The trend today is to mix high-tech with high style. One such innovation is the touch-free faucet. In your home, these faucets can help combat the spread of germs and conserve water. Plus, they minimize splashing for a cleaner bathroom.

Unlike the touch-free faucets commonly found in restaurants and other public places, the latest models are specifically designed for home use. They add beauty to the bathroom as well as improving the function of your sink.

Look up from your faucet and you might be shocked to find an LCD TV hidden inside your mirror. When the TV is off, the mirror looks perfectly ordinary. Hit the "on" button and suddenly the morning news is playing in the corner. 

Another new technology is heated glass. The glass itself radiates warmth, thanks to an invisible coating and a small amount of electricity.

In a home window, heated glass will never fog up or frost over. The view remains completely clear despite the high humidity in a bathroom or home sauna. Since condensation on windows is a common breeding ground for mold and bacteria, heated glass helps prevent these dangers as well.

Heated glass windows also improve comfort by contributing warmth to the room. Ordinary glass gets cold in the winter, creating chills and drafts. However, if the windows are heated, your skin will feel warm and comfy even when wet.

Glass is also being used to transform old-fashioned towel warmers into a beautiful design element for your bathroom. Towels and other linens are draped over heated glass for luxurious warmth or simple drying.

Traditional towel warmers are designed for function, not appearance. They use metal bars filled with hot water or oil. Replacing those metal bars with solid glass gives these appliances an entirely new look.

Glass towel warmers from Thermique Technologies are even available in a colorful, freestanding frame.

"Appearances are important," says Mike Hobbs, CEO of Thermique. "The advantages of new bathroom technologies are measured in beauty as well as performance."

Thermique is the leading U.S. manufacturer of heated glass products and components. The company hosts a Web site called www.whatisheatedglass.com to explain the many uses of heated glass.

Courtesy of ARAcontent