Should You Incorporate The Bathroom Lounge Trend In Your Home?

Ever since the pandemic, there has been a bigger push to make our homes more inviting and relaxing. Rather than spending most of our time outside of the home, we now want to get that same sense of fun, socializing, and relaxation within it. That's why there have been changes like tapping into biophilic interior decor to make interiors appear more like oases, bringing back the formal dining room to host at home again, and when it comes to the bathroom, adding a bathroom lounge to make it all the more relaxing. 

A bathroom lounge is exactly what it sounds like: It's added seating where you can relax and unwind before slipping into your bath. This seating can take all sorts of forms, and it's mostly dependent on how big your space is. For instance, if you have ample square footage, you can add anything from a chaise lounge to a compact sofa chair. If you have a small bathroom, a small pouf or chair will make more sense. But the intent behind this trend is to add a spa-like quality to the space, inviting you to sit back and unwind before you further pamper yourself. But is it right for your home? Here are the pros and cons.

Design isn't just about aesthetics. It's also about inspiring behavior. Just think of all the studies that show which colors are best for the bedroom to lower the heart rate, or which colors are best for the office to inspire creativity or drive. Similarly, the lounge bathroom is meant to inspire a drive for self-care. It, quite literally, invites you to pull up a chair and relax. Whether you kick back for three minutes to scroll on your phone before jumping into the shower and tackling your next task, or if you spend a solid hour reading before you emerge to join the rest of the household, it's meant to help slow you down.

"Choosing to have a bathroom lounge provides a moment to take some time back for ourselves," Barrie Cutchie, design director at BC Designs, told Homes & Gardens. If you feel like you need some more pockets of R&R in your day, this can be the perfect trend to indulge in. If you have a large bathroom, consider getting a comfortable chaise, such as the Troian Upholstered Chaise Lounge. If you have a tiny bathroom, consider getting a small pouf you can perch on, such as the Threshold Elroy Round Velvet Ottoman.

While the bathroom lounge trend can help us slow down and unwind, it's also not the most sanitary. The bathroom is one of the germiest rooms in the house. Not to get too graphic, but even if you put the toilet seat down, studies have shown that aerosol droplets of water and waste products get sprayed across the room. That's why we're encouraged to wash all upholstery found in the bathroom, from our shower curtains to our bathroom rugs to our towels. But you can't really throw an ottoman or a chaise lounge into a washing machine. 

If you're a germaphobe or value sanitation and hygiene above all else, this trend might not be for you. However, there might be a workaround. You can choose a chair or seating option that doesn't have any upholstery, such as a wooden chair or metal bench. This will allow you to routinely clean and sanitize it, negating the worry of germs.