66: LIVE FROM KBIS! The Future of Luxury Baths: Tech Advances & Entrepreneurial Lessons with BainUltra

66: LIVE FROM KBIS! The Future of Luxury Baths: Tech Advances & Entrepreneurial Lessons with BainUltra.

In this special live edition of the Designer Within Podcast recorded from the floor of KBIS 2025 in Las Vegas, host John McClain welcomes Jean-Michel LeBeau and Kim Frechette from Bain Ultra. Together, they discuss the fearless entrepreneurial spirit and innovation driving Bain Ultra’s focus on wellness through luxury bath products. 

Learn about the importance of storytelling in design, the future of the luxury bath industry, and actionable tips for integrating wellness into your design projects. 

Whether you're a homeowner, a design professional, or a business owner, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical advice.

00:00 The Essence of Fearlessness in Business
00:34 Introduction to the Designer Within Podcast
01:29 Live from KBIS: A Unique Podcast Experience
02:44 Meet the Guests: Jean-Michel LeBeau and Kim Frechette
02:56 Bain Ultra: Wellness and Innovation in Bath Design
06:26 Jean Michel's Entrepreneurial Journey
13:10 The Future of Luxury Bath Industry
15:58 Innovative Bath Products and Their Benefits
21:41 Entrepreneurial Advice for Designers
23:42 Embracing the MVP Mindset
24:25 The Power of Originality in Design
25:10 Overcoming Fear in Entrepreneurship
26:38 Trends and Innovations in Interior Design
31:10 The Importance of Collaboration in Design
36:43 Sustainability and Future Innovations
39:32 Final Thoughts and Takeaways

More about BainUltra:

Website: https://www.bainultra.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bainultra/

Transcript

The Designer Within Podcast Episode 66
Live From KBIS
John McClain and Bain Ultra
I think that fearlessness that you're speaking about is something that a lot of business owners are not innately born with. So where does your fearlessness come from, and do you have any tips for people who are not fearless? I've always had nothing to lose, but at some point you get to a level where you're starting to have a few things to lose, right?
You have a family, you have bills to pay, but nonetheless, we started as dust and we'll hand up as dust, so why not make the best of it? Try yourself out. Manage your risk, obviously, but still, what's the real risk here? Losing your face a little bit. Who cares? Nobody's gonna remember. Just get out there and do your thing, man.
Hey y'all, this is an everyone edition episode of The Designer Within Podcast episode 66. Welcome to the Designer Within podcast. The podcast where creativity meets intention and great design in your home and life. Goes way beyond aesthetic. I'm your host, John McLean and interior designer, business advisor and full believer in the power of intentional design to inspire a better way of living.
Whether you're a homeowner looking to elevate your space, a design professional, striving to grow your business, or someone ready to create a more fulfilling life. This podcast is for you. We are here to explore the art of design, the business behind it, and the mindset that fuels it all. Because great design isn't just about what's on the outside.
It starts. From within. So let's dive in and discover the designer within you. Hey everybody. Welcome back to another episode of The Designer Within podcast. I'm your host, John McLean, and I'm so happy to have you here. We have a very interesting and fun and unique episode today. This episode was recorded from the floor of KBIS, the Kitchen and Bath Show.
In Las Vegas a few weeks back, and it was a fun, fun experience. We had a very open area where we had a podcast studio. There were people sitting outside on seats watching us record. It was just a very fun experience. KBIS in general is fun, of course, but this podcast episode was really great. I kinda loved having an audience watch us and react to things as they were being said.
So maybe we'll do more of this in the future. I don't know. Maybe we will do something like this at High Point Market or Vegas market or something like that. Let's see how that goes. But this episode is fun because again, it is recorded live. You're going to hear the people in the background walking around.
Cape is, you're going to of course, hear people talking in this. Massive, massive venue. This convention center in Las Vegas, and it is again, it just feels invigorating and fun, so I hope you enjoy it as well. There are times when, of course, the crowds in the audience get a little loud when they're walking by.
I'm hoping that we have tweaked the audio enough so that you can still hear everything that's. Being said, and the guest on this episode are great too. I'm interviewing Jean-Michel Lebo and Kim Frache from Bain Ultra, and I talk more about who they are as we introduce the episode live, but just a little bit of information to get you familiar with Bain Ultra.
They are a wellness driven company that redefines the bathroom as a space for restoration and inspiration. I love that. With a mission to transform daily routines into rituals of self-care. Bain Ultra creates high quality therapeutic baths and products to help people slow down, reduce your stress, and reconnect with themselves.
And I love that. I take baths every day almost, and I, I do that over a shower. I always done that and I talk about that in the episode. But I do love a good bath, and I do love that they care so much about wellness. You're going to hear, of course, more about their focus on wellness and innovative bath products and all of the technology that sets Bain Ultra apart.
But we also are going to dive into the latest trends and products that they saw at KBIS. Discuss the future of the luxury bath industry. Really important if you have those clients or if you are a homeowner who loves a good luxury bathroom, listen up. There's lots and lots of things upcoming and Vain Ultra is on the forefront of that with their therapeutic tubs, their chromotherapy tubs, their aromatherapy tubs, all the things.
And then Jean-Michel is going to also share his valuable business and entrepreneurial advice. Very important. If you are a business owner and you love learning from other entrepreneurs, Jean-Michel is going to give you lots and lots of tips where he has implemented his techniques into his former companies and now into Bain.
Ultra. So whether you're a homeowner looking to elevate your current space or a design professional looking for some fresh insight, this episode is hacked with inspiration and actionable ideas. So without further ado, let's jump into this live recorded episode from the KBIS Podcast Studio with Jean-Michel and Kim.
I hope you guys enjoy. Hey everybody. I wanna welcome you to another episode of The Designer Within Podcast, but this one's a little bit different. We are broadcasting live from the KBIS Kitchen and Bath Show, and it is a first time for me to broadcast from a trade show. So I'm excited. I'm excited about the guests that I have today.
I have two incredible guests with me. Kim Frache and Jean-Michel LeBeau, who are here to talk about business design and kind of the bold moves that they are making within their own company. Kim is a well-known figure in the luxury bath space, and Jean-Michel is the new owner of Bain Ultra. Coming into the industry with some fresh eyes, and I'm excited to hear his take on all things C is and all things Bath as well.
We're going to dive into why someone from the outside industry would buy a company like Bain Ultra and why Kim decided to return to Bain Ultra. And also what you guys have seen this year at CI. So typically I do a formal introduction, but today I actually want to hear your words. So Kim, give a little background on yourself and let everyone know quickly who you are and.
What you do at Bain Ultra. Thank you so much. I'm the VP of sales at Bain Ultra, and I was glad to come back to the company after a few years away. I was there for 20 years and I'm happy to be in the ground foundation of the company early on. Brought the product to the United States and grew it to hopefully where it is today, and then took a step away, learned some plumbing, a lot more plumbing besides sun.
Oh, you're a plumber now. Good. Okay. I got, I got a lot of plumbing and then moved back to Bain Ultra when this. Gentlemen took it over. I love that. Yeah. I love that sort of like full circle moment for you. Yes, yes. It's important if you don't work in a showroom or you're not a designer, to really know what other products are attached to your product and how it they all go together so that you can speak intelligently to your design community and to plumbers in general.
We, we love it when you speak intelligently to us, so thanks for that, especially about Fleming. Yes, Jean-Michel. Tell me about your background, because it is not in this industry. It is not in this industry. I'm actually a programmer by trade. I've been a tech entrepreneur since I'm 15 years old. Created my first business back then.
I was 15, sold it to a French corporation at 19, then started my next service business that we grew to about 175 employees in Quebec, Montreal, and New York. And I sold that business about three years ago. And that's when actually Bain Ultra approached me to see if I was interested in taking over the reins.
Bain Ultra was a client of mine for about 10 years, so I did a lot of the technology at Bain Ultra, and I've always been so interested in everything manufacturing, everything, wellness. I was not interested in the pricing war. I wanted to work on the project where I could make the very best product in its category in itself, and Bay Ultra offered the perfect platform for me to do this.
Wow. So that's how I got into this basically about 18 months ago now, I acquired a business after a few months of fun negotiation, if I may say so. And right now I'm having a ton of fun learning the ropes and learning this beautiful industry. Talk about coming from one thing into the other, but also there's a side of Bain Ultra that has technology, as you said in it.
So I think that is probably part of what brought you to this. You appreciate the technology component of what Vein Ultra has, and we're gonna talk about what that is. But what obstacles have you seen coming into it? I mean, coming from strictly a tech world to something that is luxury bath, right? That's a change.
Anything that's like surprised you about the change from one industry to the other? I think the thing that may have surprised me a little bit, but not too much because I've worked with so many manufacturers in the past, was actually the speed of changes. You know, I have so many ideas, things that I want to get done trying to impact as much as possible.
Positively, the industry as a whole, right? Things are moving a little slower than what I expected. People are not against changes. But we wanna make sure that we are as respectful as possible of the way things are done. And when we bring change, it has to be well thought versus tech where we can actually just bring something to the market, move fast, break things and people won't care 'cause it's the way it is versus this industry is a little slower when it comes to embracing the changes.
But nonetheless. People have this natural openness where people are super interested in moving forward and seeing that innovation coming up to the market. Okay. It sounds like you have a zillion ideas in your head about what you want to do and where you want to take this company. Can you give me an idea of like what you think should be on the horizon for the luxury bath industry?
You said there were some resistance, and I'm just curious about what amazing idea you had that perhaps someone said, oh no, we're not quite ready for that yet. First thing first, it's very important to understand that pay neutral always has been a pioneer when it comes to bringing technologies to our products.
We've invented the air jet system in bathtubs. We were the patent owners for 25 years until it expired, and now we're seeing a ton of copycats. We've been in this space. For a very long time, I do suffer from having way too many ideas to bring to this market, and now it's just a matter of picking the right ones and doing it at a speed that's comfortable for everybody.
I won't tell you exactly what we're gonna be bringing, but I can tell you Pay Ultra has this reputation for being one of the best product in the market. I'm gonna be making sure in the next few years that. Pan neutralized, the uncontested best bathtub in the market. That's gonna be included within its whole design as a whole, but also the technologies and the therapies we're gonna be bringing to the product in order to make this experience not only hyper comfortable, hyper relaxing, but also extremely healthy for anybody.
From kids to elderly. Good answer. I love all of that. As a designer. I appreciate everything that you're saying. I ask that because when we know more about why a brand develops the product and why you guys come up with something so innovative and so helpful to the community as a whole, we then take that story and relay that story to our clients.
So we are your front men and the front women for the design of your products that you have. So. It's so great, and I would just encourage you to always share that lovely story about where you're from and where you're going. It just means a lot to the designers out there to know that you love what you have, but you're ready to take it even further.
And I'm assuming Kim, that's part of the reason you came back because of Jean-Michel and, and what he was going to bring. Yes. Okay, so for me, as someone who was there for a very long time before, and it was always about the story, bay Ultra was always about the story because the air jet bath was new and unique and we really had to sell it for what the difference was between air and a whirlpool.
We still are doing that today because the average consumer is somewhat aware that there's something different, but not completely aware. So it's still that story, and as you know. The story's the key. So if I can meet you in the field at your office and give you a really good story about what's going on, Jean-Michel is also rebranding the company, also bringing a different flavor and a refreshed look to who we are.
The logo's different. We're just about to come out with new books, new photography, like it's really a rebirth of the company. But for me, like he said, the therapy is the key because this is our niche. It's a company that concentrates on the wellness. Of the product and we talk to our design community and also our retail community about how the, what's the difference?
You know, what does the tub actually do? Why does it make you feel better? Is it more comfortable? Is it designed for your lumbar, is it designed for your armrests? All of these little aspects like Jean-Michel ISS talking about it's gonna make the product. Different for the future and where we're gonna stand out.
So for me to come back, the, the company went through a change over the last 10 years and then when Jean-Michel and I met and it was just over coffee so I could get to know this new owner, I just wanted to know who he was and what his deal was, you know? And then we liked each other and that was kind of a, kind of a no-brainer to get back together to do, I don't know, the future of the company Make magic, right?
Yes. And I can totally see the next 20 to 25 years of Bain Ultra just based on what these guys have planning. 'cause uh, the team, the executive team is fantastic. They're all very creative in their own departments. And like this show is giving us an opportunity to kind of see, you know, where the marketplace is, how the consumer feels about bathing, of course materials.
Is what's big at KBIs, but there's a lot of conversation around wellness and it's, I don't think this is a conversation that's gonna fade, so we're gonna continue to develop our company and the product around the idea of wellness and where can we bring that. And Jean-Michel is a tech guy, so how can we make the bathtub more techy for the future?
I mean, I see the sparkle in this man's eyes when he talks about this company and what he wants to do, and it is palpable. So I know good things and exciting things. Are ahead, but let's just talk about the luxury industry as a whole, the luxury bath industry. Right. And especially wellness. You're right.
Clients are asking for that, and I'm assuming designers and clients are customers are asking for that from you guys as well. In the past, you know, as you said, it's been very simple. Just like, oh, I want a whirlpool, quote unquote tub, right? That's what some of the clients ask us for. Then we have to translate that into, okay, you want this, this, and this.
But I've worked on clients' bathrooms where they want that luxury hotel experience. They've taken a spa weekend in Sedona and they just loved it. So we've put in all kinds of features in bathrooms, from the tub to the shower to everything. But where do you see the luxury bath industry going, Jean-Michel.
And what role are you going to play in that in the luxury bath industry as a whole? Whole, I think you're spot on in the sense that people are actually looking for these different features to impact their wellness on a day-to-day basis. And just to be clear, we're not about making bathtubs. We're about helping people improve their wellbeing, their wellness on a day-to-day basis.
We want to improve people's life by millions with our products, and that's the mindset we have. So what we wanna bring actually to this market is not only comfort, but most importantly these different modalities that we can bring. 'cause not only I'm a tech guy, but I'm also a, you take a bath, right? You like to take a luxury bath too, right?
I do love to take a luxury bath and it come from my sports background. I used to do a lot of sports in my past, and my previous coach used to tell me, never underestimate the power of a warm bath. And you know, we're talking about saunas and whatnot, but. Did you know that, for example, a warm bath, a 20 minute warm bath has the same exact impact on one's health as a sauna session?
So we're talking about heat shock protein. We're talking about a natural remedy for your diseases. With warm water, Genghis cans, Caesars, all the greatest kings and emperors all over the world, used to bait every single day. And now we're too busy for it. So what we want to do, where the luxury is actually is the luxury to take the time, luxury to spend 20 minutes for yourself, get clean.
'cause we're staying a little far from the hygienic portion of the BA process. But it's most importantly about the ritual. It's to help you recover from the world, to help you recover from anything that goes at your face on a daily basis. So you can get out there and tackle all the challenges that you have in front of you and just be a better person overall.
That is so true. I personally love a good bath. I would venture to say it's at least five outta the seven days of the week. I'm taking a bath versus the shower because it is rejuvenating. I turn some stuff music on, turn the lights down, you know, maybe a can every now and then. But even if it's just a quick one, as you said, that warm water is such a great sensation just to.
Sink right into that. So I've bought a lot of houses over the years and if there was not a space for a tub in it, we added a tub in our primary bathroom. So I, I appreciate everything that you're saying. I want to hear more about the specific products that you guys have, Kim at Bain Ultra, like promo therapy, aromatherapy we were talking about.
And tell me about the type of products you have and then what benefits those have to people because some people are timid to add certain things. To their bathroom makeup, right? So they just want a tub. Okay, great. But I can give you X, Y, and Z to really enrich your life. So tell me about specifically what you guys offer currently.
So you of course can have an air bath. Yeah. And like I was saying earlier, a lot of people are still not aware of what air can do, and the misconception is that air is effervescent and it can be. But air can be very powerful and you can have it at a very low speed so that it is more effervescent, or you can have it at a very high speed and it makes it much more powerful.
Then the cool thing about air is that it's not circulating water, right? It's air being forced into the tub. So you can add anything you like. So if you like, uh, in your five day, uh, rituals Yeah. You like salt or bath oils or any kind of aromatherapy that you wanna add to it, you can put it in the water because it's not recirculating water.
It's staying in the tub with you, and it will drain completely out every time you use it. Mm-hmm. Then if you like chroma therapy that you just mentioned, alre is the only company making a chromotherapy, but behind the shell of the tub. So there's no light fixture inside of the tub. Oh my God. So it's smooth, and when you turn the lights on, it radiates through the shell of the tub, and so it's very clean.
When it's off, you don't see it, you turn it on, and then your bath well just lights up with whatever color you choose. That was what I went to your website and I saw these, like all these beautiful color palettes and I'm thinking that's That's representative of what you're speaking to? Correct. Oh, wow.
Wow. So it really is enveloping you completely. It really is. Don't forget, chromotherapy is very specific. So in this case, you're using color to really enhance each session. The colors of the rainbow are the basic colors. And let's say you use your warm colors like red, yellow, orange, as more of a stimulating bath.
Let's say that you're trying to have a 20 minutes, 'cause you're gonna go out in the evening and you need to be alert or you wanna relax, so you use cool colors, greens, blues, you know, just so you can bring that sort of calmness into the space, into the bath. And then you would combine that with the correct aromatherapy products or a relaxing product.
And then of course you can add aromatherapy in all kinds of different ways. But at Bain we have two different ways that you can do it. One is on your overflow, it's called aroma cloud, and creates a mist with the oils that you choose and it'll mist out over the top of your water, and it's like a smoky look, but it's really just a mist with the aroma in it.
So you are using the oils to your benefit, right? It's an idea of inhaling it. It's good for you. It's on the deck of the tub and it rises up and it also makes that sort of cloud over the water. It's very cool. These are the types of technologies that no one's really paying attention to, but Jean-Michel has other ideas about it.
You know, other things we can do to the tub that will enhance. Each session that you do, even if it's only for 20 minutes, you don't have to take an hour. Yeah. But my husband is still playing hockey at an older age, shall we say. And one of the things that he loves to do is come home from a hockey game and sit in the tub, even if he has the system off.
But to Jean Michel's point earlier, the warm water. It really relaxes an older back and knees, you know, and a younger back too. FYI, if I'm younger, quote, I don't, but yes, for everybody definitely younger than he is, but anyway, it's just so beneficial. Yeah. And so anything that you can add to the 20 minutes that you're in the tub, you want to do that, right?
I mean, I think we should have done this interview in like three separate tubs. And demonstrating the price, right? Yes, because I'm getting, I'm getting relaxed just hearing about it because again, we've had clients who've asked for certain features and then we start to recommend other things to them.
Some clients who were actually very ill honestly, and had, uh, a long term sickness that they were dealing with by renovating their bathroom and adding these features such that we're talking about now. I actually went back to revisit that client a year later, and they were thanking us for all the things, the chromotherapy tub, the aromatherapy tub.
We, you know, thought about heating the floor, like all the luxury components, all tied into that really do create a better living environment. And wellness is, again, it's a buzzword that I think people are using, but as you said, Jean-Michel, you don't need an hour to rejuvenate and to give yourself that luxury experience.
You can do that in 15, 20 minutes and. I'm the person where if I come home and I'm gonna go out to dinner, to your point Kim, and I'm like, Ugh. You know, freshen up. I take a bath instead of a shower. I'm that person. And that gets me going more than a simple shower does. Yeah. So I, I love all of that. What Jean-Michel at C Biz.
Now, this is your first time at C Biz, as I understand, so this is, it's a lot. It's a huge show. But tell me your impressions of this show and have you seen anything interesting that has caught your eye? Because I think your eyes are wide open to everything it seems. My eyes are definitely wide open and I've seen plenty of.
Very interesting stuff, beautiful designs. But I'm not gonna lie here. What I feel like is that the market is ready for disruption. I feel that we can bring the innovation to the next level, and that's definitely gonna be our mindset here. Okay. So I do feel that there are plenty of amazing things, but I feel like we could see things that are just like stepping up a notch.
You know what I'm saying? Just to. Push the boundaries to the next level. And that's kind of what I want to see. So I'm still seeking for those things. I've seen some interesting drain technologies, some interesting designs and whatnot. Beautiful products, overall beautiful designs. But how can we really, really improve people's life on a daily basis?
That's where my mind is right now. And I'm curiously aggressively seeking for these things. 'cause I think that's what's gonna matter at the end. People are looking. For spaces that are not only gonna be comforting from a design standpoint, but also bringing those features that are gonna improve people's life on a daily basis.
Now I'm hearing you speak and on the business side of things, there are a lot of my listeners are designers who own their own firms and they have employees, and they are maybe getting a little stagnant in where they are in their business now, and maybe they're looking for something to do other than what they're doing in their current field.
What advice do you have for someone who says, oh, I really am thinking about X, Y, and z. But I'm afraid to dip my toe into that water, or I'm afraid to start doing that from the entrepreneurial side of things. Right? Because as business owners, I, I mean, I'm guilty. I see a bright light, I run towards it, you know?
Or I come up with an idea, it's gonna start tomorrow, and it's like, John, that'll take you 12 months. My team says, I'm like, no, it'll take me 12 days, you know? So, but what advice do you have for people who are timid about trying new things within their own business or even outside of their business? Right?
Because you did that, you did that very thing, you left something that was unrelated to what we're doing, had components of it, but not exactly what it was. I would just like to hear your entrepreneurial and business advice for someone who might be thinking about doing something similar within the design industry or any industry.
My thinking is to aggressively get out there. Start selling as quickly as possible. Don't be afraid of nos 'cause it's a numbers game. You need maybe nine nos to get a yes, to collect them and cherish them, because at the end, all that's gonna matter is the number of yeses you're gonna get. But to get to that number of yeses, you're gonna need those like 50 nos perhaps.
In order to get there. So I'm always, you know, talking to friends who are looking for this entrepreneurial journey. And it feels like everybody's stuck in analysis paralysis, right? Just making plans about plans and business plans, about business plans. I'm like, just get out there and sell. Try it out. Get feedback.
Please see if people are willing to take out their credit card and pay for whatever you got to sell. Please bring those ideas to the market and if people are willing to buy it, you have something. This product market fit is the most important thing in business, in my opinion. And people are waiting for so long, we're preparing for this gigantic tick launch where we wanna bring this idea, and then suddenly it's all there in the market and no one gives a shit, right?
So that's not what we are all about. We want to move fast, we want to break things, and that's okay, as long as it's not too bad. We wanna make sure that we find this product market fit, we get the feedback we need. Iterate as much as possible. And that's coming from my software background. That's how software is built.
You need to just ship what we call the MVP, the minimum viable product, the smallest thing that you can get to the market in order to see if people are willing to pay for it. And as soon as you see this product market fit, then iterate and iterate and make the product better from the feedback you're getting from the customers.
Don't think you're the one that's gonna understand and draw the future for others. Get that feedback. The market is already whispering and you hear whatever they want. Please just listen. Just get out there. You know, design wise, a lot of people tend to follow what everyone else is doing and I think companies with products sometimes do that as well.
Oh, this is working well for this company. Let me do that. This is looking great for this designer. Let me copy that design of study and it, it's a bee in my bonnet when I see that because you just. Scroll Instagram and it's the same bathroom and in the same kitchen and the same living room, and you can't tell one designer from another.
But I think the times where I stuck my neck out to a client and giving them an idea of something totally outside of the box where it was a little scary for me or my team to say it. The client was like, oh my God, love it. You know, nine times out of 10 they're like, no one's ever done that before. And I'm like, yeah, it came from the old no in here, but you know, we're gonna try it on you and see how it works.
And so I think that fearlessness that you're speaking about is something that a lot of business owners are not innately born with. So where does your fearlessness come from, and do you have any tips for people who are not fearless? What anti-car cat tips do you have for people? That's funny. I've never been asked this question, to be honest.
I think it's coming from nothing. You know what I'm saying? Like having nothing to lose and that's my background. You know, I'm coming from a very poor family, full of love, but we went through bankruptcy twice. It's been very, very difficult. My parents didn't have the meaning to pay for the sports. Or the things that I wanted to do in life, so that's why I became an entrepreneur.
I was just looking for ways to keep on training and going to my competitions and whatnot while generating things, some revenues to pay for it all. I've always had nothing to lose, and at some point you get to a level where you're starting to have a few things to lose, right? You have a family, you have bills to pay, you have the house, the mortgage and whatever.
But nonetheless, we started as dust. And we'll end up as dust, so why not make the best of it? Try yourself out. Manage your risk. Obviously just don't go out there with no security and whatever. But still, what's the real risk here? Losing your face a little bit. Who cares? Nobody's gonna remember. People are thinking about themselves 99% of the time.
Just get out there and do your thing, man. I think that if more people just did try, you know, you miss every shot. You don't take Right. Exactly. And it's just. Give it a chance and try something new. I, I do a lot of calculated risk within my own business and my own life. You know, you can jump head first into the water without thinking about if it's two feet deep or, or 20 feet deep, right?
But if you do a calculated risk and you take some little measurements of it and see like, okay, I can do this. But I needed these steps before that, and that's what I'm hearing from you. But it's also just that energy of an entrepreneur to try new things and to adventure into areas where they haven't been before.
So I, I love that. And thank you for sharing all that really important information for people. Kim, at the show here, you've been here many times, right? You have, yes. Yeah. Anything that's standing out to you at the show as far as. Trends. And then I wanna speak to trends a bit because trends is an ugly word to me, to be honest with you.
And it's the question that every magazine asked an interior designer, every, you know, whomever wants to talk to us, what are the latest trends and. So I, I want to hear from you what you have seen here that maybe has caught your eye and is there something that maybe you're like, uh, that's gonna go away pretty soon?
It's, it's a hot thing right now, but it might be gone in in the market soon. I want to hear your perspective from doing this for so long. So I think that we're seeing more aspects of wellness all over the show. Even the word wellness, to your point earlier, it can be overused, but I think that the consumer as well as a designer.
Is really paying attention to what the space can hold. Like you said, you might be doing a very small bathroom and it really depends on how much room you've got, but you can put so many really cool things in that small space. I. If you've got a lot of room, well sky's the limit, right? But really incorporating anything like saunas are, are really big and as well as steam.
And that has in the past been important and been good add-ons, but I think people are really paying attention to it now and manufacturers are coming to market with all kinds of sizes, different ways to use them and put them in like even modulars that are easier to put in your home. And then other aspects in the plumbing world like mm-hmm.
We just, in this hall, we've been seeing so many BT toilets. I was telling Jean-Michel, this started many, many years ago, and now everyone is making one. But I think the average consumer is still like. A bidet toilet and it's still a thing. It's an amazing little thing to add to your bathroom. But it is. Oh honey, I will never give a, I have my toilet.
It has moved from me, from every house and my plumber's like, you wanna take the toilet out? Yes. I want to take that toilet out. Yes, it is going with me. My DXV is going with me. You know what? We won't talk about why, but it's an important thing. So I think one of the things that is not catching on as much like we're showing it in the show is colors in tubs.
So, you know, they're beautiful to show and they're, they can be for the consumer that has the wherewithal and let's say it's several homes and they wanna do color, great, they'll do a color tub. But generally it's more of a showpiece for us in a showroom or at a show. And it's not really going to translate into the consumer's home.
So white is white, as we all know, but it lives forever. And you know, we've seen a lot of colors actually in both, in all the halls. I love looking at it. Also, I think solid surface is a material either concrete or solid surface. And it again, depends on the consumer. A lot of people ask us, you know, why would you buy an acrylic tub over a concrete tub?
Over a solid surface tub? But it really depends on the touch and feel that you want in a product. Because don't forget a solid surface or a stone stone tub or a concrete tub could be 500 pounds, right? Mm-hmm. So your home also has to accommodate it. It's not growing as fast as we thought it was gonna grow that segment.
I think people still, an acrylics tub is so much more malleable. So you can put the really cool armrest, you can put the really cool neck rest, you can put a footrest. You can do all kinds of things with acrylic that isn't as easy to make in a solid surface or a stone. It's a different type of material.
And so I'm intrigued to see what the next materials might be, but of course we've got some manufacturers doing beautiful stone work. And that, of course is again, depends on the consumer. Yeah. And if that's a different budget, obviously. So yeah. I don't, I, you know, the, the, the plumbing world deserves a little, I don't know, zap to get us a little, you know, into the next decade.
And that's what's fun for me as a sales person. 'cause then I get to talk to you about like, what is the next thing. Mm-hmm. So this is where my tech. Guy comes in. Yeah, totally. And I, and I agree with you on the color aspect and that wow feature, it's like you do need something for a trade show to get someone who's strolling by to actually stop and, and see what you're doing.
Or I've designed for television before and designing for TV is a lot different than designing for my client's homes because you want to. To stand out, but that can be very isolating for some people. Yeah, I don't want that green whatever in my bathroom, and I'm seeing a lot of ox blood and burgundy, which I've always loved, but I don't know probably any of my clients who have put something massive like that as a big investment piece into their home.
So let's talk about that. How do you, Kim, prevent yourself as a designer from working in a silo and seeing like, oh, I need this tub for all these features. How do you start to incorporate other things into the space? So when, what do you think the designer should look for for creating that full? Wellness package for their client.
You mentioned a few things that I, I know are pretty relevant for people that they know of, but what other components would be great to mix and match with things that you guys have at Bain Ultra, for instance, to create that full luxury wellness experience in someone's home. So we talked about steam and sauna, which I think is huge.
Mm-hmm. Of course you have to have space for that. But again, like Jean-Michel was saying, the tub that's fully kitted out with all kinds of therapies that you can add onto it, I think I would think about also the faucet tree that goes in your handhelds that are important. There was once upon a time showers that had we called them.
Fondly the car washes because they had all these body sprays. You remember those? Yes. And have you noticed that there aren't as many body sprays? Because I think the plumbers, and we love all of our plumbers, don't really think about the client that's standing in the shower. So if I'm five foot four and you're six foot tall, and they don't put the sprays exactly in the right spot, and it's hitting me in the face, but it's getting you in the neck.
So I hope that as from our point of view, from a manufacturer standpoint, I really hope that the designers are talking to their plumbing. Contractors and you go to them over and over again and that line of communication is open because installing the plumbing, like Jean-Michel was talking about drains.
Mm-hmm. For tubs. So now what's coming in tubs is the drains that don't need an overflow. It keeps the tub really clean, but the plumbing underneath is a little different, and some of the installs underneath the tub are a little different as well. But it allows you, the designer to put a tub, let's say, in the middle of the room that may not need a freestanding faucet so that you wouldn't have to match the finishes on that.
So there's a lot of possibilities. My hope is that the design community really hooks into the plumbing trade as well, because I think. Sometimes the plumbing trade is a little fearful of what you guys design, and we are scary. We're very scary as designers because you guys are avant garde. So designers will come to a show like this and you'll see some really cool things and you'll tell you a plumber, this is what I want to put in.
And he's like. Well, I can't put that in 'cause it has, I don't know, let's call it a quick connect or a tub docking station, or, it's all very low tech plumbing, but it's amazing in the construction part of it, which is hugely important. That's my encouragement for the design community. Please, you know, encourage your plumbers.
Educate your plumbers, and also if you would be open to us. Bringing information to you about new things. I was just going to say that, and also as designers, I cannot emphasize enough, you guys, that we have to educate ourselves. We should know how this is going to be installed. We should be listening to our tradespeople.
We should be listening to the people. Who are doing the work that we are asking them to do and learning from that for the next project. I remember at one of my very first projects, my family built homes, so I was around construction my whole life, right? And so I knew that the home started from the dirt and it went all the way to the shingles on the roof, right?
So I remember a plumber, I. Saying, oh John, no, we can't. There's no way that that tub is not gonna do that. The drain's not gonna work. And the tub was sitting there, the drain. I was like, yes, it can. So I laid on my back on the floor, showed him exactly what we should do, and he was like, wait, how do you know how to do that?
I know. And I'm like, listen, I'm not gonna walk in here with a boa wrapped around my neck like some diva. Like I know what I'm talking about. So my point is, any designers listening, I want you guys to really educate yourself. It is worth knowing. All about the product. Yes. But we should also know about the installation side, how the product's made, how long it's gonna stand up.
You know, if this might need to be replaced down the road, this valve, how long is it going to last? So without further ado, let's jump into this live recorded episode from the KBIS Podcast studio with Jean-Michel and Kim. I hope you guys enjoy, and that brings me back to you, Jean Michelle. I've developed a lot of products for the design community and it has been a thought process where I go to see the final products and beautiful.
Let's say a light fixture for myself, right? See the finished product as a light fixture. So excited about it. In the beginning, I didn't think about the mechanics of how that was going to be made in the factory. Is that material going to be available? How long is that going to take? Is it cost prohibitive to make that?
How much of that goes into what all these great ideas that you have, how much of that process do you incorporate into what you do as far as bringing new innovations to the company? Just curious. It's so important. It's so important in the sense that we need to make our product not only beautiful, not only making sure that these products will bring a lot of advantages for our customers, but we also want our tubs to be the easiest to install in the market.
We want them to be simple as a whole. That's critical for us. Easy to clean, easy to clean, uh, comfortable. Like all of these things matter so much. And when it comes to the factory. It's night and day, and if you visit certain factory from different manufacturers, you can see who's really good at what they do and who's really looking good at what they do, but they're really not.
You can see it very, very quickly. So that's important. All of these things, picking the right materials, making sure that. Each of these amazing products, ideas are actually scalable. Yes. Can we produce them? If we hit this product market fit I was talking about a bit earlier, can we produce them to a level that's gonna allow us to make sure our reputation remains stellar?
Because we ship fast, we ship with beautiful boxes, we ship with this. Overall great user experience. Can we continue to do this if we change this in that aspect of a product? So definitely that thinking is critical in what we do. And sustainability. Yeah. Tell me about it. What I am loving as well in this new generation of Bain Ultra is that it's a conversation because Canada, where we manufacture is a country that does think about it a lot.
And I think it is also something that many. American manufacturers are thinking about as well, but there are more ideas about how to be sustainable. You know, in let's say the trim pieces or the fiberglass or the resin that's left over. What do you do with it? There are programs that are put in place by the government often, but then there's also entrepreneurs that have ideas about how to use the leftovers, so to speak, in the manufacturing process.
So for us, this is a big deal. Yeah. And I love it because it's become part and part and parcel of the conversation at Bay Ultra. And so our, our and D department and our ops manager, they talk about. What they can do with the excess or what programs are available to use. Anything that's left over in manufacturing.
And so for us, we want that tub to live like our baths or warranty 20 years. We want them to live beyond that and they will, but what can you do with it if you decided to change it out and get something new? That's really great. I love that you're thinking about that now versus later during the time of the pandemic, for instance, everyone was buying their quote quick furniture and they were just getting something quickly to put into their home, and then you would see them all on the curb the following year in the neighborhood because they were all falling apart, right?
Yeah. So I think the waste is something that's really important. I know IKEA is even doing now, like a buyback program of their own furniture at ikea, and I'm like, whoa, that is going down to the lowest price point of something I would think. Yes. So I'm glad to see that other industries such as yourself is thinking about that because I don't know that people.
Relates sustainability to the kitchen and bath industry, and specifically to bathtubs, right? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So I think that's great. And water conservation. Yeah. So we're in Las Vegas where water is a big deal. So the, the thing that people don't consider about baths ever is that it's a finite amount of water and you're not using all hot water in your bath.
Generally, you know, you're not running a shower for 30 minutes. So to speak, even if it's a giant tub, it's a finite amount of water. One thing we didn't talk about is cold plunge. So you know right now this is big in a lot of areas, but cold plunge has always been around, especially for athletes, and it's good.
For just about anybody, but not everybody wants to spend more than three minutes in a cold plunge. And you can do that in your own house, in your own tub. You don't need a chiller. You just fill it up with cold water. You could even add some ice to it if you want to, but nowadays you can do that outside.
So there's different ways to bathe and different ways to use water, but also using a finite amount. Yeah. Well. My, my cold water experiences, I turned the cold water on. I, I had great ambitions in the beginning to do that, to really turn the cold shower on and, you know, do all the great benefits of the body.
But then I'm like, okay, two seconds. No, I'm done. I'm gonna get outta here. Yeah, that's, that's too much for me, but it wakes me up. Yes, I feel like it did something to me. I don't know, maybe it just scared me to death, but I felt better after it and I felt like I made better decisions. I don't know.
Jean-Michel, before we wrap up, what is one thing that you would like. For the people listening. I have a lot of designers, as I said, some consumers about Vein Ultra. What do you want them to know about the company going forward? And you mentioned some things earlier, but is there one thing that really stands out that is sort of the moniker of, of your company that you want us to know about?
That's a good question. I mean, one thing, yeah, you don't have one thing. You have like 20 things. I know exactly. Exactly is why. This is why I gave you this question. I feel that if you have a customer that's just. Looking for the best of the best, no questions asked. You wanna make sure he's gonna be comfortable.
You wanna make sure that he's gonna have the best experience and he's gonna thank you for many, many years after. As we have so many customers. We've been there for 48 years, we've been making bathtubs a very, very long time, and, and talking about sustainability. We've had to go through these. 'cause we have people calling us after 25 years saying how much they love their bathtub and they are moving their tub around in their houses and all that.
So if you want the best, that's the thing that I want people to remember. Okay, don't do too much research. Pay not where you found it. There you are. Right. That's right. Who you are. That's right. Pretty plain and simple right there. Exactly. Always be selling. There you go. Always be selling. Good job. And, and Kim, before we wrap up, tell everyone how they can find out more about Vein Ultra and about your company.
The website's Great. And all the things that you have there. It sounds like you're gonna make some changes on the website soon, but where can they find out more about you online to start to work with you? So, of course bain ultra.com. Mm-hmm. And the cool thing for me is the jean, she from the tech world.
So I'm really hopeful that our next website is gonna be amazing. It better be, and most of your, let's call them higher end showroom, decorative plumbing, will have a access and information about Bain Ultra. Okay. Yeah. And social media. And social media. We're Baal Trip on Instagram, Facebook on it. LinkedIn, yeah.
Okay. And we'll put all of those in the show notes, so that would be amazing. So people can just click on it and go from there. I have loved this conversation. I think it's so fun to hear things from both the boots on the ground person such as yourself, Kim, and then you Jean-Michel, with all of these wonderful ideas of where you're going to take vein Ultra.
So. Thank you both for being a part of this. Just really enlightening convo we had today. I appreciate you guys being here. Thank you so much. Thanks for having us. All right, and thank you guys for listening. We'll see you next time on The Designer Within Podcast. Thanks for tuning in to The Designer Within podcast.
I hope you found today's episode inspiring and full of actionable ideas to help you design a better home, a thriving career, or simply a more intentional life. For more tips, resources, and free downloads to support the design of your home or the design of your career, head on over to John Ko. That's john mcclain.co.
And remember, to make big changes on the outside, you need to start within. Until next time, I'm John McLean. Stay creative and stay inspired.