Air tubs | Soaker tubs | Bath tubs | Jetted tubs

Many older homes have a steel bath tub, sometimes a cast iron tub, or in some cases a nice old claw foot tub. These bathtubs all served their purposes back then, but we are living in a world of wanting better for our lives. And a 15 inch deep bath tub just does not fit into what we want now. Whenever I change out a bathtub for someone in a renovation I always install at the bare minimum a soaker tub. And in new home construction every home I work on gets 1 soaker tub and a jetted tub, or sometimes an air tub. There are some differences to each, but they all do one thing. Let you take a nice warm comfortable bath. Some more so than others.

Air tubs

The most expensive of all bathtubs. An air tub will shoot air into the water giving a very therapeutic bath. I have installed many of these and the installation is the same as any. If you are going to buy an air tub make sure you go the extra mile and get at least a 72 inch tub. This way you will have plenty of room the lay in the tub and that is your main purpose right?

Jetted Tubs

The next best bathtub for total relaxation is the jetted tub, sometimes called a Jacuzzi tub which is a name brand. Jetted tubs come in 4, 6, 8, or 10 jets. The most common is 6 jets and anything different then that goes up in price. The biggest problem that most people ask me about when it comes to jetted tubs is what do you do to clean the jets? There is cleaners on the market at any hardware store that will allow you to clean the jets, just follow the directions and your ready to go.

Soaker Tubs

As I said before every house I have done a renovation for installs at least a soaker tub. Why would you go to the trouble of renovating your bathroom for thousands of dollars and not pay the extra $200 or so for a soaker tub over a steel tub? I always get massive approval of my clients after the soaker tub is installed and they first take a bath. It is as if I changed their entire lives. With all the positive feedback I will always try to up sell the soaker or a steel tub (Yes even if the clients are buying from someone else and I am just doing the installation)

Bathtubs

Bathtubs and showers one of the most utilized fixtures in your home, with statistics saying that North Americans shower about 1.5 to 2 times a day. But the bathtub is for two kinds of people. The first kind do not like to shower and prefer bathing. The second kind of person enjoys bathing and spends time reading or just soaking with candles and fragrances for some sort of aromatherapy. I personally do not see this benefit, but I do enjoy a steam bath. The only difference I see is in a bathtub you lye down and a steam bath you are sitting.

Steel bathtubs are still very common and even though I do talk people out of one for a bathroom renovation I certainly do recommend steel bath tubs in a basement bathroom. You do not need a soaker tub, air tub or jetted tub in every bathroom. So if you are developing a basement your basement bath tub might be a steel tub. This still gives you a shower to use and for the guest that stays for a weekend they could bathe, but they probably do not need to soak.

For more info check:

Steam bath or steam shower

How to install a bathtub

Bath tub faucets