What can you do about bathroom feng shui?

The ancient Chinese philosophy of feng shui looks at the relationship between people and the environments they live in, and can have a beneficial effect when applied to living spaces and outdoor areas. But can bathroom feng shui help you achieve balance in your bathing areas?

Not really, according to Elizabeth Wiggins of Feng Shui Living. "Bathrooms, laundries and toilets are considered bad feng shui no matter where they are", she says. "Because the qi, or energy, is attracted to water, and water is prominent in those areas, it flows out of the house through the pipes."

But it isn't all bad news for bathroom feng shui – it depends on what kind of energy is located near the room. According to Elizabeth, homes are divided into eight compass sectors, with six negative and two positive. If the bathroom falls in a negative sector, this can actually be beneficial, helping to drain the negative energies away.

Designing for bathroom feng shui

For people building houses from scratch, employing a feng shui consultant in the design stage can ensure the bathroom is positioned correctly within the layout of the home. But for those stuck with their bathrooms where they are, is there anything they can do?

"There's no cure-all for bathroom feng shui as such," says Elizabeth, "other than maybe keeping the door closed to help slow the qi down." New Age feng shui would have you believe that positioning your toilet in a certain way, or removing plants, will have a positive effect. According to Elizabeth, who practises traditional feng shui, this is not the case.

"We might look at putting a stone statue in there, or adding some earth elements like terracotta," she says, "but these are minimal measures compared to the draining effects on the energy." 

Consultants like Elizabeth are more likely to focus on the building biology. This includes ensuring the bathroom has adequate ventilation, uses natural building materials and is largely free of chemicals and other things that are not conducive to wellbeing.

These may seem like small measures, but Elizabeth says it's all that can really be done when it comes to bathroom feng shui. "I tell my clients not to stress about it too much," she says. "There's usually at least one part of your life that's draining anyway. Whether or not you leave the toilet seat up or down is not going to make any difference."