the traditional tubs in Japan will be replaced by plastic, and the new generations will not even know what a wooden bathtub is, your bathroom will remain to witness that a more meaningful, happy, and harmonious lifestyle is possible.
Congratulations, stunning beautiful project!
And…do not forget to enjoy the hot water!

iacopo

Not just hanko

I stumbled upon a fabulous hanko shop in Osaka, just steps from the moth of Osaka castle.
Of course, I love traditional craftsmen and their ateliers, the air filled with history and the romantic scent of a lost world.

But this time it is different and it is even more uplifting.
Mr. Mitamura established this atelier some 30 years ago and although he has the skill of a sculptor, he calls himself “hanko designer”.
The reason his seals (made in wood, horn or marble) are so beautiful is not just because of his manual ability and mastery of the chisels.

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choose? the drain socket

Thank you Iacopo,
We are interested in proceeding!
Which drain plug would you recommend?

For the drain plug, we only have one type (chrome plated socket with rubber plug/ball chain)
It all depends on your site conditions and plumbing method you choose.

If you want to connect to a drain pipe we can provide a female/female flange (long type)

If you want to discharge directly on the floor and have all the bathoom area (or part of it) waterproofed and with a floor drain (japanese style) then the short type is recommended.

Finally, if you want to use other drain sockets (brass color, black color, popup plug etc.) you can ask your plumber to replace it. It is a 5 minutes job, just be aware that wood is thicker than acryl or castiron so most of the socket on the market do not fit or need to be adapted. Not a big deal but just something that has to be kept in mind.

tub capacity & Rinnai hot water heaters

We were initially looking at the size of a large standard tub and note its dimensions of 1.8m x 1m x .616m. However, these measurements seem to be the exterior dimensions and thus we can’t really tell the interior volume of the tub, and how many liters/gallons it would take to fill the tub.
(…)
We are are also unsure of the volume of the tub for this one as well. 471mm may be a bit too shallow for us but we also don’t want to have it too high given the amount of water it takes to fill the tub. Given volume of hot water issues, do you also work with clients that use a hot water pump/ heater to save water and heating costs?

Please note that we can do any size (of course it has to fit in a container…) so you do not need to be bound by the photos on the HP.

To calculate the capacity in liters you can use the formula: L-70mm x W-70mm x internal depth.

For instance, the 1.8m x 1m x .616m will be about 1m3 = 1000 liters = 264 gallons

For the water heater, you should check with your plumber. I am aware that a Japanese maker (Rinnai) is increasing its presence in the US market.

https://www.rinnai.us/tankless-water-heater

They offer gas-powered instant/unlimited output hot water heaters (so no problem with the capacity) with a built-in water recirculation function.
I recommend contacting them directly for more information.

ofuro in freezing weather

Hello- I am a landscape architect in NY city. I have a client that wants a Japanese soaking tub on his roof deck. I love your work. What product and sizing will work in the NY environment with hot summers and freezing winter?

As you can imagine, an ofuro used outdoors ages more quickly that an ofuro used indoors.

Of course if it is installed properly and used regularly it will not crack, but it will show some stains and some discoloration after some years.

As per described in our maintenance pack: (https://www.bartokdesign.com/japan/downloads/110902maintenance-description.pdf)

1) you should avoid direct sunlight exposure – especially when the tub is empty –

This can be obtained with awnings etc. and you mentioned the location can be shaded easily.

2) another potential problem comes from the freezing temperatures. Once the air temperature freezes, the relative humidity also drops. There are 3 days to avoid dehydration of the ofuro in these conditions:

a) lift up and move the ofuro in a penthouse or similar during the winter

b) use a spa thermal cover

c) keep water inside the ofuro at all times during the cold season (at temperature above 5 deg. centigrade)

Being wood a natural material, there are no 100% valid rules, it is mostly a matter of keeping balanced conditions.

A common way to proceed is that you let me know the sizes/image of the ofuro you are looking for so we can provide a quotation/drawing and we can start from there for modifications/alternative quotations as necessary.

We are looking forward to working with you and remain at you disposal for any question/problem.

With Best regards,

iacopo torrini

bank fees

Dear Mr. Torrini,
The invoice is well received.
(…)
The bank transfer fee was the only aspect we weren’t accustomed with. I suppose that is the cost of receiving a wire from the US?
Please clarify.

About the wire transfer fee: all our prices are net so we are asking the clients to bear the bank transfer fees.

Anyway, most people do not have experience with international wires and are not able to instruct their emitting bank to use the conditions: “PAY IN FULL”.

As a result, we receive the amount curtailed.

For us any method that enables us to receive the net amount is fine.

– if you use a bank account within Japan please reduce the amount by 6500 JPY

– if you instruct your bank to “PAY IN FULL” please reduce the amount by 6500 JPY

– if you pay with all bank transfer fees born by the receiver please leave the 6500 JPY in.

Thank you and Best regards,

iacopo