Deputy Interiors Editor Heather Young discovers how the Germans buy their baths

Posted: 20th December 2007 09:36

Us Brits wouldn't dream about trying a bath in the shop before you buy - but that's not the case for the Germans!

I was invited by Kaldewei - a company specialising in steel enamel baths - to visit their headquarters and factory in Ahlen, Germany. Then I received my itinerary and, as I scanned it, our activity at 11.45am on the second day of the trip caught my eye. It read, 'possibility of whirling'.

Was it a typo, or maybe something lost in translation between German and English? Tracy, Kaldewei's PR, enlightened me – the company's headquarters has a 'try-before-you-buy' area equipped with five individually furnished bathrooms, each with a working whirlpool bath, giving us the opportunity to experience a Kaldewei bath for ourselves.

We arrived at wet and windy Ahlen and were greeted by the exuberant KKC manager Christan Spiekerat the Kaldewei Kompetenz Center, a modern training and exhibition centre with a floor showing a selection of bathtubs and shower trays, where we learned a little about Kaldewei's history and its products.

The next day we met up with Christian again for a tour of the factory to see how the baths and shower trays are made and then it was time for whirling! A group of us were shown into the private bathroom area, which felt like a spa with fluffy white bathrobes and slippers and a selection of bath oil and soap.

We each padded off to our individual bathroom where a hot bath was waiting for us, together with splash-proof instructions on how to work the whirlpool functions. I'm a real bath lover, but have never been in a whirlpool bath, so it was great to try out all the different functions, dim the lights and lie back and relax for half an hour, before we were delivered back to Düsseldorf for our flight home.

The Germans take the idea of trying out the baths before they buy in their stride but we British are definitely a bit more prudish about the concept. I think it's a great idea – you wouldn't buy a bed without testing it for comfort so why not approach buying a bath in the same way. So come on everyone – relax and get whirling!

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