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fancy stuff: A dazzling array of bathroom fittings are available now.

Whirlpools, spray jets, steam generators, foot massagers and, if you are the kind who listen to the radio, then, FM radio sets are among the facilities and luxuries that you can have in your bathroom. All these inside a bath cubicle with a bathtub. Yo u can spend at least two hours there. Do not bother to get up from the tub, even to answer a phone call. A hands-free telephone receiver is at the ready.

A multifunctional computer panel helps to set the cubicle lighting. All these come at a price of Rs. 3 lakh, perhaps.

A bath cubicle come in various combinations. It can start with just a tray covered by shower curtains. If curtains do not help to keep the bath dry, perhaps, you can go in for a simple cubicle.

The cost of a cubicle depends on the kind of shower panel you choose. There are shower panels providing options for rain and hand shower, the number of spray jets and other features. As the number of features increase, so does the cost.

People general pick and choose the options, says a representative of Cera Sanitary-ware Ltd. It should be a combination most suited to your needs. If it is the imported variety, then, of course, you have to pay more.

Earlier, having a bathtub was an indication of luxury. Now it is the combination of bathtub, cubicle and sauna that makes up a luxury bathroom. A cubicle with a sauna attached again costs around Rs. 2 lakh. While the domestic sanitary-ware products provide the latest designs and features, the demand for imported stuff continues. Many companies try to enter the highly competitive field here. The domestic manufacturers, in tie-ups with foreign sanitary-ware makers, make available some of the products — Italian, for instance, some of which have a designer label too. Some of the top American and other European manufacturers have a few of their production houses in China, which produces some of the most popular pieces in bathroom ware. Water closets have undergone a lot of changes over the years — the most important being the hygienic water outlet. All the modern gadgets are designed for hygienic use. It leaves you happy with not much of a bother of cleaning up the mess with water splashed on the walls and so on. An important item that needs mention here is a pressure pump that helps to provide water through spray jets at the required pressure. In a high-rise building, such a pump will not be needed for the lower floors as the gravitational force would provide enough pressure. However, apartments high up will need pressure pumps if spray jets need to work.

Washbasin designs have gone a change over several times and the companies are making products to suit almost every room. There are large, grand washbasin tops, smaller and sleeker ones and

those with shelves and without shelves. Of course, the shape of the basin is constantly changing to suit different styles. The experiment goes on in having shapes such as round, square, boat-like and salad-bowl-type. Glass bowl washbasins are the most in demand. So much so that people have to wait for the dealer to procure and deliver them. While some prefer the plain glass type, there are other colourful varieties.

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