The first 183 words from
Making WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing
“People often assume that I've always been interested in bathing. But this isn't so. My fascination really only began while in architecture school. Like most of my classmates, I was initially drawn to the heroic architectures du jour, Modern–the taut, muscular variety–and then proto-Postmodern. When those love affairs soured, I became curious about less self-conscious, more humane approaches to place-making. This led me to small, intimate environments: the kinds of places you go to feel safe and secure, the kinds of places that induce you to "let go" and "be yourself." The Japanese tea room–despite its very appealing form and philosophy–was too culturally specific for the vague purposes I had in mind. I sought a species of enclosed space that offered similar possibilities for transcendental experience but was more universally available.
“That's when I discovered the bathroom. Bathrooms are everywhere. Just about everyone has one. And every bathroom, no matter how crude or sophisticated, comes equipped with all the elements of a primal poetry:
“Water and/or steam
Hot, cold, and in between.
Nakedness.
Quietude.
Illumination....”
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