Our main bath at home has the original 1914 claw foot, 70" cast iron tub. When we remodeled, we had the interior of the tub refinished, chromed the feet, added new hardware and painted the outside a deep forest green to match the green and white checkerboard tile floor in the bathroom. It is a real jewel, but, sadly, I rarely have the time or inclination to indulge in a bath at home. I just use the shower in our suite and don't even think about that wonderful bathtub. I really should use it more often.

When I travel internationally and find myself awake at an odd hour, I will often take a long soak in the hotel tub. As other have mentioned, there is nothing quite so luxurious as a long, hot soak in a tub, with a good book and a glass of wine--especially when you don't have to think about cleaning up after yourself.