tub installed in France
Our home work is progressing well now and the bathroom was delivered last week – The tub is now installed and we enjoyed the first bath lest week – It i great indeed !
B. from France
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ofuro for a long chat
This ofuro has a barrel type construction and 2 removable banches, so it is possible to sit inside, with the hot water to your shoulders and have a relaxing chat with your partner.
Tub information:
Sawara cypress wood AB grade (quarter sawn) oval tub
dimensions: L1500mm x W750mm x H800mm (ext. dim.) 666mm deep
The tub is equipped with a cover split in two halves ans a step/bench to make it easy to enter and exit the ofuro.
Here is a photo of the inside of the tub. The seats are both removable.
sloped bottom of bahtub
One of the “special” options in your homepage is the “flat bottom” — don’t the tubs normally come with flat bottoms? Or do they normally come with something on them?
replacement of damaged tub
Hi — We’ve already bought a bucket and stool from you to go with a tub we had made here out of what the guy who made it called “American hinoki-type cedar” (it smells a little bit like hinoki — we lived in Japan for a few years so I remember what it smells like). I have a question: the tub went for a full year without water in it and the wood is now very cracked. Is it possible for cracked wood to close back up? If not, we will probably order a tub from you; they look beautiful. If we do, is it possible to put the hole for the drain in the center of the tub? That is where it was on the last one and where the drain is centered in the place for the tub in our bathroom. I guess even if we go with a standard S3 size, having the drain in the middle would still make it a custom tub?
Thank you for your interest in our japanese bahtubs!
About your existing tub, thank you for the pictures.
The wood of the tub is very dry. Also, because the wood is plank cut and not
quarter-sawn, the deformation is very severe…
On the other hand, if you re-hydrate, chances are it will be usable again.
1) Fill the gaps with clear silicon in such a way that the tub does not
leak anymore. Let dry for 1 day.
2) Fill the tub with water and let it full for 2 days.
3) empty the tub. Probably the wood will have expanded and the silicon
will have squeezed out from the cracks. Cut it flush with a cutter.
The tub should be OK and not be too bad aesthetically also.
If this does not work or does not satisfy you, we will be glad to assist
you for a new tub.
If you decide to replace it, of course we can match the center drain. Actually we can also match the tub sizes if necessary.
Basically all our tubs are made to order so there is no difference in price between standard sizes and custom sizes.
We have a standard size pricelist for pure reference.
say it with a cutting board
As simple as the title states, a japanese cutting board makes it for a perfect gift!
It is rare and an everyday use item at the same time.
Surprise your mom, partner, friend or client with a unique yet useful present!
Bartok cutting boards are available in 3 sizes, check our shop or scroll this page further below.
Hinoki wood cutting boards are wrapped in rice paper and can contain a personalized message as per your request.
For further information please contac tus by email: japan@bartokdesign.com
reference from London
I really enjoyed our first bath last night and the smell of the wood…….is just heavenly. I think I even prefer the scent of the asnaro to that of the hinoki!
Thankyou so much for making this one so quickly and special thanks to your carpenters.
Feel free to use the photo if you wish (not my best angle ha ha)
K.
the carp and the cutting board
There is a saying in japan:
“It is like the carp on the cutting board”
(koi ni manaita)
It is used to mean that somebody is at the mercy the another party.
It is not sure that the carp is going to become a sashimi or not…
Anyway there is nothing that the carp can do and only has to passively wait for its destiny…
Do you want to be like a carp on the cutting board?
If not, take action!
Do not let your poor knives dull their blades on a plastic cutting board.
Also, you do not want to give free reign to bacteria build up in a traditional end-grain wooden board…
So, set aside your passive attitude in the kitchen and purchase one of our hinoki wood cutting boards! They come in 3 sizes, all gentle on the knives and safe on the foods thanks to the power of hinoki germicidal qualities.
removal of resin
Dear Iacopo,
I have finally installed the hinoki tub in our house in Whistler, Canada. It looks really great. Before I start using it, I have a question about it. The wood surface of inside part of the tub produced a sticky sap. Is it normal and should I was them off before using it or leave the sap as part of the aromatherapy property of hinoki wood?
Sorry I never own one before so I am clueless.
Many thanks for your help,
G
Dear G
The bathroom looks great!
About the resin deposit: it is natural and of course it does not have any health implication.
You can remove it using a solvent as Acetone. You can purchase it at a paint shop or home center.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone
Be sure to keep the window open (as it is highly flammable), put some acetone on a cloth and wipe gently.
Please keep me updated on the result.
Best regards,
Happy new year to you!
Yes, the acetone worked well to remove the resin deposit.
Here are some other photos I took of the hinoki tub… feel free to use anyone.
a japanese speaking tub in London
The client who commissioned the tub has a japanese acquaintance, an architect based in Tokyo. This made the decision process even smoother as the architect could discuss directly about the required options and installation details.
The tub is a natural japanese Knotless Sawara “Oke” bathtub
L930mm x W630mm (ext. dim.)
It is equipped with a cover split in 2 halves, rubber plug, chain.
We also supplied a hinoki wood “Sunoko” floor grate panel 1050 x 700 xH55mm
and an asnaro wood stool (330x220x300H)
The world`s best cutting board
We mentioned in a previous entry that there are many types of cutting boards.
Discarding glass boards (which all the experts agree that will dull your knives in no time), we have to choose between wood and plastic types.
Each material has different features, strong points and weak points.
But which chopping board should we use?
Actually, the reason for the “dilemma” is not the variety of the offer but rather the fact that for the most important feature of a cutting board the western world experts do not have a clear winner.
Of course we are talking about HYGIENE and the fact that a cutting board may harbor dangerous patogens such as salmonella and E. coli. and contaminate our food just as we are preparing it?
Are the micro indents left by the knife a potential receptacle of bacteria?
Many studies have been done with controversial results.
It seems that wood cutting boards do not show signs of bacteria after 60 hours of use compared to plastic boards that if not washed become colonies of microorganisms.
The antagonists object that wood is porous and the bacteria may not be present on the surface just because they find a better environment deeper into the wood…
This debate is going on at least since Feb. 6, 1993, when “Science News” published an article on cutting boards. Their point was that the wooden boards could assure better hygiene but could not provide an objective proof.
Today the advocates of wood and plastic are still impugnating old studies and experts opinions.
We are glad we can now solve the dilemma.
Wood is safer than plastic, but not any wood.
Japanese have been used cutting boards made of hinoki wood for centuries and the reason is that the “hinokithyol” natural resin contained in the wood fibers have a high bactericidal property.
Hinoki is a coniferous soft wood, making it the best choice both for the sake of your knife`s blade and for your health as it would actually disinfect food as you are cutting it!
See this entry for a desctition of hinoki essential oil properties
If you are looking for the world`s best cutting board, here it is: