[thorn]

The word "bizarre" comes to my mind: Bathrooms Becoming Retreats in Americans' Pursuit of Luxury
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')Tracy Ballard and her husband, John Gorman, wanted for nothing, really. They needed only to fix the master bathroom, at the time a straightforward, utilitarian affair from the 1940s, typical of Cleveland Park row houses. It had a sink, a toilet and a little, leaking shower stall. ...

It is nearly nine feet by four feet, a palace of iridescent glass tile, a human carwash with five shower heads, four body sprays, instant steam, a soaring skylight and portable speakers connected to a wireless iPod transmitter -- the better to transport the bather into realms of transcendent splendor. ...

Although the definition of luxury is an ever-shifting and largely subjective one, analysts who track spending on luxury goods say it has increased faster than the economy, driven by the seemingly insatiable appetite of middle- and upper-middle class Americans for ever-more luxurious lifestyles, even in the bathroom. Spending on luxury bathrooms -- those costing at least $8,000 -- will be $22 billion this year, compared with $7.3 billion in 2003, according to the Market Forecast Report, published by the trade magazine Kitchen and Bath Business.

That is 10 times what the U.S. government will spend on AIDS research this year. It is six times the annual budget of Kenya. ... He recently spent approximately $120,000 on his bathroom, where he often lounges for a good hour in the morning, watching the "Today" show from the tub.

"The floors are heated marble," he said, walking across them. "This shower's got a heated mirror, so I can shave in the shower . . . the shower sprays, they pulsate, they vibrate and all that stuff." He was rather blas? about it all at this point. This week, he and his wife were flying to the North Pole to see polar bears.

"In here," he said, heading to the tub area, "this is a Jacuzzi tub. I got a TV set in here," he said, clicking on his 13-inch plasma with a remote. And then, he said, he has his Toto toilet. It comes with a control panel, and that is all that will be said about that.

[Heading_for_the_hills]

This is what I posted on the Post's website in reply to that article-

Absolutely Disgusting display!! As a child of the 60s- I thought the Age of Excess was the 80s. These idiots need to be aware of their surroundings and realize that the acquisition of things will not fill the void that is obviously is missing from their lives. Clearly, as resources are depleted and the cost of energy steadily increases, lets hope that they have the money to power their self-absorbed lifestyle. Again-what a waste!!!!!!

By mmitchell | Jul 6, 2006 9:31:48 AM

I honestly cannot believe the arrogance of these individuals. If this is any indication of Mainstream America, then we surely are in store for some interesting times ahead of us. Can you imagine those two not having hot water and their indignation? I believe that they would go ballistic!!!

[Kingcoal]

I like the George Jettson idea of the conveyor belt system of morning hygiene. You know, he doesn't want to get up for work, so his bed folds into a toaster, ejects him on to a conveyor for processing. The "human carwash" is starting to scrape on that level of automation, but we still aren't there yet.

[Leanan]

The last line is the best:

"But it is what it is. We have a higher standard of living. Will it last forever? Probably not. We just happened to come along at a good point in history."

[emersonbiggins]

Evidently, water is too cheap.

[catbox]

These are the people who will be in total shock when TSHTF.
They may have money....but they spend it on fancy bathrooms?
Is this a sign that the end is near?

I personally spend as little time as possible in the crapper.



cb

[gnm]

Strikes me that these wasteful bastards truly DESERVE their peak oil/water/etc rewards... I wonder if they have kids? Don't they give a damn for the next generation? Pricks.

-G

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('catbox', 'T')hey may have money....but they spend it on fancy bathrooms?

[Specop_007]

Sometimes its as amusing to watch the endless jealousy as it is the endless excess.

[Madpaddy]

I wish I had the time to spend an hour in the toilet in the morning.

I only spend that kind of time in the loo if I have food poisoning.

Bet they have a leafblower in their oversized garage.

[SoothSayer]

All the info on the Toto is here ... complete with Remote Control!

Some other types even have SD card slots ... dunno what for 'tho..

Go for it ... they won't exist 25 years from now.

[Madpaddy]

I bet you can get it to whack you off too. I'm ordering 2.

[Madpaddy]

I bet you can get it to whack you off too. I'm ordering 2.

[nth]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('emersonbiggins', 'E')vidently, water is too cheap.

[gnm]

Jealousy Spec? Hardly. Thats a sickening waste of money. Now if that was a 3000 watt PV system, 40 acre mountain cabin, and maybe a nice 50BMG, then we'd be talking jealousy. But a bathroom? Cripes I could find a million more useful ways to blow that kind of money!

-G

[MacG]

Aww! Look what the Romans left for the world to admire: The baths! Clad with tiles still in place. And sanitation. Sanitation was gone from the face of the earth between 500 AD and 1900 AD. Not that it neccesarily is a good idea to mix drinking quality water with human droppings and flush the mixture into the sea, but it's a sign of affluence.

[emersonbiggins]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MacG', 'N')ot that it neccesarily is a good idea to mix drinking quality water with human droppings and flush the mixture into the sea, but it's a sign of affluence.

[PrairieMule]

If Freud were here, he would point out that anyone with that extravigant of a shower has a deep obsessive need "to get clean". They are subconciously hiding a deep neurotic conflict over a filthy deed surpressed by their ego.

[KevO]

always go with the first words that spring to mind.
For me, in this case, it was 'sad fucks'

[Dukat_Reloaded]

Calm down boys and girls, is it necessary to jump up and down like caged monkeys and throw shit at people?

If someone has more money than what they know what to do with what they spend it on is their choice not yours. As we all know, money allways finds a home be it in investments or consumer goods. Yes this guy could have done the right thing by sending money to GreenPeace instead of upgrading his bathroom gaining this forums approval, being realistic this is not how the world works, some people have more, some people have less, learn to live with this fact and stop being so jealous.