My grandsons have a book called Everyone Poops, a hilarious cartoon like story to help them understand the most normal bodily function of every living creature.
It’s difficult to discuss toilets without first acknowledging what they’re used for - toilets get rid of our waste so we can live in a relatively sanitary world. Adequate sewage systems and water treatment facilities that remove waste from our homes, process it and return clean water back to us are a hallmark of a developed society.
Innovation and technology is constantly improving and expanding toilet design and functionality to use less water, be more comfortable and, yes, even pamper us. Night lights, seat warmers and temperature-controlled bidets are here — and that’s just the beginning!
On my recent trip to Japan, I was obsessed with these toilets: Just imagine, it's the middle of the night and you have to go to the bathroom. As you approach the toilet, lit by a night light, music that you preselected begins to play, the lid rises and you sit down to a warm seat. You do your business and no toilet paper necessary - every unit has a bidet function that has adjustable pressure to clean you from front to back and right to left - and blow dry you as well! When you rise, a sensor detects what you have left and the flush function adjusts the amount of water required so that not a trace is left in the bowl.
And believe me, these toilets are not limited to the finest of hotels. Every train station and restaurant in Japan has them, and best of all-should you make any noise while you are doing your business in a public place - there's a modesty button which plays music or makes flushing sounds so that your concentration is not interrupted and you are spared public embarrassment when you leave your stall!!!
The top of the line Numi, made by Kohler, has all of these features. It plays classical music and with its remote control you can pre-program it to adjust the spray pressure and angle as well as the temperature of the water. For about $6000, this baby does everything except make coffee!
The Toto Washlet a seat that attaches to your bowl is available for a lot less. It begins at about $350 and toes up to $800 and may include night light, built in air deodorizing system , warm air dryer and seat warmer, depending on the model you choose.
The toilets do require power to work so, if there is an outage, se la vie! But, you won't be staying at home for long under those conditions, so not to worry.
Classic white is probably the most popular color for these units but they are coming out in black as well. All I can say is that I did not buy a single souvenir in Japan because nothing intrigued me as much as these smart toilets. So civilized and so pampering, I'm looking forward to never again having to lug toilet paper home from the grocery store.
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