A Space-Saving…Bathtub?

Here's a fascinating--and market-specific--solution for dealing with small spaces. Japanese manufacturer Lixil makes this Bathtope, a fabric bathtub that can be tucked away when not needed. The idea is that you can deploy it as desired within a shower, provided it's large enough. This shower space could conceivably be used, the manufacturer suggests, as a place to store and water plants, which can then be removed for showering or bathing. (This amount of effort may sound far-fetched to Americans, but in Japan, workarounds for living in small spaces is common.) Because the bath is fabric, it conforms to the user's body, and requires less water per bath—26% less, the company says--than a conventional tub. The Bathtope is a Japanese-market-only product.

Mar 25, 2025 - 16:39

Here's a fascinating--and market-specific--solution for dealing with small spaces. Japanese manufacturer Lixil makes this Bathtope, a fabric bathtub that can be tucked away when not needed.

The idea is that you can deploy it as desired within a shower, provided it's large enough. This shower space could conceivably be used, the manufacturer suggests, as a place to store and water plants, which can then be removed for showering or bathing. (This amount of effort may sound far-fetched to Americans, but in Japan, workarounds for living in small spaces is common.)

Because the bath is fabric, it conforms to the user's body, and requires less water per bath—26% less, the company says--than a conventional tub.

The Bathtope is a Japanese-market-only product.