A spa bathtub can add some value to your home as well as make bath time a luxurious retreat from the cares of the day. Spas use tubs with jets because the benefits of this type of treatment are well known. Just a hot bath can relax you and make you feel better, but jets and bubbles that massage and soothe make a bath more than just a way to get clean. You don't have to go to the spa for this luxury anymore, with the many spa bathtub choices available to the homeowner today.

Installing a spa bathtub in a new construction is probably the easiest, but most of us don't have that option. The best and most inexpensive way to upgrade to a spa bathtub is choose one that fits in your current bathtub area. This isn't that difficult in most cases, because they make whirlpool baths in standard sizes for this reason. The standard bathtub is 5 ft long, and so there are many different Jacuzzi bath models that are 5 ft long.

If your bathtub or bathroom is strangely shaped or non-standard, there's a chance you may have to redo some plumbing in to order to be able to enjoy a spa bathtub. If you have a standard 5 ft tub now and want to install a corner spa bathtub, you're looking at a bit more expense because of the new pipe you'll have to run from the existing spigots to the new spa bathtub.

Who will be using the bathtub? You'll want to make sure you have the proper safety features in place to avoid dangerous falls, slips and burns. And you'll want to make sure you have safety features to protect the bath, like a low water sensor that detects when the volume is too low to keep the mechanism from burning up.

Also, if you're upgrading to a large tub with much more water volume, really consider your floor, especially if the tub isn't on the ground floor. Have your floor joists and support inspected to make sure it's safe to put that much extra weight on the floor. Though your spa bathtub may be lightweight acrylic, extra water volume can do devastating damage to a floor without adequate support.

You can choose an air jet spa bathtub or a whirlpool model. Whirlpool tubs use large gets that move water and air. These are the tubs that make you feel as if you're getting a massage. An air jet spa bathtub pushes air through several small jets to produce a lighter, bubbling sensation.

You'll also want to consider your existing water heater. If you're investing in a much larger whirlpool bath than your previous bathtub, is your water heater large enough? If you have a small water heater, and previously had a standard tub, the water could start cooling down long before your new spa bathtub that's large enough for two people is half full. Some models of spa bathtub can be purchased with their own internal water heater to avoid such problems and keep the water a standard temperature.

Photo Credits: Dennis Wong

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Bathtub, Handy Man

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adequate support, bath time, Bathtub, bubbles, cares of the day, day spas, floor joists, hot bath, jacuzzi bath, jets, low water, luxurious retreat, new construction, new spa, proper safety, safety features, spigots, water sensor, water volume, whirlpool baths