From the bedroom, we travel to the bathroom. Glamorous? No. Necessary? Absolutely. Such is the role of the bathroom—highly utilitarian. Durability is imperative to its functionality. The last thing we want to deal with are leaks and spills so we design the bathroom to rinse our messes away. Plumbing is a marvelous invention.
If the bedroom is the realm of darkness, then the bathroom is the realm of water. Traditionally the water element symbolizes our emotions. The bathroom brings us into direct contact with our feeling nature, demanding our engagement with it. When we are talking about water we want it to flow freely, but manipulation is key. A drain is only useful if it can empty quickly and seal tightly. Likewise, we want the emotional dexterity to dive deeply into our psyche without devolving into a puddle on the floor.
A good bathroom is well-ventilated. Often there is a fan we can run or a window to crack, adding the element of air to this watery, emotional environment. The air element speaks to our mental capacities. It is a place of examination, contemplation, and meditation.
Showers, tubs, sinks, and toilets are present in the bathroom, but there is always a mirror too. It is a deeply reflective environment, a space where we truly see ourselves. It is one of the only rooms where we are completely naked. The bathroom strips us down, asking us to bare ourselves, both physically and mentally, and fully let go. Arguably the most private space within a home, it is most common to occupy the bathroom alone. In a shared living space, it can be the only room where we truly find solitude.
While quite personal and private, the utilitarian role of the bathroom pulls it into the public spheres of the home. A home with one bathroom can feel extremely vulnerable. All of our products, prescriptions, tools, and toiletries are on display for the world to see. Yet we have to let others into this deeply personal realm, only adding to its emotional nature.
It is the space we visit to cleanse ourselves. After all, “bath” is right there in its name. There’s nothing quite like hot water to jumpstart the morning or rinse away the day. Through cleansing, we simultaneously release the past and prepare for the future. In this frantic and fast-paced world, bathing is a balm for the soul.
From the warmth of the water to the whir of the fan to the clean scent of our soap to the minty fresh taste of our toothpaste to the hazy steam obscuring the mirror, it is a multi-sensory delight. The bathroom is a highly tactile space, demanding our full engagement. It is through the senses that we find ourselves fully grounded in our bodies and, by extension, the present moment.
The shower is an incredibly creative and fertile environment. The act of bathing offers a welcome diversion to the mind. New ideas present themselves, perspectives shift and solutions crystalize. It is the setting of many eureka moments. In the modern era, there is something particularly powerful about letting the mind wander sans screen as we tend to the body.
There is a fixed quality to the bathroom room. We can’t just move a shower on a whim. Renovations require precision and planning. If we are renters there often isn’t a whole lot we can do to modify the boundaries of a bathroom. Spacious or compact, well-thought or haphazardly thrown together, we are at the whims of the room itself. In the bathroom, we are asked to adapt, to mutate, to flow—much like water itself.
TO CONTEMPLATE:
How is the water flowing through your bathroom? When was the last time you snaked your drains?
What is the state of your towels? Have they seen better days? A spin in the washer with vinegar does wonders.
How would it feel to invite another into your bathroom right now—a lover, a friend, a new acquaintance? What would they see, and is there anything that feels particularly vulnerable?
-MRD
