Electrical appliances, such as lights, heaters and heated towel rails generally need to be installed as fixtures, with permanent connections rather than plugs and sockets. This minimizes the risk of electric shock.
En-suite (French for in room) refers to a bathroom attached to a bedroom, or shared among several bedrooms. If it is attached to a master bedroom it is known as a master bathroom.
In plumbing, a sink is a bowl-shaped fixture, usually made of porcelain (or, especially in the kitchen, stainless steel), that is used for washing hands or small objects such as dishes, nylons, socks or underwear. Old sinks were often made of enameled steel or cast iron.
The design of a bathroom must account for the use of both hot and cold water, in significant quantities, for cleaning the human body. The water is also used for solid and liquid human waste to a sewer or septic tank. Water may be splashed on the walls and floor, and hot humid air may cause condensation on cold surfaces.
Walk in Bathtubs with outward swing doors can be more compact (holding about the same volume of water as a regular bathtub) and allow for emergency access or exit. There is no fear of the door seal allowing water to leak in either inward or outward swing doors.
Steam showers have become a more common bathroom fixture in recent years, primarily due to technical innovations resulting in lower costs, along with an overall increase in the appearance of luxury spa products in the bathrooms of middle and high income families.
Until recently, most bathtubs were roughly rectangular in shape but with the advent of acrylic thermoformed baths, more and more shapes are becoming available. Bathtubs are typically white in color although many other colors can be found.
A sauna is a small room often part of a bathroom or adjacent to a bathroom designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions.
Steam showers are generally found in self-contained enclosures that don't allow the water vapor into the main part of the bathroom, thus avoiding damage to drywall, paint, or wallpaper. Most steam shower rooms are sold as stand alone shower units with between 12 and 30 jets, while many have additional features such as foot massagers, ceiling rain showers, radios, telephones, and CD players.