Sensory deprivation tanks are supposed to be relaxing but also seem like a claustrophobic’s nightmare. Now, Toto wants to give you the “Ladies and gentlemen, we are floating in space” vibe in the privacy of your own tub. Its sure-to-be-pricey, tech-filled Flotation Tub was on display this week at both CES 2018 and the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS).
The luxury toilet maker announced the tub in March 2017, but this is the first time we got to see it in person. Instead of a flat bottom, the Toto Flotation Tub elevates your feet a bit, so your body is a slightly curved, as if you were sinking in the sea. Toto claims this is how astronauts sleep in zero gravity, and says it’s been researching “neural relaxation” for a decade to help bathers turn off the brain’s alert system that keeps reminding you of items on your to-do list when you’re trying to unwind. Apparently the combination of your posture, flowing water, and soft lighting should coalesce to put you into a semi-meditative state.
The tub is made out of a fiber-reinforced polymer and man-made marble. A soft LED illuminates it from below, or it can be turned off. In addition to the jets that spurt streams of water at the body, the adjustable, built-in neck pillow has an opening where warm water can flow over the shoulders, making it a bit like a hybrid bath-shower.
Toto actually brings a similar idea to its new Global Shower Collection. Available in showerheads and handheld models, there are three different modes: Comfort Wave, which is moderate intensity; Active Wave, which is more powerful; and Warm Spa. The last one pours off the head and instead of the droplets ricocheting off, they’re supposed to cascade down the body for more of a bath-like experience, according to Toto.
All these products will be available from Toto later this year, so you’ll want to start saving now — or, more realistically, several years ago.
