CONTEMPORARY bathrooms are getting all hot and steamy. Out goes the hard-edged clinical look and in its place comes the modern equivalent of the hammam: a stylish steam-and-massage room. And what better antidote for stressed-out lives than having all the senses cosseted in a quiet, cosy, fragrant retreat?

Hammams or Turkish baths — the ancient Arabic term means “spreader of warmth” — are descendants of Roman spas with their hypocaust heating systems, plunge pools, massage slabs and series of rooms heated to various temperatures in which luxurious materials such as marble enhance the sense of slightly decadent pleasure. And if you are wondering how you can cram all this into the typically tiny British bathroom, you will be delighted to hear that modern technology has the answer.

Take the hammam-style bathroom that Michel Marcer, a designer for the Ripples bathroom company, has at home. The whole room fills with steam to a temperature of 46C (115F). Fibreoptic ceiling lights offer relaxing colour-changing sequences while a stereo system plays soothing music. Heated limestone steps, leading to a plunge pool fed by a wide-mouthed spout, double as seats for relaxation. Bowls for chucking water over oneself or others sit on the steps. There is a shallow Italian cement basin, a compact Kermag toilet and a Dornbracht rain-head shower. Underfloor heating is complemented by Bisque’s wall-hung Hot Hoops radiator.

“I like to get really hot and sweat it out, then jump into the cold plunge pool,” says Marcer. “It’s good for heart, lungs and skin and so much more refreshing than taking a normal bath. You feel really reinvigorated and recharged afterwards. And it’s a low-maintenance room because there’s no need for mopping up or dealing with watermarks.”

A full-scale hammam bathroom could cost £40,000. But you would pay a tenth of this price to create a small, stylish steam area within a bathroom, or about £1,500 to add a seated steam-and-shower unit. And even the simplest designs can be enhanced with hammam-style accessories such as the Tadé Pays du Levant range available at The Conran Shop: natural olive oil soaps in circular, open-work tins, exfoliating crepe mitts, pumice stones, soaps fragranced with Middle Eastern perfumes and rubber towel-baskets made from recycled tyres.

Cheryl Gurner, of Bathrooms International, whose London showroom displays a Moroccan-inspired bathroom, says that hammams are the next big thing. “Steam showers with seats are increasingly popular,” she says. “I think clients are influenced by health clubs and hotel bathrooms. They’re increasingly asking for health-related items such as steam cabinets with therapeutic massage jets and bespoke body jets.”

Laurence Pidgeon, of the bathroom retailer Alternative Plans, says: “We sell more steam showers than spa baths or saunas. They’re a leisurely, pleasurable addition to a bathroom and take just ten minutes to activate compared with about 45 minutes to heat a sauna. And, at around £1,000, a steam generator is not prohibitively expensive to install. You need to check that your electrical system will handle a 30-amp installation. If not, you might need a new fuse-board, and water pressure is a consideration. You must also ensure that ceilings can cope with condensation. We often install a fibreglass dome over the shower to avoid drips.”

The designer Ross Lovegrove is taking the hammam concept even further by designing 115 products for the Istanbul-based bathroom manufacturer VitrA. Launched at 100% Design last week, they go on sale early next year and include elegant, organically shaped basins and bathtubs, greeny-blue wall tiles decorated with digital images of water, white floor tiles with subtle wavy surfaces, shower trays with integrated stools and teardrop-shaped shower heads.

Lovegrove immersed himself in hammam culture while visiting the Istanbul factory, drawing inspiration from Ottoman architecture, culture and decorative motifs. Tubular metal pedal-bins are decorated with Arabic-inspired calligraphy reminiscent of Pucci prints, and even the shower-head fittings have Ottomaninspired hexagonal patterns. He suggests adding your own personal touches: “You don’t just go into a hammam to splash your face and clean your teeth. You go for tactile sensation. Hammams are sanctuaries. But that doesn’t mean they have to be big — just well organised. Lighting is important for creating a relaxing atmosphere, as is fragrance.”

Although steam cabinets are the domestic modern equivalent of traditional Turkish baths, hammam materials remain luxurious. Natural stone, wood and decorative ceramic tiles all help to mix softness with geometry.

“For too many years we’ve thought of the bathroom as a functional place for cleaning,” says Boffi’s designer, Piero Lissoni. “Now it’s becoming a place to relax and take pleasure. I’ve changed my design approach by making the space much lighter, more spacious and much sexier because we’re increasingly spending more time here.”

Alternative Plans: 020-7228 6460 www.alternative-plans.co.uk
Bathrooms International: 020-7838 7788 www.bathroomsint.com
Boffi: 020-7228 6460, www.boffi.com
The Conran Shop: 020-7589 7401 www.conran.com
Ripples: 0870 7501626 www.ripples.ltd.uk
For VitrA’s Istanbul range: Lovegrove Studio 020-7229 7104, www.rosslovegrove.com

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