Consumer goods have their merits, but the hardest-to-get luxuries have no price tag. Privacy. Sanctuary. Retreat. A feeling of having been cleansed. For such pleasures as these, there are only two places to go: monasteries and bathrooms. Most people opt for the latter.
In the bathroom, our rituals are simple, primal and--most of all--solitary. So it should come as no surprise that in the room in which people spend the most Me time, they're also spending a lot more money. From high-end tiling to the deepest baths; to soaps, candles and lighting; to towels whose softness would make kittens weep...