bathing

Sands through the hourglass count time in the shower

Showering can waste a gallon of water a minute. Yet a daily shower is one of those nonnegotiable, guilty pleasures I'm unwilling to sacrifice.

Still, the number of water-starved regions is only set to grow. For those who must watch every drop, a shower timer could be the next best thing to installing a high-tech, low-flow shower head.

A $3 timer from Envirosax, which makes trendy shopping bags, sticks to a shower wall with a suction cup. Its blue, pink, green, or gray sands take 4 minutes to pass through the hourglass.

Four minutes? Hair conditioner alone takes 2 … Read more

Digital shower for lazy bathers

Are we the only ones who thought this was a ski rack? Never mind. Off the slopes, this is the latest in an ever-growing list of digital bathing controls or, as we prefer to call them, "showers for lazy people."

We will say, however, that the "Ondus" from Grohe definitely has the most unusual name we've come across. But ultimately, it's just a digitally controlled faucet that can pause the water TiVo-style and resume flowing at the previous temperature, as Gizmodo says.

The black finish is a definite plus, and we appreciate the Ondus … Read more

Gadget keeps kids out of hot water

If you don't have small kids, skip this item because it'll probably seem like a waste of money. But if you do, you'll totally understand why it's a good idea. How many times have you or your rug rats ended up with scalded fingers after checking the bath faucet? Same here.

The "Digital Bath Spout Cover" is designed to keep you and your family out of the burn ward by automatically monitoring the water temperature as it rises. Even better, its digital display uses a simple color code ("red means too hot") … Read more

Make yourself into stew with a wood-burning hot tub

One step removed from the bubbling cauldron popularized by witches and cannibals, the Portable Wood-Burning Hot Tub is a must for anyone with sore muscles and $6,000 to spare.

The 200-gallon polyester tub heats water through a coil system, using burning wood to heat up the water. The water temperature hits 104 degrees in two and a half hours. There are no jets, but water circulates through the tub through the miracle of convection.

With a 60-inch diameter and a weight of 165 pounds, the tub is only "portable" if you are very strong and have long … Read more

Turn your bathtub into a disco party...that smells good

Pink bubbles and rubber ducks can get a little bit boring sometimes, even if they're unconventional rubber ducks. And not all of us can afford to install a Hydro-Massage Bathtub with a built-in TV. So how can you liven up the in-tub entertainment? Of course, the answer comes out of Japan. TokyoMango has written up these flashing bath balls that might just be able to elevate the common bath to an ethereal level. You fill these little guys with bath salts, put them in the tub, and they'll float and release the nice-smelling salts while flashing their lights. … Read more

We all bathe with a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine

I wish I had a little yellow submarine that I could putz around in. Motorized would be optimal, but I could even deal with foot pedals, as long as it's a submarine and it's yellow. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find one within my price range, nor a piece of dock space where I could keep it securely stored, so I guess I will have to settle for this, which was featured on ShinyShiny. It's a fully-functional FM radio with a waterproof speaker, is powered by four AAA batteries, and it's designed to float … Read more