Walked through a model home in Phoenix that had a fake fireplace in the master bathroom

I was checking out a builder's showcase in north Phoenix last month, just to get ideas for our own build, and I walked into this master bath that had a full gas fireplace right next to the soaking tub. The realtor showing it said it's the new 'luxury standard' for homes over 800k in that area. I stood there trying to figure out who actually lights a fire while they're taking a bath in Arizona when it's 110 degrees outside. The whole room had this weird desert spa vibe with travertine tile but the fireplace just seemed like something they added to justify the price tag. It had a remote control and a timer, which I guess is fine if you're into that, but it felt like one of those features you'd use once for a photo and then never touch again. Has anyone else come across these bathroom fireplaces in new builds, or is this just a Phoenix thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan_nelson18d ago

Oh yeah, because nothing says relaxation like cranking up a gas fire in your bathroom when it's still 115 degrees at 9 PM. I'm sure that remote control is super useful for the one time a year you might actually use it, probably just to prove to yourself it's not a complete waste of money. The builder probably charges an extra 15 grand for that thing, and it's basically just a fancy space heater that makes your seven hundred square foot master bath feel like a sauna you can't escape. At least in a dry sauna you're not worried about the moisture messing with the timer or the gas line. I'd rather they just threw in a couple of towel warmers and called it a day, but hey, gotta hit that luxury checklist somehow.

andrewt4117d ago

Back when we redid our place in the valley, I threw in one of those wall mounted electric fireplace units instead of gas. Looks the part, remote works fine, and we maybe use it 3 times a year when it actually drops below 60. @ryan_nelson you're spot on about the moisture thing, gas lines in a bathroom just seems like asking for trouble down the road. The towel warmer was the real star, used that thing almost daily, and cost a fraction of what the fireplace setup would have been.