A foldable bathtub brings greater flexibility of life and a superior bathing experience

LIXIL has been committed to developing and providing advanced water and housing products that deliver everyday life solutions to enrich and comfort homes for people around the world. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024, the water and tile business will unveil Bathtope at DESIGNART TOKYO 2024, a product designed for the next century.
Bathtope is a “system-bath” that falls somewhere between a bathroom and a shower stall, with a removable fabric bathtub that maximizes usability and spaciousness in even the smallest bathroom spaces. It fulfills both your efficiency needs with showering on busy days, and an exquisite bathing experience of soaking in hot water on weekends. We interviewed project members, led by the design team, who are working with a flexible and open-minded approach to developing products as a more earth-friendly option for individual’s own unique lifestyle, about the origin of the concept and future development.
Photo by Ryo Usami Interview by Yoko Dobashi

Opening up the bathroom space to accommodate diverse lifestyles

—Please tell us what sparked your interest in the development of this product?
Nagase: The time spent in the bathroom is short, an hour at most in a day. Whether enjoying pastimes or having online meetings, I wondered how we can make the time spent in the bath more fulfilling—and I came up with the idea of transforming the bathtub into something more unconventional. We thought that the idea of a removable bathtub would not only make better use of space, but also change perceptions about bathing. I was imagining people reaping the benefits of shower efficiency on busy weekdays, and the joy of being snug in a fabric bathtub on Sundays and other slower days, as if they were out sunbathing or camping. This was one of the four proposals named Hare-to-Ke that we submitted in the in-house competition as a team with Nishizawa and Imamura, and it was selected as the best theme to be commercialized.

Nishizawa: Bathrooms in detached houses are generally installed on the north side of the house, giving the impression of moldy or dank. We tried to open up the bathroom space and make it more like a living room where people can relax. Bathtope, a coined word that combines “bath” and “biotope,” a receptacle for a wide variety of organisms, is a well‐thought‐out product name. With the word “tope” in its name, derived from the Greek word “topos” meaning “place”, the product is designed to suggest a new place that accommodates the changing bathing habits of our increasingly diverse lifestyles.

―What was your first impression of the product from the perspective of someone who had made a new idea a reality?

Oguri: My first reaction was sheer amazement: “We can really commercialize this product ourselves!” (laughs) I use showers most of the year, and was thinking the small bathtub in my single-occupancy home was a white elephant, as I hardly ever use it. When this solution came up, I thought it was exactly what I wanted!

An exquisite bathing experience with a floating sensation, sweeping away any pre-bathing concerns

Oguri: Despite my excitement, I was still skeptical whether it could really be commercialized; however, my concerns were dispelled by the outcome from the in-house usability trial. It turned out to be much easier to use than I had imagined. The bathing experience improved with each successive prototype, and the feedback from our product testers convinced us that this product would work.

Imamura: Many people are concerned about the stability of the hammock-structure, but when the bathtub is filled with hot water, the weight of water creates tension and makes it a solid bathtub; yet, it supports the neck and shoulder softly and comfortably. We had several in-house testers, many of whom were skeptical at first. But after trying it, they gave us positive feedback, saying how much they enjoyed it. That made me really happy.

Omori: It was above and beyond my expectations. And it is so comfortable that it completely dispels any initial doubts you may have. Some might think that the shape of the hammock makes it wobbly, but once it is filled with hot water, the bottom of the hammock sits on the floor and stabilizes itself. Others might think that this would hurt buttocks, but the floating sensation created by the buoyancy of the hot water makes it an unprecedented bathing experience. You have to try it to understand this (laughs). The challenge for us now is to figure out how to offer this bathing experience.

A pleasure of soaking in the hammock-like bathtub

―It has a smooth and pleasant texture and chic colors that blend well in with the interior design
Nagase: A foldable fabric bath can turn a small space into a large shower room or a spacious bathtub. Since Bathtope itself fits into a very small space, it gives the architecture more freedom in renovations. Another feature to cater to the needs of those who want to live their own unique lifestyle is the color options. While more than 80% of people choose white for the conventional solid tub, there are a total of five colors available for the fabric, which allows for a more casual choice of color. With its color palette and names inspired by nature, this product is a fruit of Imamura’s passion for quality of texture and bathing sensation.

Imamura: The initial prototype was made of fabric with a texture more like garments using a sewing machine and thread. Over time, after taking into account the functional aspect of retaining hot water, as well as voices from female staff and those with sensitive skin that the roughness of the material irritates their skin, we finally reached the smooth texture we use today.

Nagase: Conventional FRP bathtubs are made from unrecyclable materials, whereas fabric bathtubs are made from recyclable materials. The quality of texture and comfort of bathing experience were our top priority, but we are looking into shifting to more ecological solutions such as recycled materials without compromising on comfort.

Passing on Japanese bathing culture to the next generation while incorporating new ideas

Omori: Only half of people today are said to soak in the bathtub every day, due to changes in bathing styles as lifestyles diversify. The younger generation living in increasingly shrinking homes is particularly affected by this tendency. There has never been a product that specifically addresses their niche ideas, like transforming a bathroom into an office or laundry room by removing the bathtub. Hopefully, this product will become widely recognized as one of the lifestyle options to those with strong interest, through SNS and events such as DESIGNART.

Nagase: I am hoping that Bathtope will be a small step forward, and go further than just the bathroom. With its ability to transform into various forms, water has infinite possibilities to be incorporated into our daily lives, depending on our ideas—for example, making the water particle size finer to feel the humidity, or using some other form to fill up the water for bathing. People would love to have a “place for well-being where they can unwind in water” at home, as the value of the water-related experience evolves. I hope it will create new bathing habits and further enrich our bathing culture.

*Bathtobe will be released on November 26 (Good Bath Day).

Text: Yoko Dobashi
Photo: Ryo Usami

SPECIAL MOVIE | bathtope by LIXIL