Creating the home spa

Creating a comfortable, luxurious environment to mimic the spa without leaving the comfort and convenience of home is the latest trend in baths.

"We're seeing homeowners add radiant flooring, steam showers, as well as wet bars and coffee bars to make their bathroom a sanctuary," said Paloma Contreras, National Kitchen & Bath Association K+B Insider, interior decorator and blogger behind La Dolce Vita.

Contreras said every year there's a new trend in baths.

"This year it's an emphasis on design and implementation of technology," she said. "People want to create seamlessness in their lifestyle, and one way to achieve that is through technology such as intuitive appliances, 3-D printed faucets, touchless technology, shower and toilet systems that play music and tell you what the weather will be."

When creating a home spa, Contreras said homeowners need to first assess what's most important to them and what a spa experience means to them.

"If someone likes to take long baths, they should look into installing a shower with multiple shower heads and a steam feature or freestanding tub, which is becoming more popular," she said. "The easy way that's fairly inexpensive to create a soothing spa environment is with paint. Take whatever your existing palette is and take it in a softer, more neutral direction and update your cabinet hardware for more spalike look."

Resort architects Jon Sparer and John Klai's 13,255-square-foot luxury home in The Ridges features a Vichy spa, glass-enclosed steam room, massage room with a motorized massage table that converts into a manicure and pedicure station.

The home also has a private courtyard with an outdoor Japanese soaking tub and shower off the fitness room as well as Jacuzzi spa off the master bedroom.

"We use them quite a bit and thought a house of this stature deserves these kinds of amenities that you would expect a five-star resort to have," Sparer said. "Your home is your sanctuary, and it's nice to have a masseuse come and do massages right in your home in a private salon, not some space that's jammed in the corner."

Sparer and Klai's home took seven years to build, and they met weekly with another architect to design the house.

"We paid a lot of attention to detail because we both design casino-resorts all over the world and understand how to do these wonderful sensuous spaces," Sparer said. "It's a really cool home."

Bill Hargraves, a luxury home Realtor at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties' Shapiro & Sher Group, said his listing at 43 Rue Mediterra Drive in Henderson is a circular home that surrounds Lake Las Vegas.

"It's encompassed by water and natural elements," he said. "The home stimulates creativity by allowing people to recharge and rejuvenate with what matters and be away from people."

According to Hargraves, the home, which features a meditation room, is circular because it represents the spiritual concept of never beginning, never ending.

"When you're in the meditation room, you want the energy to circle around you, not be stuck in a corner," he said. "It's all about unity, cleansing and peace."

Dani Bald, real estate agent and owner of Las Vegas-based Create Luck Realty, Design & Lifestyle, was involved in the bathroom design at her latest listing at 582 Lairmont Place in Henderson.

The home's bathroom features a walk-in shower with multiple shower heads, huge stone bathtub with water coming down from the ceiling and a door that leads out into the garden.

"The homeowners wanted to bring that indoor-and-outdoor feel into the bathroom," she said.

According to Bald, the stone bathtub was there when the previous homeowners purchased the property.

"We left the tub there because having water from the ceiling is a visually enticing, fun and unique feature," she said. "You don't have to go anywhere — it's a cozy space for anyone to enjoy."

Las Vegas-based builder Touchstone Living is installing bathtubs on platforms and multiple shower heads in oversized showers with dual temperature controls to make bathrooms feel luxurious.

"Bathrooms are one of the most important parts of the home," President Tom McCormick said. "People are looking at homes differently now because they're staying in them longer, so as they age, the bathroom will become more important."

McCormick added that having a flexible bathroom will allow homeowners to grow with the home.

"The way life works as you get older things become more challenging so having oversized showers becomes more important as does having bigger vanities," he said. "Whether you're starting out or retiring, you want a home that will evolve with you and support the lifestyle you want to have."

Contact reporter Ann Friedman at afriedman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Follow @AnnFriedmanRJ on Twitter.