Blog

round tub in L.A. – details

Japanese tub

The spout can be opened from the top for easy maintenance. As the tub does not have corners, you feel pleasingly contained by the warm honey-like color of hinoki.

round tub in L.A. – back

Japanese bathing

This wooden tub is equipped with a floor mounted spout. This has to match the slanted/curved edge of the circular tub. The “waterfall” balances the composition and add to the relaxing effect of japanese style bathing.

round tub in L.A. – front

wood tub

Straight hinoki: 1524mm diam. x 660mm deep. Round wooden tubs tend to be more expensive due to the manufacture and top grade material.

hinoki tub in michigan

Japanese bath

Straight hinoki wooden bathtub: 1220 x 865mm x 610mm deep. A very nice natural pattern for this simple composition.

maintenance 4

Several years ago I purchased a tub from Japan and it came with a container of a kind of cleaning/conditioning fluid for the tub, which included a hinoki oil base.
Do you offer, or know where I could obtain, something similar?

Cleaning liquid: I am sorry, we do not have this product. In Japan,
as in other countries, hinoki oil is available for aromatherapy in different formats, including a liquid emulsion to be poured inside the hot water to have a hinoki-tub-like aromatic effect.
This is not used for cleaning. Hinoki wood contains within its fibers the resinous product commonly known as hinokitiol. Usage of cleaning products such as detergents or waxes/oils will clog the natural wood pores thus sealing inside the hinokitiol. If you want to take maternal care of the tub, you may wipe it with a towel after use which will prevent any darkening caused by mold.
Then keep a hygrometer inside the bathroom and avoid the relative humidity to drop below 50%.

UPDATE 2008.08.01
See also our news and products page. We have now a natural oil extract which can be used to clean, protect and regenerate the tub.

filtering system for hinoki tub

how are the modern Japanese recirculating water through a heater?
Or are they mainly designed for one session of hot water?

Thank you for your interest in our japanese bathtubs.

The japanese tub is a very simple, low tech, minimalist box made out of wood. For this reason it is also very flexible and can adapt to different uses.

In our experience, most of the private clients drain it after use. Anyway one session can be extended for a whole day with the use of tub covers and by adding hot water at need.

Most of the business users add on site recirculating/filtering systems in line with a heater. We do not supply this systems ourselves for the following reasons:
1) US or european makers of pumps/cartridge filters/ozone systems etc. are more advanced than products available in japan
2) Considerations about maintenance and spare parts
3) It is very easy to open a hole in solid wood with the pitch and diameter matching your equipment.

I hope I answered your question. Our tubs are custom made to fit the particular needs/sizes of each site and most of the solutions are evaluated case by case.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for any question or problem.

Please find below a scheme kindly participated by a client. (Wabi Sabi Culture – Pescara – Italy)

Ofuro Filtering System at Wabi Sabi Center.jpg

order and payment 5

My builder also enquired if it would be possible to get something like a VAT registration statement in respect of Bartok Design in Japan, if such a thing exists in Japan (it can be in japanese, I can get it translated locally). Or is this information going to be contained on the invoice? This is becase – I assume – since the tub was produced for export, there would have been no VAT or equivalent sales tax chargeable in Japan, but it will fall to be paid by me once I take the house with the tub in it from the builder. The builder would like some sort of documentation to support this.

(more…)

Back to top