You don’t need a swimming pool to create a backyard oasis

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There is something so magical about bathing outdoors, especially in summer. Creating a backyard oasis is easier than you think, and you don’t need a swimming pool to achieve it, says Shaun Krahn, general manager of Vancouver’s Cantu Bathrooms & Hardware Ltd.

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Postmedia sat down with Krahn to hear about different options for transforming your backyard, whatever your budget.

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Focus on health and wellness

An outdoor shower is a great way to feel connected to your natural surroundings if you don’t have the room or budget for a swimming pool.

“Health and wellness is a growing trend,” says Krahn. “There have been significant advancements in design and technology for outdoor showers this past year.”

Italian brand Gessi is leading the way in outdoor shower design, he reports, recently launching a “comprehensive outdoor wellness collection that combines natural elements, such as stone and earthy finishes, to complement nature while maintaining a sculptural presence.” These showers are now available in North America.

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Krahn says Gessi’s “outdoor wellness” showers are designed with refined and delicate lines, and the lastest tech makes them effortless to control.

“Integrating technology with digital thermostatic controls is a true luxury, and the option to add chromotherapy, which has been proven to provide tremendous health benefits such as the reduction of anxiety and the promotion of cheerful mental clarity, completes the experience,” he says.

Chromotherapy is therapies that use light and colour to help treat mental and physical conditions.

This summer, other super cool outdoor shower options include those by iconic Danish manufacturer Vola, clean, simple designs by blu bathworks and some genuinely unique options by Jee-O, says Krahn.

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Remember to protect your investment

You’ll want to consider a few things when choosing an outdoor shower, such as how close you are to the ocean, as salt water can damage the materials and finish, says Krahn.

The climate you live in is also a factor. “To maintain the integrity of an outdoor shower through the winter, you must either remove the internal components, cover the shower and flush the water supply lines or uninstall the entire shower and reinstall in the summer,” says Krahn. “While this sounds daunting, the process is relatively simple.”

Soak it up in an outdoor tub or simply listen to the ocean waves

For those who love a good outdoor soak and are more partial to a tub than a shower, it’s worth looking at some of the outdoor tubs created by local artisans, such as those by American company Stone Forest, says Krahn.

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If you want to take your outdoor wellness experience to the next level, a stone fountain is the way to do it, says Krahn. He recommends one by Stone Forest, which recreates the feeling of listening to ocean waves or sitting beside a mountain stream.

New sauna designs out this summer

New this year in the “outdoor wellness” space is the Cabanon sauna by Effe. Inspired by traditional Finnish saunas and designed to “sit in harmony with nature” and your surrounding areas, the sauna has been designed to create a wellness retreat in your own backyard, says Krahn.

The Cabanon comes in a range of “earthy tones,” is available in versions suited to your garden or terrace, and is made from corrugated aluminum, heat-treated wood, such as Aspen, and painted aluminum, and it’s virtually maintenance-free, says Krahn.

“If you want to create a truly unique wellness space having the option of both bathing and a sauna experience is unlike any other.”

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