Help me plan my home spa build with tiled Roman tub
Hello all you good people!
I’m embarking on a full Japanese onsen inspired spa bathroom build. I’m a DIYer with some construction schooling but mostly woodworking and finish carpentry experience. This will be my first bathroom build. I’d love some guidance on how to go about this.
The main complexity is a custom tiled tub which will be about 5.5 x 5.5 feet. There’s very little information out there on how to build these. My main thought is to build it like a shower with a very high curb. Very strong wood framing, cement board walls, dry pack mortar bed, tape at the corners and seams, and Hydroban all the way up the walls. Then the whole thing is tiled - bottom, sides, and deck.
The tub is in a pseudo wet room and adjacent to the shower, which has a more typical construction, but I’d probably use all the same methods and materials.
I’ve attached a floor plan and inspiration pic of a similar tub and the tile selection.
What would you do if this were your project? Any guidance is appreciated.
Additional details: bathroom is on a concrete slab. Pacific NW region.
Thanks Isaac. Agreed that I’m a little puzzled by the drain. There are “Roman tub drains” available but how these would adapt to a typical shower drain I can’t seem to figure out.