Feng Shui Tips for the Bathroom
The bathroom has a bad reputation in feng shui, and in some
ways this is deserved, as you
will discover. But it's not all negative. Comfort, cleanliness,
and convenience are key ingredients to good feng shui, and our
modern bathrooms provide them all.
One of the challenges posed by the modern bathroom is that
there's no good place for it in the ba gua* [the feng shui map
of a space], which long predates indoor plumbing. We can look
at the ba gua and see at a glance that the Family area would
be a good place for the living room, that a home office is well-placed
in the Knowledge, Wealth, or Career sectors, and that the Marriage
corner of the house is a great place for the master bedroom.
But where does the bathroom go?
The bathroom is a little out of place anywhere, although some
locations are more troublesome than others. The thing to keep
in mind is that bathroom plumbing has a draining effect wherever
it is located.
Some very difficult bathroom locations are next to or above
the front door and on the second floor directly above the kitchen.
These locations are particularly difficult because:
- A bathroom in the front hall, close to the door, can drain
chi away before it has a chance to circulate through the rest
of the house.
- A second-floor bathroom above the front door floods the main
entry to your home with
negative energy.
- The water energy in a bathroom above the kitchen will extinguish
the hearth's fire energy, and flood the entire kitchen with
negative energy. This is potentially damaging to both health
and prosperity.
The worst location for a bathroom is in the center of your
home, where it will destabilize the energy of the entire home.
If you suspect that the bathrooms in your house are affecting
important spaces, there's no need to panic. Use these simple
feng shui remedies to help keep your health, wealth, and happiness
from flowing down the drain:
- Problem: bathroom in an important feng shui area (wealth,
fame, marriage, etc.) Solutions: a full-length mirror on the
outside of the bathroom door helps deflects chi so it won't
be drained away; keep sink and shower drains closed when not
in use; keep the toilet seat/lid down when not in use.
- Problem: bathroom in the center of the home Solutions: paint
the walls red, and place a stone, large crystal, or other earth-type
object (such as a heavy ceramic bowl, vase, or statuette) in
each corner to help stabilize the energy; a mirror on the outside
of the door is highly recommended for this bathroom location.
- Problem: bathroom over the front door or over the kitchen
Solutions: hang a faceted crystal in the center of the room;
place a three-inch round mirror on the ceiling directly above
the toilet to visually reverse the downward flow of water (use
double-sided tape to hold the mirror in place); place earth-type
objects in the corners of the room to stabilize the energy;
add an image such as a bird or tree to the downstairs area below
the bathroom to help lift the energy there.
Bathrooms are places for purification and cleansing, so a clean,
sanitary bathroom strengthens and supports this important energy.
A dirty bathroom, on the other hand, emphasizes the negative
qualities of this room. If your bathroom occupies any of the
more challenging locations described above, it is essential
to keep it sparkling clean, tidy, and well-lit.
After implementing the necessary precautions described above,
you can further improve the chi of the bathroom by making it
as pleasant a space as possible. This is where you begin and
end the active part of each day, so the more attractive and
inviting you can make it the better.
Most of us live hectic, stressful lives, and are in serious
need of soothing places where we can relax and unwind. A clean,
tidy, nicely appointed bathroom invites you to soak your worries
away in a hot bath with lavender-scented bath salts. Make this
pampering experience even nicer with candlelight, soft music,
and a pile of fresh fluffy towels with which to dry off. All-white
bathroom decor can seem cold and clinical; add warmth with pastel-colored
towels and accessories, colorful scented candles, and attractive
artwork.
Excerpted from "The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui"
by Stephanie Roberts (Alpha Books, 2004)
© 2004 Stephanie Roberts
About the author:
Stephanie Roberts is the author of the popular Fast Feng Shui
book series, available at Amazon.com and Fastfengshui.com. Subscibe
to the Fast Feng Shui Newsletter and receive FREE Feng Shui
tips in every issue. Visit
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