BUYING GUIDE

Japanese Toilets: Practical Luxury for the Modern Bathroom

BUYING GUIDE

Japanese Toilets: Practical Luxury for the Modern Bathroom

If you’re upgrading your bathroom, a smart toilet — often called a Japanese toilet — is an excellent choice. Combining advanced technology with everyday convenience, these toilets offer superior comfort, hygiene, and efficiency.

Our Intellismart Bidet Toilets are designed to enhance everyday bathroom routines. Available in wall-hung and back-to-wall styles, our Japanese smart toilets include a remote control, letting you personalise your experience. 

Our extensive guide covers practical tips, including what a Japanese smart toilet is, key features and benefits, installation considerations, and whether a Japanese toilet is worth the upgrade.

Key takeaway:

Japanese toilets combine advanced technology with everyday comfort, offering features such as integrated bidets, heated seats, warm-air drying and automatic flushing. They can enhance hygiene while creating a more luxurious bathroom experience.

When choosing one, consider the available space, electrical requirements, installation, features and ongoing maintenance to ensure the system suits your home.

WHAT IS A JAPANESE TOILET?

Originating in Japan, smart toilets transform traditional design with built-in smart technology controlled via an ergonomic remote. Modern designs feature adjustable wash functions, personalised temperature settings, warm-air drying, and massage modes to enhance comfort. This provides everyday convenience, improved personal hygiene, and reduced reliance on toilet paper. 

Lusso’s exclusive Intellismart Toilet enhances your experience, expertly crafted with premium ceramics, efficient soft-close mechanisms, and a quick-release seat, with a choice of wall-hung toilets or back-to-wall toilets.

Benefits of a Japanese Toilet

Japanese toilets are designed to enhance functionality, comfort and hygiene. Crafted with innovative technology, smart toilets include a variety of features, including adjustable wash settings, night light and odour extraction to enhance hygiene, convenience and comfort. 

Personalised Comfort

A Japanese smart toilet makes everyday routines feel more comfortable and personalised. Users can tailor the cleansing experience to their preferences, with features including dedicated rear and lady wash functions, adjustable water flow and precise nozzle positioning. You can also adjust the water temperature for enhanced comfort. For an indulgent experience and soothing cleanse, massage functions allow the water flow to gently pulse. 


Improved Hygiene

The rimless design of smart toilets prevents bacterial build-up and is easier to clean. Additional hygiene features include a self-cleaning nozzle and an antimicrobial, antibacterial seat.

A rimless smart toilet removes the traditional inner rim, eliminating hard-to-reach areas where germs, limescale and grime can accumulate. This makes the toilet bowl easier to clean and reduces the need for harsh chemical cleaners. 

Smart toilets use a direct-flush propulsion system, directing water from a rear valve around the bowl to thoroughly wash the ceramic surface. This efficient circulation helps achieve an immaculately clean result while using less water per flush, offering both practical and environmental benefits. 


Everyday Convenience

Beyond hygiene and comfort, Japanese toilets are designed to make everyday routines feel effortless. Integrated night-lights provide subtle illumination after dark, helping you navigate the bathroom without reaching for bright overhead lights. Odour extraction helps maintain a fresher, pleasant environment, while user presets allow you to save settings for a personalised experience. Automatic lid opening adds another touch of convenience, responding as you approach and closing once you leave. 


Easy Controls

Japanese smart toilets are designed with intuitive controls that make it simple to personalise every aspect of the experience. An ergonomic remote provides easy access to essential functions, allowing users to adjust the wash setting, water flow, nozzle position and temperature with minimal effort. 

Depending on the model, settings for heated seats, warm-air drying and massage functions can also be adjusted at the touch of a button. Clear, thoughtfully positioned controls ensure that even the most advanced features feel straightforward to use. The result is a seamless, personalised experience that combines innovative technology with the effortless convenience expected of a luxury bathroom.

Explore the Intellismart toilet controls in more detail. 


Efficient Water Use

Japanese toilets provide comfort and convenience while reducing resource use. Lusso’s smart toilets are expertly crafted with an energy-efficient vortex flush and smart water-sensing technology that delivers a precise, powerful wash using less water than traditional models. The smart controls regulate water use, avoiding unnecessary consumption. 

The integrated wash functions can also reduce reliance on toilet paper. With adjustable wash settings and an air-dry function, users can clean and dry themselves without the need for toilet paper.  


Space Saving

Wall-hung smart toilets bring a clean, contemporary aesthetic to bathrooms, while making even compact spaces feel more open and refined. This means more floor is visible, making the space feel larger, lighter and less crowded.

Lusso’s wall-hung smart toilets are designed with a cistern hidden within the wall, making them an ideal option for smaller bathrooms and cloakrooms while maintaining a luxury interior. This creates uninterrupted sightlines beneath the toilet and makes the surrounding area feel seamless, minimal and clean, without pipework on display. 

With fewer exposed components around the base of the toilet, there are fewer awkward areas for dust and dirt to collect, making the clear floor underneath easier to clean. 


Refined Design

Smart toilets elevate a bathroom through a combination of enhanced comfort, functionality and quality design. Lusso’s collection is finely crafted from smooth, polished ceramic, reflecting the timeless appeal of a traditional toilet with discreet advanced features and the seamless finish of a contemporary design.

Available in a classic white ceramic finish, Lusso’s smart toilets can be seamlessly complemented with our wider bathroom collection, including freestanding baths, vanity units and basins.

Key Installation Considerations for Your Home

Before choosing your smart toilet, there are practical technical requirements to consider, including power and plumbing. We recommend confirming the electrical, plumbing and space requirements in advance and appointing a professional plumber where necessary. 


Power

Smart toilets require a dedicated electrical supply to power features such as heated seats, warm-water washing and air drying. The power feed should be IPX4-rated and positioned outside designated wet zones, with installation carried out by a qualified electrician. Planning the electrical connection at an early stage ensures the toilet can be integrated seamlessly into the bathroom design while allowing its advanced features to operate safely and reliably. 


Plumbing

Water pressure plays an important role in the performance of a smart toilet, influencing everything from the strength of the flush to the precision of the integrated wash functions. Lusso smart toilets require a dedicated cold-water connection and dynamic water pressure between 1.5 and 2.0 bar. 

Before choosing your model, we recommend checking your home water pressure to confirm it falls within this range. This will help the toilet deliver the powerful and consistent performance expected.


LUSSO Product Guarantees

Our smart toilets are expertly crafted with fine quality that is designed to last. They are rigorously tested to meet engineering standards, with comprehensive product guarantees providing confidence that your toilet will perform for years to come due to its quality and longevity.  

The toilet pan and cistern are covered by a 25-year guarantee, while the toilet seat carries a 7-year guarantee. The flush plate is guaranteed for 5 years, with electrical components covered for 2 years, reflecting the different elements that make up the system.

Before Installation:

  • Electrical supply: Confirm an IPX4-rated power supply is available outside wet zones.
  • Water pressure: Check your water pressure is between 1.5 – 2.0 bar.
  • Dimensions: Check the toilet dimensions and available space before installation.
  • Professional installation: Use a qualified professional plumber. 

Are Japanese Toilets Worth It?

For those who value comfort and convenience, a Japanese toilet is a long-term investment for a luxury bathroom. Heated seating, personalised wash settings and air drying transform an everyday routine into a more comfortable, considered experience. Smart toilet features are designed to be used every day and enhance the ease of your routine.

However, there are some practical considerations to think about. Installation requires an electrical connection and may involve plumbing adjustments, while features such as heated seats and warm-water washing increase electricity consumption. For many homeowners, the combination of comfort, hygiene and functionality makes this a worthwhile addition to a bathroom. 

Upgrade Your Bathroom Routine with a Japanese Toilet

A Japanese smart toilet can transform an everyday bathroom essential into a luxury experience defined by comfort, hygiene and considered design. Combining smart features with rimless hygiene and a concealed cistern creates a minimal, modern bathroom, while personalised washing, air drying and heated seating bring more comfort to everyday routines.

Designed to complement both contemporary and timeless interiors, Lusso’s smart toilets offer a refined approach to modern bathroom living, without compromising on quality or practicality. 

Discover more of LUSSO’s buying and care guides for practical buying and design tips, or get inspired by Our World.

Explore Lusso’s collection of smart toilets or contact our sales team 020 3370 4057 for further advice on finding the correct solution for your bathroom. 

Japanese Toilet FAQs

How to use a Japanese toilet?

Using a Japanese smart toilet is an intuitive, luxurious experience. Most models feature an accessible remote control or a sleek side panel, allowing you to seamlessly adjust water temperature, pressure, and nozzle position. After the cleansing wash, simply activate the warm air-drying function for a completely hands-free, refreshing finish.

How to install a Japanese toilet?

Installing a Japanese toilet requires both plumbing and electrical connections, so we strongly advise hiring qualified trade professionals. The unit must be connected to your mains water supply and a safely fused electrical spur. Proper installation ensures your smart toilet functions flawlessly while safeguarding your comprehensive Lusso guarantees.

What is special about a Japanese toilet?

Japanese toilets elevate the standard bathroom experience into a sophisticated wellness ritual. They integrate advanced technology like customisable bidet washing, heated seats, automatic open-and-close lids, and self-cleaning nozzles. This innovative design combines exceptional personal hygiene with quiet luxury, creating a highly refined centrepiece for modern bathroom suites.

Do Japanese toilets use a lot of electricity?

Despite their advanced features, modern Japanese toilets are designed with energy efficiency in mind. They typically only draw significant power when actively heating water or the seat. Many premium smart toilets also include intelligent power-saving modes that reduce energy consumption during periods of non-use, making them an economical luxury.

Are Japanese toilets hygienic?

Yes, Japanese toilets are exceptionally hygienic, often surpassing traditional methods. The targeted water jet provides a superior, gentle cleanse, while advanced models feature self-cleaning, antibacterial nozzles and automatic flushing. This hands-free operation minimises cross-contamination, ensuring a pristine, sanitary environment that perfectly complements a high-end, luxury lifestyle.
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