You truly haven’t taken a bath until you’ve soaked within an ofuro – the short, steep-sided wooden bathtubs occasionally still found in Japanese homes and ryokans. These short and deep tubs deliver an incomparable sensory experience compared to the shallow styles generally found in American bathrooms. They envelop bathers in a relaxing, neck-deep experience enhanced by subtle aromatics scents released with the addition of hot water. Luxury bathtub manufacturer Aquatica recognizes the traditional design as a perfect template to deliver a technologically and ergonomically advanced update to the body’s call for rejuvenation.

While the Aquatica retains the recognizable aesthetic and dimensional attributes of the traditional soaking tub, the True Ofuro Tranquility Heated Japanese Bathtub is no mere replica. Taking cues from a heating device known as an oidaki, the True Ofuro recirculates water through an integrated heater and ozone disinfection system via an ultra-quiet pump engineered to keep bath water perpetually clean and at a constant temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit, eliminating the need for refills during extended soaking sessions, saving water and energy.
As if having your own integrated wireless sound system wasn’t enough, the Aquatica also equips the True Ofuro bathtub with a mood lighting system designed to illuminate bathers in a rainbow of underwater chromotherapy light.

Aquatica’s catalog of bathtubs extends far beyond this single design, ranging from sculptural minimalist forms to wildly imaginative options. Curious to learn more about the company behind these innovative bathtub designs, we interviewed Aquatica’s Joseph Burnstein to gain further insight about the design development of these advanced luxury bathtubs.