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16-404: Furo ( 風呂 ) , or the more common and polite form ofuro ( お風呂 ) , is a Japanese bath and/or bathroom . Specifically it is a type of bath which originated as a short, steep-sided wooden bathtub . Baths of this type are found all over Japan in houses, apartments and traditional Japanese inns ( ryokan ) but are now usually made out of a plastic or stainless steel. A furo differs from

32-455: A conventional Western bathtub by being of a deeper construction, typically in the region of 0.6 m (25 inches). The sides are generally square rather than being sloped. They typically have no overflow drainage. Traditional pot-shaped cast iron furo were heated by a wood-burning stove built-in below them. Furo (or yubune ( 湯船 ) which specifically refers to the bath with water) are usually left filled with water overnight, and in some households

48-563: A process for bonding porcelain enamel to cast iron in the 1880s while working for the Alexander Manufacturing Company in Detroit . The company, as well as others including Kohler Company and J. L. Mott Iron Works , began successfully marketing porcelain enameled cast-iron bathtubs, a process that remains broadly the same to this day. Far from the ornate feet and luxury most associated with clawfoot tubs, an early Kohler example

64-754: A protective non-slip coating. While soft tubs have been available since the 1970s, by the 1990s they were being sold by major manufacturers. The tubs are typically marketed for children and the elderly, to prevent injury from falls. Inflatable bathtub is a specialized bathtub that is portable, and can be used both indoors and outdoors. They are especially well-suited for bathrooms that have shower, but don't have built-in bathtubs. They are also inexpensive and save room space. Some models have built-in accessories such as pillows, backrests and/or armrests, which are all air-inflated, with some models even having cup-holders installed in them. Inflatable bathtubs usually consist of many smaller inflatable parts, together forming

80-475: A small, stand-alone bath that is filled with water from another source, or a device for supporting the baby that is placed in a standard bathtub. Many are designed to allow the baby to recline while keeping its head out of the water. Hot tubs are common heated pools used for relaxation and sometimes for therapy. Hot tubs became popularized in the U.S. during the early hippie era (1967–1980), appearing in films and music. Whirlpool tubs first became popular in

96-1085: Is provided by air conditioners overhead. The water is hot, usually about 38 to 42 °C (100 to 108 °F). A modern furo may be made of acrylic, and the top of the range models fitted with a re-circulation system ( oidaki ) which filters and re-heats the water. This system is connected with the hot water heater, either gas/propane fired or electric/ heat pump types. Luxury models are still made out of traditional or expensive woods like hinoki , and can be retrofitted with Western-style fittings and used as signature pieces by architects and interior designers internationally. Bathtub Modern bathtubs have overflow and waste drains and may have taps mounted on them. They are usually built-in, but may be free-standing or sometimes sunken. Until acrylic thermoforming technology permitted other shapes, virtually all bathtubs used to be roughly rectangular. Bathtubs are commonly white in color, although many other colors can be found. Two main styles are common: Documented early plumbing systems for bathing go back as far as around 3300 BC with

112-597: The Netherlands , possibly artistically inspired by the Chinese motif of a dragon holding a precious stone. The design spread to England, where it found much popularity among the aristocracy , just as bathing was becoming increasingly fashionable. Early bathtubs in England tended to be made of cast iron, or even tin and copper with a face of paint applied that tended to peel with time. The Scottish-born inventor David Buick invented

128-508: The Japanese ritual of bathing , not meant for washing but rather for relaxing and warming oneself. Washing is carried out separately outside the yubune. The bather should enter the water only after rinsing or lightly showering. Generally Japanese bathrooms are small by Western standards, so the bathroom is set up much like a walk-in shower area but containing the furo. Since the bathroom is a complete wet area , in modern buildings and ryokan heating

144-601: The U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s. A spa or hot tub is also called a "jacuzzi" since the word became a generic after plumbing component manufacturer Jacuzzi introduced the "Spa Whirlpool" in 1968. Air bubbles may be introduced into the nozzles via an air-bleed venturi pump . Freestanding tubs have become popular in recent years as a result of larger bathrooms being constructed. Freestanding bathtubs may be made from various materials such as stone resin, cast stone, acrylic, cast iron, fiberglass, porcelain, copper, and cement. Soft tubs are made from soft plastic or foam with

160-480: The Western-style bathtubs, clawfoot tubs can also include a variety of shower head options. Clawfoot tubs come in four major styles: Pedestal tubs rest on a pedestal in what many would term an art deco style. Evidence of pedestal tubs dates back to the island of Crete around 1000 BC. A baby bathtub is one used for bathing infants, especially those not yet old enough to sit up on their own. These can be either

176-399: The acrylic being used for outdoor spas to make acrylic bathtubs. Working with Spartech Plastics, they developed the modern co-extruded and durable acrylic bathtub. The company American Bath Factory was the first to expand the diversity of acrylic bathtubs to include whirlpools, clawfoot bathtubs, and a large variety of pedestal and modern bathtubs. The process for enamelling cast iron bathtubs

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192-475: The discovery of copper water pipes beneath a palace in ancient Europe . Evidence of the earliest surviving personal sized bath tub was found on the Isle of Crete where a 1.5-metre (5 ft) long pedestal tub was found built from hardened pottery. The clawfoot tub, which reached the apex of its popularity in the late 19th century, had its origins in the mid 18th century, when the ball and claw design originated in

208-504: The emergence of colored sanitary ware, more design options for the homeowner. The Crane Company introduced colored bathroom fixtures to the United States market in 1928, and slowly this influx of design options and easier cleaning and care led to the near demise of clawfoot-style tubs. In the 1960s fiberglass bathtubs became the standard for homes, being lightweight and inexpensive. James R. Wheeler and his brother Richard in 1979 adapted

224-522: The water is reused or recycled for washing clothes the next day. As in the West, it was the custom for more than one member of the family to use the same bath water, though that custom mostly ended in the West while it continued in Japan. In Japan, it is expected to "clean" oneself before entering the furo by rinsing without soap. In Japan, this is believed to be "cleaner" to do before sharing bathwater. Furo are part of

240-412: Was advertised as a "horse trough/ hog scalder , when furnished with four legs will serve as a bathtub." The item's use as a hog scalder was considered a more important marketing point than its ability to function as a bathtub. In the latter half of the 20th century, the once popular clawfoot tub morphed into a built-in tub with a small apron front. This enclosed style afforded easier maintenance and, with

256-694: Was invented by the Scottish-born American David Dunbar Buick . The clawfoot tub was considered a luxury item in the late 19th century, originally made from cast iron and lined with porcelain. Modern technology has contributed to a drop in the price of clawfoot tubs, which may now be made of fiberglass, acrylic or other modern materials. Clawfoot tubs usually require more water than a standard bathtub, because generally they are larger. While true antique clawfoot tubs are still considered collectible items, new reproduction clawfoot tubs are chosen by remodelers and new home builders and much like

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