The Concrete Tub
by Christina Camara
It was just a matter of time. An upstart player in the decorative concrete market is making a grand entrance into high-end bathrooms: concrete soaking tubs.

They’re big, they’re fragile, they weigh nearly a ton, and choosing a design is not unlike picking a sculpture. “It takes a genuine commitment,” says Stone Soup Concrete owner Michael Karmody in Florence, Mass.

Concrete tubs are just a small piece of the decorative concrete market. Not everyone can pay $8,000 to $20,000 for a concrete tub that needs to be installed before walls go up because it won’t fit through most doorways. But those who do choose these concrete tubs find them appealing, not only aesthetically, but for the comfort and deep indulgence they provide.

These concrete tubs can be found in upscale spas seeking the meditative quality of a Japanese bathhouse, but residential homeowners can replicate that feeling at home with the right planning for the tub’s size and bulk.