The luxury of soaking in a hot, steamy, relaxing bath seems to have waned over the last few years. Walk-in showers with multiple heads, body sprays, memory temperature controls and even colourful LED lighting have dominated the bathroom renovation. We all seem to be too busy to take the time to just sit and soak.

On a scouting trip for tubs, I found some very beautiful and sexy options for those wanting to enjoy the unwinding luxury of soaking.

Here’s a quick breakdown of three of the most popular tub styles: Free standing tubs which are beautiful in larger bathrooms really need room around them to appreciate their shape; Drop-in soaker tubs are also very nice, but need a deck to be built around them – they can be over or under mounted; Wall-enclosed tubs are built in a three-wall alcove with a skirt on the front. They typically are five feet in length and most popular in budget-minded bathrooms.

Victoria Speciality Hardware on Boleskine Avenue greeted me with a beautiful, curvy, free-standing tub. This soaker is made from volcanic limestone, and features an exquisite hand finish with exceptional strength and heating insulating properties. Gorgeous!

A block away on Douglas Street, across from Uptown, is Ensuite Bath and Kitchen Centre. They have plenty of different styles on display, but again, I found myself ogling over the free standing, soft wing-shaped tub in the front window. This tub would look perfect in a bay window.

Finally at Kitchens & Bath Classics on Cloverdale Avenue at Blanshard Street, I found a more traditional free standing tub. It looks like a modern claw foot and would work in either an older or newer home.  Also what’s cool about it, is you can order it in different colour aprons.

So whatever your tub choice, look forward to submerging yourself and relaxing.

Sheri Peterson has been an interior designer for 22 years in Victoria. She designs for commercial, residential and hospitality clients.