Irish people use the bathroom for more ‘me-time’

Ideal Standard Ireland reveals research which shows Irish people are indulging in unusual activities in the bathroom!

·         Fun room: 55% of Irish people say bathroom is the place they prepare for a big night out.

·         Games room: Irish people spend an average 67 “romantic” minutes per month with their partner in their bathroom!

·         Reflection room: 54% of Irish women use the bathroom mirror to evaluate themselves properly.

·         Play Room: 14% of Irish parents use the bathroom as a playroom for their children.

·         Recovery room: Irish people spend an average 82 minutes a month using the bathroom as ‘an escape’ and 21% of the Irish men state the bathroom is their special place to get rid of a hangover.

Dublin, 27 June 2011– Irish people use their bathroom for much more than routine washing habits, according to new research by Ideal Standard Ireland. The online pan-European research revealed Irish people’s experience in the bathroom is becoming increasingly personal and intimate, reinforcing Ideal Standard’s brand ethos “Inspired by Real Life”. The figures exposed some unusual bathroom habits:

The Fun Room: getting ready for a big night out!

The Irish public voted the bathroom as the preferred room to get ready for a big night out and a date! The majority of those surveyed (55%) reported sprucing themselves up for a night on the tiles in the bathroom while 27% said they also prepared for an important date here.

The Games Room: a romantic rendez-vous in the bathroom!

From preparing for dates to romantic rendez-vous, Irish people see the bathroom as an intimate room in the home. On average, they spend 67 minutes per month having ‘romantic moments’ with their partner in the bathroom. In general, younger people under the age of 30 take the most time having romantic encounters here, averaging at 170 minutes per month. Interestingly, those with children who perhaps are trying to escape the rest of the family’s attention reported retreating to the bathroom for 30 minutes a month.

Reflection room: Looks on the outside

Irish people see the bathroom as the most suitable place to check their looks, doing so for an average 170 minutes a month.  The research also reveals the women use the bathroom as the place to judge their appearance with 54% of women surveyed admitting to using the bathroom as the place to ‘evaluate’ themselves.

Apart from analysing their appearance, they are also spending a lot of time in the bathroom maintaining their looks. More than ever, Irish women are enjoying carrying out their own beauty rituals in the comfort of their homes rather than in beauty salons. They spend an average 175 minutes a month doing beauty therapies such as painting their nails and a further 79 minutes cutting/dying their own hair, all in the bathroom. Men are also openly carrying out beauty rituals, spending an average 46 minutes a month for grooming, moisturising etc. in the bathroom – which is still a lot less than women but they appear to be catching up!

The Play Room: taking time out to play with the kids, sing, read or phone

Many Irish parents also use the bathroom as a playroom for their children. 14% of parents allow their children to play in the bathroom while 67% of parents who wash their kids in the bathroom have a preference for washing their kids in the bathtub (67%) rather than the shower, perhaps allowing more time for fun with bubbles and rubber ducks!

Other play activities in the bathroom for the Irish adult public include making phone calls (24%), texting (33%), reading (44%), singing (33%) and surfing the internet (9%).

The Recovery Room: washing away fatigue

Finally, the bathroom is seen as the recovery room for many of those surveyed with 21% of men recovering from a hangover in the bathroom after a “heavy night”. Furthermore, the figures show how bathroom acts as a secret sanctuary for both men and women, with Irish people spending an average 82 minutes a month using the bathroom as ‘an escape’, Meanwhile, 33% admit to going to the bathroom to ‘take a moment to themselves’ , 22% say they release physical and mental stress in the bathroom and a further 10% say they use this room for ‘vitalising’.

“The survey not only revealed the growing importance of ‘me-time’ in the bathroom, it also showed that many Irish consumers value the bathroom as a dynamic, fun and flexible environment where many diverse activities are performed.The bathroom is perceived as one of the most versatile rooms in the house where people choose to spend time relaxing or to unwind, think about the evening ahead, share secrets with the mirror, feel human again, the list is endless… This helps us to push forward our vision to design bathroom solutions that are truly inspired by real life and the different needs and desires that come with each life phase,” said David Hamill, Chairman Ideal Standard International.

The survey was conducted by Synovate, a leading global market research company, via an on-line poll which asked over 4,000 consumers between 15-75 years old what people do in their bathroom, why they spend time there and how age and geography can affect needs at certain life stages. The survey covered 11 markets in Europe: Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Belgium, The Netherlands Russia, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom. The results in this the research announced by Ideal Standard Ireland reflects the opinions of Irish respondents.