25 Creative Ways to Make Your Bathroom Feel Like a Spa (2024)

One of the first steps in the design of any room is figuring out the room's function and feel. Houston-based designer Chandos Dodson Epley calls this "setting a mood," rather than a theme or color story, as even the most vivacious shades can feel rejuvenating when paired with the right furnishings and fixtures. Think about the key features you adore while attending the spa and how you could emulate them within your own home. Once you've got a list in mind, you can begin working with a designer to figure out what is feasible in your space.

San Fransico-based designer Heather Hilliard often encourages clients to leave the bright colors and crazy patterns for the powder room as those tend to feel "activating rather than calming." Instead, the decorator recommends sticking to a tonal color palette of neutrals, blues, and greens. The key is to play with different hues within a color family to add enough interest, so people want to linger and relax within the bathroom. Subtle floral patterns can also help usher in the restorative power of nature without feeling too overwhelming or distracting.

Upgrading your bath linens may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but it should be. Plus, a curated set of linens can serve as an unexpected decorating tool, adding a textural yet cozy layer to the bath. Both Epley and Hilliard agree Matouk makes some of the best robes and towels. For linens that can be personalized, our editors adore Leontine Linens and Peaco*ck Alley.

Floor-to-ceiling curtains in a Larsen fabric add an air of spa-like elegance as part of the white and bright color scheme in this marble-clad space. The wall-height windows light up the space designed by Carolyn Malone with natural light, while a statement-making Artemide chandelier fills with luminescence by night.

The floor-to-ceiling glass walls of this shower make its connection to the tones in the rest of the room seamless. Plus, you can step straight outdoors from it, thanks to a clever design by Christina Rottman. The shower fittings are by Hansgrohe and the tiles by Ann Sacks.

Talk about dreamy! You’ll feel like you are bathing (or showering) in a garden thanks to lush greenery around the tub, plenty potted plants, and a glass wall and ceiling that almost disappear as they open up the Edenic scenery outside them. Steve Giannetti designed this space.

An archway in the wall emphasizes that the bath, with fittings by LeFroy Brooks, is the centerpiece of this room. A vaulted ceiling and a statement-making chandelier further accent this soaking tub. Fresh flowers also add to the spa-like feel of the space designed by Colette Van Den Thillart.

With a large rain shower head like this one, water will fall like rain on your head for a gentler, more spa-like shower experience. Here, the shower head only enhances the natural feel of this earthy space and makes you want to hop in and warm up after spending time outside on a winter day. The bathroom was designed by Daniel Romualdez, and the tub and shower fittings are by Kohler.

Who said you can’t make your bathroom feel more like an elegant living room replete with a fireplace, taper candles, and a gilt mirror behind the antique claw-foot tub? Don’t forget plenty of fresh greenery for the full spa bathroom experience, as you can see in this space designed by Darryl Carter.

A custom chandelier fitted with a Kohler tub filler feeds a copper bath from overhead—talk about taking things up a notch in this Jeffry Weisman bathroom design!

Not all spas are white and bright—achieve the rough but refined look of this Belgian design by Joris Van Apers with reclaimed terra cotta tiles as well as a spare, modern tub.

A curated rug elevates the space in front of this deep soaking tub by Victoria & Albert Baths. Sheer embroidered draperies from Pierre Frey filter sunlight and keep the space feeling airy and spa-like in this design by Mark D. Sikes.

A handsome landscape painting accents oak paneling above a deep soaking tub (Waterworks) and a more classic square tile in this bathroom designed by Melanie Pounds.

Display a collection of your choosing, like this colorful pottery by Paul McDonald (and towels too), on built-in shelving. This airy guest bathroom designed by Philip Mitchell shows that function and beauty can certainly coexist. Plus, we think every guest deserves to soak in a claw-foot tub in an arched nook.

For a harmonic look, pour your bath-side essentials into coordinating glass canisters. It makes a nice finishing touch to this room’s flamingo-patterned Sanderson wallpaper and the tropical setting around it designed by Phoebe Howard. The tub is by Waterworks and the pendant by Hudson Valley Lighting.

There’s no need for artwork when a full-wall window frames a wooded view. Stepping down into this tub will make you forget any worries that lie beyond this serene spot designed by Campion Platt. Talk about a truly special spa-like bathroom design!

Set a clear acrylic tray (like this one) over your tub for easy access to your loofah, book, and fresh florals. This spa-like space designed by Robert Passal features handcrafted, pearl-like lighting by Canadian designer Larose Guyon.

No spa is complete without its treatments, so splurge on bath salts and set them on a stool where you can reach them from the tub. This rusted tub features bath fittings by Van Dyke’s and sits under a photograph by Bert Teunissen. The space was designed by Shawn Henderson.