One of my favorite moments in your typical guts and grime Western is when the hero or anti-hero arrives at the saloon-town hotel having vanquished some outlaw, or gunslinger, or sheriff, and thus gets the pleasure of a long, luxurious bubble bath (usually presided over by the local Madame). I always wondered whereof such bodily ease, because my attempts at foamy baths have always paled in comparison. Now manufacturer Lixil and designer Kenya Hara put such fabulous fulsome foam at your finger (and toe) tips, courtesy of the innovative Foam Spa bathtub.

Foam Spa bathtub. Designed by Kenya Hara. Manfactured by Lixil.

Foam Spa Automatically Creates a Bountiful Bath of Velvety Foam

My persistent inability to create the scenario above is perhaps directly related to my generalized dissatisfaction with taking baths, which I usually find unsatisfying on several fronts: not enough room to stretch out; not enough space to place imbibements, magazines, and other entertainments; and uneven water temps.

Foam Spa is an auspicious antidote to all the above ailments. The Foam Spa system produces pounds of perfectly frothy foam  every time you bathe. Simply fill the bath, introduce the Inax Foam bath additive, hit the switch to activate the hot water pump and air compressor, and run the air-infused water through the whipping unit.

The procedure may sound complicated, but it’s really as simple as pushing a button, as all the infrastructure remains behind the walls of Foam Spa’s luxuriously large tub. And with a little fine tuning, the foam can be customized to user preference: from smooth like fresh cream, to a little lighter like meringue, to a light as air foam that virtually vanishes within its own effervescence.

The benefits of this automated foam machine are manifest. Unlike full water baths, which tend to create a steamy atmosphere that becomes stifling after a spell, Foam Spa’s thick sudsy layer creates a temperature inversion of sorts—trapping the heat and distributing it evenly throughout the tub: “Even when the foam starts to get cold, it only takes a little stirring to quickly restore the warmth.” Further, Foam Spa cuts down dramatically on water usage, typically reducing the quantity for a typical bath by half, which translates to approximately half the amount of CO2.

Via DesignBoom.

About the Manufacturer: Lixil’s vision is to become a global leader in the building materials and housing equipment industries. If the tremendous range and reach of their product portfolio is any indication, they’re already well on their way. The company manufactures products for kitchen, bath, and interior residential, in addition to major elements of the construction process—windows, doors, curtain walls, shutters, and tiles.