Fish-tank toilets. Flower-shaped sinks. Mirrors that turn into TV's. Remote, temperature-controlled water while getting a suntan. Tubs custom shaped to your body, equipped with mood lights and heated neckrests.

American ingenuity strikes the bathroom this year - What will we think of next? In times like these, you've got to think outside the box.

Want to set the water temperature before you step in? Lather up without missing Good Morning America?

All this, and a tan, too. Here's a look at some of the most creative, ne plus ultra introductions.

THE PERFECT SHOWER

For couch potatoes, there's the combination vanity mirror/LCD TV, installing the television right behind the bathroom mirror.

Philips Electronics MiraVision Mirror TV was named one of the Products of the Year by Fortune magazine and listed in the Coolest Inventions of 2004 by Time magazine.

Philips later brought the concept to the Kitchen & Bath trade show, where it was showcased in the "Design Idea Home". Scores of copycats lined up to meet demand. You can buy a complete model or just the specially coated mirror, then install it over the LCD TV of your choice. Two of many sources: MirrorTV www.hiddentelevision.com and TileVision http://www.tilevision.tv.

Then there's ProSun's tanning "SunShower". Built-in vertical fixtures hold UV lights for bronzing in the bath. This unit won the 2006 K/BIS award for Best New Bath Product. It's also been featured in several HGTV shows: http://www.prosunsunshower.com .

TIME AND TEMPERATURE

For temperature-sensitive homeowners, there's a new remote control to get that water just right. Behold the ilux digital shower.

Designed by Aqualisa and consultants at Seymour Powell, ilux is a quartz-controlled shower with preset temperatures. A tub version does the same job for bathwater.

Pampering yourself with water exactly 94.5 degrees F is one thing. But that's not even the best part.

This patented product also lets you turn on the preset water from another room. Draw your bath from the comfort of your couch, knowing it will be the perfect temperature and stream strength when you step in.

This last contraption, imported from England, earned Aqualisa the "Queen's Award For Innovation" in 2008, the supreme honor over there. Contact them for U.S. distributors: www.aqualisa.co.uk

ON THE BEACH

Be the first on your block to install a blooming porcelain sink or urinal designs out of California by artist Clark Sorenson.

The painter, whose designs are inspired by seashells and tropical flowers, has installed Tulips, Poppies, Pitcher Plants, Conch Shells and more for rich clients looking for something unique. They've also shown up overseas at England's Barton Grange Garden Center and, domestically, as a centerpiece for a 2008 Salt Lake Art Center auction fundraiser.

Sound pricey? No worries. Most can be ordered at a very reasonable... $10,000 or less. See the current line at www.clarkmade.com.

BETTER BATHS

Looking to take your soak in the tub to the next level? Consider a customized body-shaped bathtub, the flagship product from The Body Tub.

'This West Virginia company says there's nothing like a soak in their contoured, custom designs - a different experience from ordinary tubs, which its brochure points out "are not really designed for the human body". See it at www.thebodytub.com.

Acryline's luxury comfort-tubs are deep, delicious, and decadent. A variety of options can be ordered to customize your bathing experience - including warm-air body and neck massages and "chromo therapy" lights that change from rainbows to single-shade yellow, green, and aqua. In honor of the teenagers of the house, the colored lights turn off automatically after one hour.

Videos, including the "Acryline Home Spa", are posted by the Cliffwood, New Jersey manufacturer at their website: www.acrylineusa.com.

GO FISH!

Do fish swim?

Fish-n-Flush puts the answer right there with your commode. This toilet tank features a fully functioning 2.2-gallon fresh-water or marine aquarium. Unit includes gravel, water filter and LED illumination that doubles as a night light. Creator Aqua One sells a less photogenic but nonetheless unique device to stop leaking pipes and appliances with its patented "H2Orb" add-on unit.

View them all at the Aqua One website: www.aquaone.com/main.asp.

Learn more about this author, Catherine Beale.
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