Blog

Cabana in Hong Kong

Repulse Bay is listed as one of the top 5 unmissable spots when you visit Hong Kong.
Of course when you go to Repulse Bay you should not miss the restaurant “the Ocean” and the adjoining champagne bar “Cabana”.
And, when you go to Cabana, you simply cannot miss the sawara bathtubs because this is what you do when you go there: you grab your bottle of champagne and enjoy it while soaking in the hot, aromatic water and enjoying the view of the bay.

For the technical specs you can visit this page: https://bartokdesign.com/7-custom_tubs/8-tubs-on-the-roof.php ‎

And here below is a gallery of some photos of the club “Cabana” and the Bartok tubs. Enjoy!

stunning MBR with ofuro

Dear Iacopo

I hope you are well.

We have been enjoying our tub very much over the last 8 months- we love it!
Please see attached picture of our tub installation
– you can use this picture for your own marketing etc. if you wish.

Thanks,

V. from South Africa

Cute picture from California

Let me share with you this kind message and extra cute picture!

Dear Iacopo,
We, Z. the cat and I, wanted to share our appreciation for the tub. Hope you are well.
Best,
E.

SpaFusion in Bologna opening

Finally here are the photos of the SpaFusion Palazzo Varignana hotel near Bologna (Italy) which opened on june 16th after 2 months of “soft opening.”

Photo credits: SPA Concept by BeaBusinessSPA.com – SPA Construction by ErreDesign.it

asnaro bathtub, spout and bathroom accessories by Bartokdesign. see the specs here:
https://bartokdesign.com/?s=bologna

hinoki bathtub, wall mounted spout by Bartokdesign. see the specs here:
https://bartokdesign.com/?s=bologna

vestibule with naguri-bori flooring and tatami room in the background (used for massage therapy)

We also supplied the shoji doors,

tatami and fusuma doors with pine tree and crane decoration on silk.

(sorry, the beauty relaxing in the aromatic water is not included…)

“moon shaped tub” crowdfunding campaign

I spoke about this project with some friends back in january.

They have been contacting me regularly for updates.

I finally squeezed in the 3-4 days necessary to prepare the material and launch it online….

ladies and gentlemen, the crowdfunding campaign for a new generation of hinoki bathtubs is alive!

https://igg.me/at/moon-shaped-bathub

tsukiburo-banner640wide They are curvy and sexy, they are cutting edge, they are hand-made. Here is the beginning of the new “KAKEHASHI” collection!

House for sale in Osaka

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A japanese friend is selling his house in southern Osaka and since it is equipped with a nice hinoki bathtub, I decided to call it out here, in case somebody in interested.

It is remote that users of this site may be considering purchasing of real estate in Japan, but who knows! Also note that this is not a heritage building but a full featured 3 story family house with 2 cars garage.

asking price: 42.8 million yen

year built: 2001, december

structure: timber (post and beam)

floor area: 148.22m² (3 story, 4LDK)

land area: 166.81m²

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You can find more information and photos here:

http://win-jyuken.jp/?post_type=fudo&p=4272&shu=1202&ros=592&eki=6508&ken=00&sik=0&kalc=0&kahc=0&kalb=0&kahb=0&hof=0&tik=0&mel=0&meh=0

Production Schedule

We often receive an inquiry about the time required to produce and deliver a tub.

Of course I will be glad to answer your request in detail case by case but here some general guidelines for your reference.

All bathtubs:

Production time (from date of confirmed order)

1) if smaller than M-7) 1500 x 750 : 3 weeks + delivery time

2) is larger than M-7): 6 weeks + delivery time

3) round tubs, kadomaru tubs: 2 weeks + delivery time

4) outlet tubs (ready-to ship): 1 week + delivery time

+Delivery time:

Add 1 week for air freight

or 2-5 weeks for ocean freight

note: for general reference, our common customs sizes are listed in this page:

https://bartokdesign.com/download

Please contact Iacopo by email for more details about the current production schedule or any other question/problem.

new prices for the bath accessories

I would like to call your attention on 2 changes in our lineup of japanese bathroom accessories:

1) the design of the ladle (small bucket with handle) was updated with the use of a braided wire.
This gives more stability even if it makes the look different from the large bucket which still has the flat copper bands. On the other hand, the new ladle coordinates with the round foot bath. oke-hi2

2) there will be few adjustments (prices increases) in the accessories due to the cost increase of the stools and new pricing categories of the EMS Japan post service.
Please find the new prices below.
170601-hinoki-bath-accessories-pricelist
This new price list will be effective from june,1 2017 so if you are ready to buy some accessories, I recommend to place the order by 5/31.
The shopping cart will be updated with the new prices on 6/1 at 0:00 JST

rural kabuki in Kobe

Today I went to the gorgeous Minatogawa Shrine in Kobe.
The building was rebuilt in reinforced concrete as many other examples thru-out the country but the balance, its setting in the green in the center of Kobe always gives me a sensation of wellbeing. Incidentally, here is where I got married, 15 years ago… but this is a different story…

This time I was not a normal visitor: I came to participate to a casual festival as a … Kabuki actor!
Actually I have been impersonating the character “Nango Rikimaru” from the play “Shiranami go nin otoko” for over 18 years!
It all started when I visited a traditional festival and forgot on the ground my note-book.
It was promptly returned to me and one year later I was recruited to be on stage!

Nouson-kabuki (rural kabuki) is a standard (or maybe I should use the past tense) of local festivals and the amateur actors (in the past mostly peasants) were dressing up and making up their face to entertain the community.

The five characters are thieves that are surrounded　by the police and are giving their testaments before the final fight. Some of them had noble origins, some of them are played as onna gata (with an effeminate makeup). Nango is a rough pirate hiding on ships and popping out all at the sudden and threatening the crew with his shining sword. He is not repented and showing off his red underwear he draws his…umbrella preparing to sell his life dearly!

kazoku-buro

I have some american friends who spent their honey moon in japan.
They both love ofuros but had to enjoy the hot water separately.
If you go to an onsen-ryokan, you may have a bathtub in your room also.
But the “real thing” is of course the “dai-yoku-jo” (large bath area) which is separated by sex. Here you can enjoy different temperatures of water, ishiburo (stone-bath) rotenburo (outdoor bath) goemon-buro (wood fired metal bathtub) and all the optionals including waterfalls, softly lit stone lanterns and spectacular foliage.

So my friends were separating, going to their bath area and feeling guilty to indulge longer in the hot water… You do not want to have your newlywed partner say “did you came here to spend time with me or to enjoy the thermal water by yourself?”

Please keep your ears open: there is a trick if you want to love the onsen as much (or almost as much…) as the company of your partner: you can look for a “kazoku-buro”.

Many ryokan offer family bathtubs that can be used for a limited time by your party exclusively.
Some require an extra fee, some others do not. In this case they are usually crowded and you have to reserve well in advance or wait.

Here below are some photos from the hotel “kami-no-yu” (god of hot water) in Yamanashi prefecture. The address is 17, Ryuji, Kai city. telephone: 0551-28-5000.

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This one is suitable for a large family!! But do not forget to read the notice before entering…
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The ofuro is inside but you can enjoy the landscaped garden from the window!

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I cannot here list all ryokans that offer a “kashikiri-kazokuburo” anyway I will share some other reviews in the near future.
Meanwhile, if you are going to japan and want to try this experience, please let me know: I will be glad to look for a suitable ryokan for you.
If you want to do it by yourself, try to access googlemap with the tags selected by clicking the link below:

https://www.google.co.jp/maps/search/%E8%B2%B8%E5%88%87%E5%AE%B6%E6%97%8F%E9%A2%A8%E5%91%82+%E6%B8%A9%E6%B3%89/@35.7192132,134.0200653,5z/data=!3m1!4b1
Then, zoom on the location you choose.
The onsen will be twice as enjoyable if you can share it together with your other half!