The Japanese bath, or ofuro, starts from a different gesture than a straight bathtub: you sit in it rather than lie down. The tub is shorter and markedly deeper, which lets it fit a narrow bathroom without giving up immersion up to the shoulders.
The ritual of the Japanese bath
The word furo, written ofuro with its polite prefix, means the bath of relaxation and not the wash. The ritual separates the two gestures: you soap and rinse beside the tub, then step into clean hot water and stay there. The whole shape follows from it, since washing happens outside, the tub has no need to be long.
The traditional tub is made of wood, often hinoki, a Japanese cypress, and closes with a lid called futa. In France, the word also covers the deep tub with a moulded seat, from the sitz bath family, which takes up that geometry without the upkeep of wood.
This bath is rarely thought of alone: in a Japanese bathroom it sits next to a washing area and, often, next to a washlet. It is a whole rather than a single appliance, as told, in French, by La salle de bains japonaise, bain et WC lavant.
The dimensions of a compact soaking tub
The compact tub in this range states 690 mm in width and 725 mm of internal depth, for a tub 740 mm high, in two lengths: 915 and 1150 mm. The short version takes about 0.63 m² of floor, the long one about 0.79 m², that is 235 mm and a little more room in front of the legs.
The stated approximate capacity is 190 litres for the 915 mm version. A short tub therefore does not mechanically give a thriftier bath: depth makes the volume, and the immersed body raises the level accordingly. Read, in French, Baignoire japonaise ofuro, profondeur et encombrement, which takes these figures line by line, with their caveats.
The words used by the trade, mini bathtub, sitz bath, compact bathtub, all describe roughly the same geometry: a short tub you sit in. What sets them apart is the three dimensions above, never their name.
What to plan for around the tub
Three points belong on the drawing before concluding that space has been saved. The height of the rim first, given as 840 mm for guidance once installed, with a step of 20 to 25 cm recommended for access. The shower next, which the ritual assumes is kept, at least as a handset over a floor that accepts water. And the hot water supply last, to be checked beforehand.
The 915 mm version is delivered with the overflow undrilled: the immersion height is settled during fitting, with the plumber, rather than on paper. Fitting is not sold online, article 1 of our terms of sale; it is discussed in store, during open access hours.