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Not only are bathrooms designed to be practical spaces, but they are very much supposed to be relaxation areas too.

This is why the image of a hot bubble bath with candles and a book is a thing - they’re ideal for melting away the day's stresses. It’s for this reason that spas are so popular too.

Now we might be biased here, but we think lighting plays a huge role in creating this atmosphere. It’s hard to relax with super bright spotlights beaming down on you, which is the choice of lighting in many bathrooms.

Of course, one of the easiest ways to add ambient lighting to your bathroom is by using LED strip lights. Naturally, it’s only right that we take a deeper look into how you can do this too.

Why Add LED Strip Lights To Your Bathroom?

As we’ve already established, LED tape is the best option for when you want to create ambience and moods. This is absolutely the case for a relaxing bathroom too.

What this then does is make your bathroom feel like a luxury health spa, that just elevates the experience from one simple upgrade.

In a more practical sense, you can also use strip lights for the other everyday tasks you’d do in the bathroom, like shaving, applying makeup or even cleaning.

Regardless of how you want to use them, the great thing is that small runs of LED tape use barely any power, and cost pennies to run. For example, a single metre of our 14W tape would cost 8p if you left it on for a full 24 hours - and you wouldn’t leave it on for that long.

Which Tape Should I Buy For My Bathroom?

Before deciding anything regarding your tape, you should be buying IP65 rated tape or higher for bathrooms. You will absolutely need this, even if your tape isn’t directly facing any exposed water, for the simple reason that when you’re having a hot shower or bath, there will be steam in the room.

Now usually, IP44 is fine for this, but a) we don’t stock IP44 tape, and b) to be on the safe side, it’s better to use a higher rated tape.

There is a chance, especially if you’re placing your tape around any mirrors, that the strips will be visible. For this reason, we’d strongly recommend opting for COB tapes, as they emit their light without the dotted look of other, older strips.

As far as brightness is concerned, we’d go for a 14W tape, as it provides enough brightness for any task lighting, but can be dimmed down if you’re looking for more subtle, dimmed down vibes.

Finally, you’ll want to pick the right colour, and this will depend on how you want to use your bathroom. For purely task lighting use, we’d go for 4000K Day Light, as this is still bright, but soft enough that you won’t be blinded by loads of light.

If you’re only looking for soothing vibes for long soaks in the bathtub, then you’ll want 3000K Warm White instead.

There is a third option for those who want both, and that’s our Dual Colour Aon LED Tape. It has dedicated Warm White and Cool White chips, so you can mix the two with a controller and create a Day Light. Or any colour temperature in between!

If you do opt for our Dual Colour tape, we’d recommend using our Easilight 5-in-1 Receiver with a compatible wallplate, as we don’t imagine that you’ll want to have loose remote controllers in a bathroom.

Best Installation Locations

There are a few places you can install strips in your bathroom. Each one depends on how you’re going to use them.

First off, you could install them around a mirror, giving you strong task lighting. This will improve your visibility and prevent shadows around the face - perfect for shaving or applying makeup.

You could also install them under any cabinets, which will achieve a similar look to under cabinet lighting in a kitchen. This can be used as both task lighting and as mood lighting, making the Dual Colour tape a great option here.

Another option would be to fit them either above or below any shelves you have in your bathroom. Not only will this do a great job of highlighting any ornaments you have on them, but they do also create a really nice ambience.

One of our personal favourites is if you’re lucky enough to have a freestanding bathtub. You can fit LED tapes around the underside of the tub, to create a ‘floating tub’ effect, that looks really premium, and really does look like something out of a luxury hotel.

How To Control Your Bathroom Strip Lights

From where we’re sitting, there are three main options to go for.

The first is to simply have your bathroom strips hardwired to a rocker switch or pull cord. This is pretty simple but will require an electrician to install.

Option two is to hardwire them but use a motion sensor. This way, the strips will come on automatically when you’re in the bathroom. This would be a particularly effective option for front facing mirror lighting.

The third choice is something we touched on earlier, which is to use our 5-in-1 Receiver with a compatible wallplate. This is quite a nice option in that the wallplate helps the whole install feel that little bit more premium, with its own dedicated control panel.

Upgrading Your Bathroom With LED Strip Lights

It’s unbelievable how effective just a small run of tape, and we’re only talking 1-2m here, can be at making your bathroom feel that bit more luxurious and high end, giving you that spa feel with very little effort.

Of course, our team can help spec the perfect bathroom strip light setup for you. All you need to do is give us a call on 0116 321 4120, or send an email to sales@wled.co.uk.

You can also have a chat to us on Facebook or Instagram too. Be sure to check out our YouTube channel for all things LED lighting.