National Stress Awareness Month is in full swing; what I can't understand is why it's only for a month... Surely it should be a year-round thing? The wellbeing gurus say we should de-stress by lighting candles and playing tranquil music while taking a long soak in the bath. I wish I had the time... Mind you, with research revealing that just 4% of us indulge in a relaxing bath while 79% choose a shower, 17% must be either unwashed or using the basin, so perhaps I don't have much to complain about after all!

It's not just our hectic lives that are the issue, but newer houses are smaller than their older counterparts, meaning that bathrooms offer little in terms of spaciousness. HiB's marketing director Steve Kaye says retailers can use this to their advantage: "Although a candlelit soak may have fallen out of favour, there's still a demand for a luxurious spa-like experience in the home," he advises. "Homeowners may be unsure of the options available to set the perfect bathroom mood, and by providing guidance on the latest and greatest products to achieve this, retailers can add value to their service." Steve agrees that music is extremely effective in reducing stress, and with the technology requiring little space, that part's easy to achieve.

Japanese bathroom manufacturer Toto's new Relaxology baths are said to provide a feeling of wellness (to the lucky 4%) and may of course persuade the rest of us to join them (in our own baths, of course!). Its Floating Bathtubs promise all-round relaxation and regeneration, thanks to innovative technologies and materials used in a way to create an all-encompassing experience of comfort.

A bathtub is an essential part of Japanese bathrooms. One tradition says people absorb nature's energy by taking a hot bath - especially in an Onsen, one of the many hot springs found throughout Japan. Toto's Floating Bathtubs emulate this experience with an internal design that puts the bather's body in an ideal position for relaxation. "An ergonomically shaped headrest allows the shoulders and head to relax fully," claims Toto. "The body reclines as in a comfortable embrace, keeping the natural S-curve of the spine from the nape of the neck to the lumbar vertebrae, for deep relaxation, and an all-encompassing feeling of tranquility and lightness." Sounds wonderful... but put one of those into my bathroom and you'd probably find me still in there the following day, fast asleep and with water-wrinkled skin...

Yours,

Jan Hobbs