Ways to Give Your Bathroom the Comforts of a Spa

Now that we’re right in the middle of fall and the days are continually getting shorter, many of us not only take the time to get our yards and homes ready for winter, but we also prepare ourselves, both mentally and physically, to weather the upcoming winter season. Between dealing with our daily schedules, crises of one kind or another and preparing for the inevitable holiday festivities, we can get pretty stressed out. A great way to deal with seasonal stresses is to transform your bathroom into the ultimate cold weather getaway.

One way to transform your bathroom into a spa is to replace or upgrade the tub. In a wide range of styles and designs, many people are trading in the old bathtub for a luxury bath; one that includes hydrotherapy options like whirlpool jets for a full body massage. If getting rid of your old tub isn’t feasible, many manufacturers offer systems that can be added to your existing tub, allowing you to immerse yourself in a luxurious abundance of massaging bubbles without having to drastically alter your current floor plan.

If you have the room, another way to give your bathroom the luxurious feel of a spa is to replace the sink with a vanity. Because bathroom vanities usually combine a sink with a cabinet, it will provide a functional and practical place to get ready for the day, while eliminating clutter and give you a place to store toiletries and bath salts. Even if you don’t have much space to work with, you still have options. Since a metal bathroom vanity typically does not have enclosed storage, it would be an ideal choice for decorating smaller style bathrooms, making the room appear more open.

When you really don’t have the room for a bathroom vanity, select a vessel sink instead. Sitting either directly on top of the counter or partially recessed, a vessel sink appears to float above the counter, especially when made of glass or other reflective materials such as stainless steel. Dramatic and visually interesting, a vessel sink can give a bathroom the luxurious feeling of a resort spa.

Consider the lighting in the bathroom. While you want it bright enough to see yourself in the mirror when grooming, while relaxing in your “spa,” the lighting should be softer, conducive to creating a more relaxing atmosphere. Especially if you have an overhead light in your bathroom, wall sconces with shades can help control glare and reduce the amount of brightness in the room.

To give the most-used room in your home all the style and comfort of a luxurious spa, it doesn’t have to mean a major renovation. By replacing your current bathtub with a hydrotherapy bath or your old sink and countertop with a new vanity, you can magically transform your bathroom into an oasis of relaxation.

Mirror, Mirror…Who is the Fairest Cat of Them All?

I have a confession to make. Of all the pieces of furniture designed to make our lives easy, efficient and more organized, the bedroom vanity is the one I understand the least. I know they are specifically designed to organize cosmetics, beauty supplies, jewelry and other small accessories, while being comfortably seated in front of the mirror. However, to my way of thinking, a dresser with a mirror (in conjunction with a corner of the bed to sit on) serves exactly the same purpose. It seems redundant to have a piece of furniture solely for looking at yourself taking up valuable floor space.

I took a trip back home last month to help my sister sort through what my father would and would not take with him when he moved into a smaller place, after selling the house. Since my mother was quite a collector of furniture, china and other curiosities, my father didn't want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. So, my sister and I decided to call in an antiques and collectibles appraiser for a consultation to help us separate good stuff from garage sale stuff. Before the appraiser was to arrive, my father asked if we planned to show him the vanity.

What vanity? My father said that I had already seen it because it was in the closet of the bedroom I used when I visited. Apparently, on one of their weekend day trips out of the city, my mother and father stopped for lunch in a near-by town and ended up perusing the treasures of an outdoors antiques fair. Mother spotted it in the back corner of one of the booths and immediately fell in love with it. When I opened the closet door, it became quite clear why I hadn't really noticed it. It was buried beneath a pile of miscellaneous items. But, after my sister and I cleared everything off and pulled it out into the center of the room, I could see immediately why my mother wanted to bring this bedroom vanity home with her.

Made of walnut, it had a drop front with a full length mirror in the center. The mirror had an arched top; the drawers on either side had delicate bail handles; but the thing that fascinated me the most about the vanity was the two, freestanding barley twist oval side mirrors. Intended to stand on either side of the center mirror, they could be moved around into a "tri-fold" position so that a person sitting at the vanity could see the back of their hair. Tucking conveniently underneath the middle section, a square vanity bench with a cane seat completed the look.

We had swung it around and pushed it up against the foot of the bed. Even still, there was barely enough room to move around. But, after the appraiser had left, I didn't have the heart to push this beautiful piece of furniture back into the closet. The next morning, I found myself carefully perched on the cane vanity bench applying face cream, brushing my hair and taking time to just admire the vanity…okay I'll admit it, admire myself in the mirror. Completely seduced, I gave in to the vanity's charms and arranged my small collection of beauty products on its two tabletops.

Later on that afternoon, I dashed into the bedroom to freshen my makeup before going out. I discovered my Dad's cat, Joe, sitting in front of the left oval mirror tilting his head slowly to one side. Then, he slowly tilted his head to the other side. I thought that, upon sitting down, Joe would vacate his pride of place. No such luck. He slowly tilted his head back to the left side oblivious to whatever it was I had in mind. He was still, for want of a better expression, admiring himself by the time I was ready to leave. For the remainder of my visit, the odds of stepping into the bedroom to find Joe in front of one of the oval mirrors were good. He never varied his routine-he slowly dipped to the left then to the right then back again.

The whole experience has me reassessing my opinion of this "vain" piece of furniture. I am seriously considering purchasing one: sitting at my mother's dressing table getting ready for the day gave me a feeling of confidence that perched on the edge of the mattress leaning into the dresser mirror while applying lipstick did not. And, since it seems that they like primping too, maybe I should get a cat to match my new bedroom vanity.

Blogophobics! Do Not Be Afraid To Read This!

Most phobias I can understand. Agoraphobia: Fear of crowds – sure. Fear of small places – absolutely (my brother used to lock me in his tuba case when I was small enough, and as a result, I have a mild case of Claustrophobia). There are other phobias that I can understand: Acrophobia (fear of heights), Aviophobia (fear of flying), Mysophobia (fear of germs), Glossophobia (fear of public speaking), Enetophobia (fear of needles), and Brontophobia (fear of thunder and lightning). I know at least one person who suffers from at least one of these phobias… granted it is my dog that suffers from Brontophobia, but you catch my drift.

There was a news story this morning on the radio that peaked my interest in phobias, pushing me to instigate an internet task of researching the most uncommon phobias, featuring one phobia that has had me in a state of bewilderment all morning. Of course, everything you read on the internet is true, so my research is flawless…

10) Arachibutyrophobia: The fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth. To tell you the truth, I can understand this phobia. In my teens, I used to torment my dog by placing big globs of peanut butter on the roof of his mouth, and be entertained for a good half hour as he tried to get it off. The thought of that situation being reversed is enough to make my skin crawl, ever so slightly.

9) Chromatophobia: The fear of colors. Now, one in twelve men is colorblind. However, men who are colorblind don’t just see in black and white, but in various shades of colors. And I suppose black and white are colors too… so I guess nobody really gets off the hook for this one.

8) Dextrophobia: The fear of objects at the right side of the body. Now this kind of phobia troubles me. Again, you can’t really escape this one, unless you don’t include walls in the list of objects and can huddle against one, right side of your body flat against it, and stay there your whole life.

7) Plutophobia: The fear of wealth. I have one thing, and only one thing to say to these people: if you’re wealthy and it’s driving you into a panic, please contact me, and I will take some of your wealth off your hands – no questions asked.

6) Metrophobia: The fear of poetry. Okay, so there is some bad poetry out there, but a sonnet isn’t going to kill you, and although nobody really gets them, haikus are nice and short. Plus, Chaucer wasn’t so bad, was he? Not like anyone can understand the guy anyway…

5) Nomatophobia: The fear of names. Hmmm… let’s think about this for a minute. Would people suffering from Nomatophobia prefer to be addressed as “Hey you!” or is it just, as my research tells me, a result of the significance of the name? Change your name to something that has no root. Call your friends ridiculous names.

4) Phonemophobia: The fear of thinking. This one baffles me. These sufferers are uncomfortable with their own thoughts and may panic when new and unfamiliar thoughts come about. How’s that as an excuse for getting out of a brainstorming session at work? This one is pretty well thought-out, in my books.

3) Aulophobia: The fear of flutes. Okay. So let’s break this down: A flute is a woodwind instrument, but unlike other woodwinds, it doesn’t have a reed. I played saxophone for years, and placing my tongue against a reed always gave me the creeps, but a flute? You blow sideways through a hole, people! It doesn’t even have to touch your mouth! However, if you are an Aulophobic and are irrationally fearful of the look or sound of flutes, that is another thing… Advice? Pick up an electric guitar, crank the volume, and drown this phobia out.

2) Geniophobia: The fear of chins. Yes people: this is a true phobia. Now, I’ve seen some pretty nasty double (triple, quadruple) chins in my life, but only a handful have sent me running the other way. Geniophobics are scared of ALL chins – small, large, dimpled, chiseled – and are therefore a little unlucky when it comes to living every day life. I imagine this phobia goes hand in hand with Agoraphobia.

and now… big drum roll for the phobia of the day:

1) Koumpounophobia: The fear of buttons. Yup. Those evil, dirty, scary, horrific buttons – on your shirt, on your pants – but especially on their own. The fear of buttons affects one in 75,000 people.

This was the news story this morning. A twenty-two-year-old woman has come out to the media to talk about her fear of buttons. In her own words, “touching a button would be like touching a cockroach. It feels dirty, nasty and wrong.” She can’t be in a room with anyone who has buttons on their clothing, and of course she won’t wear them herself. Her boyfriend has to wear zippers.

I didn’t believe it; I just couldn’t fathom it, until I found endless websites devoted to Koumpounophobia. Sufferers from all over the world come together on the web to find support from other people who are affected. One girl wrote that the buttons with four holes are the worst, stating “imagine someone putting a button in a shallow puddle of water and you can see the water come through the holes,” she goes on to admit, “I’m shivering just thinking about it!”

I don’t mean to poke (much) fun at these people. Obviously it is an immobilizing phobia, and people need professional help. I’m no doctor or psychologist, but what I do know is that I lose a lot of buttons from my shirts, and because I’m lazy and because it takes me a full evening to sew a button back on, they end up in a pile on the top of my vanity set. Now, I hope that I never meet anyone who is a Koumpounophobic, not because I think they would be bad friends, but because I wouldn’t want them to come over and have a panic attack when they see my pile of loose buttons. Luckily, my vanity set has a ton of closed storage, where I can hide my pile, so as long as the Koumpounophobic doesn’t also suffer from an impulse to rifle through other people’s belongings, I’m sure we can get along just fine. After all, I have no problem with zippers.

At Least Furniture Won't Pee on Your Rug

We humanoids have an important relationship with the animal kingdom. Pets have been a vital part of all cultures since prehistoric times, when Larry King kept trilobites for companionship as he shambled the lonely Paleozoic wilds. These days, many people feel their home is not complete without a pet -- trilobite or not.

But what if you can't have a pet? Maybe your significant other is allergic to cats. Maybe your landlord has a no-animals policy. Maybe you have an unreasonable phobia of dogs thanks to an Incident long ago. In any case, you long to hear the pitter-pat of little claws on the floor, but it's not an option. Well, Cymax is here to help you do the right thing: compensate by buying furniture.

Alternately, if you do have a pet, perhaps you’d like to find a piece of furniture to match. Why would you want to do this? For the same reason you dress your dog in little sweaters and take him to the spa to get his fur did, clearly. Either way, with a special focus on man’s best friend (the dog, not the awful Lance Henriksen film), our devoted team brings you the most pet-like furniture items you can buy.

Note the similarities:

And there you have it: a pet to match your furniture, or furniture to match your pet. Half of style is coordination, after all.