Whirlpool Tub or No Tub at All

I love my whirlpool tub. I don't use it a lot - maybe once a month or a bit less. But when I do, it's heaven. I am glad I have it.

Maintenance is easy - run the jets with dishwasher soap in the water a few times a year.

a tub is a must for me. i'm a nightly bubble bather. must have my bubbly in order to get a nice comfy night's sleep.
but for me, no whirlpool. most of them are noisy, the air jets cool the water too quickly (i like my baths HOT) and most of them don't allow for my lovely crabtree and evelyn bubbly baths.
i can't imagine being happy in a house with NO tub, even if i weren't a regular bather. i like the big walk-in showers (getting one in my small-ish master bath) but need a tub too. if you have aches and pains, you should definitely get a tub of some sort!
khairete
S.

Our master bath has a walk in shower and a whirlpool tub.
We use them both.
I like the tub BUT I'd still like something deeper to soak in.
Some day I'd like a tub where I can soak in water practically up to my jaw line.
If your bathroom has the space, could you fit a Japanese soaking tub?
I've never seen a master bathroom without a tub of some sort or another.
I'm not sure I'd buy a house that didn't have one.

I never use our tub.
EXCEPT when we need it! lol
(sore back, soak for poison ivy, bathe a baby with an up the back poop explosion, etc.)
Point is--I rarely use it for a bath or a soak for me, but I wouldn't want to have no tub in the house.

I plan on putting in a larger tub when we remodel the master but probably not jetted. By the time you get the ruddy thing full the water is already getting cold and then blowing air through it speeds up that process. Just seems like a really cool feature that I will never use.

Of course being a cake and eat it kind of woman I also want a bigger shower all in the same footprint so we are going European. Tile the walls from top to bottom, no shower walls, pretty much you could hose down the whole bathroom into the drain. There is two feet between the tub and the shower, that would become part of the shower.

I tried to google you some pictures, the only one that sort of looked right had a toilet right next to the shower which is very wrong

When we bought our house it came with an older model whirlpool tub. It's very deep and very powerful.

To fill it, it uses all our hot water up. You have to fill it to get the jets submerged and to work. And I can only handle the jets for a short while. I find it a bit much. The kids find it too much too use, and my husband has only used it a couple of times.

Quite frankly, it gets dirty - it's an older model so you can't blow the water out of the tubes or jets after use. So if we don't use it for a while, gunk comes out. I have cleaned it on several occasions completely out but it just grossed me out.

I love a tub. I use the tub itself all the time. I have aches and pains that are relieved by a soak in a hot tub. So that's what I do. I can only get to sleep some nights if I've had my tub.

I have realtor friends who advise against not having a tub in your house. I know you're not looking to move soon and have no little ones, so as long as you could put one back in as you say, I think you're ok. But if things changed and you wanted to move, young families like tubs - so just something to keep in mind. Not a huge deal, but it might rule some people out if looking to buy your house down the road.

I myself want to rip out the Jacuzzi tub (it's mint green from the 80's which doesn't help) and put in a big soaker tub. I think they use up a lot of hot water too. They just look so luxurious and I do love a bath!

Good luck :)

My parents have a whirlpool tub and used it a handful of times since they built in 2001. They recommended us against getting one and we didn't. We don't regret the decision. Our tub gets used sometimes, often enough that I wouldn't get rid of it, but not so often that I don't think about that huge walk in shower.

We have one, and I wish it were a normal tub. It is too big and takes too much water to fill. (We never fill it more than just over the jets, and that's still a ton of water.) I'd rather have a normal-sized tub for my kiddos. I'm a shower gal. I like the thought of baths, but I just don't take them.

If we had an outside hot tub, on the other hand, that I would do.

I've never used my whirlpool. It's just a waste of space. I'd rather have a bigger shower with two shower heads.

We had an older model in our house when we moved in, and the thought of using it skeeved me out. I read an article a few years back about how hard the regular jetted tubs are to clean and all the skin, etc., tha builds up in the jets - ick! Even if new jetted tubs solved that problem I probably still wouldn't be able to bring myself to use it.

One thing to make sure and do is install it correctly if you do get one. We continually had a leak from the upstairs bathroom any time someone took a shower, and after a couple plumber visits could never find the problem a contractor at our house for another job immediately knew what was wrong. Previous owners had installed a shower over the jetted tub. You can't do this because they are meant to be stand alone tubs and the lip along the edge of the tub that prevents water from spilling over the side isn't there.

I think you should forego the tub, especially if you can add one later. Our family NEVER uses ours and I hate having to bend over to clean it.

I have wanted a whirlpool tub for years. I just can't afford it. A cousin had one and I think the teen kids used it more than she did. Another friend of long ago had a whirlpool tub and used it. When a hotel I'm staying in has such a tub I use it and I did feel more relaxed. In past years I had a lot of achest and pain. I do things in a way opposite to the general population. Now that I've passed 65 I have less pain. Lol. Maybe because I have a more simple life. I'm going to pass on the whirlpool.

My daughter soaks in their tub nearly every night. They rent, so no whirlpool. She has a lot of pain and stress. Soaking in the tub helps her feel less pain tho it's still there. Often when she comes home from work she is tense and and cranky. She'in a better mood after the soak and feels more relaxed. She still showers in the morning.

Only you know whether or not you will use it. Do you have time for a soak? Why do you want it? Because of it's benefits described everywhere or because you have a need for it's benefits? I suggest for many of us we like the idea of a whirlpool and if we're honest with ourselves know we don't need it and therefore not use it.

When I was shopping for one I discovered a Japanese style soaking tub with jets. That is what I wanted then. I've had several whip lash injuries and a regular sized tub does not help my neck and shoulders to relax. The tub's circumference is close to the size of a shower. It Was deep enough one could sit in it and have jets hitting the neck. You can install it with a shower above it to use only the shower. One has to have a deep crawl space or a basement to install it. I think using it could be awkward, especially when one is standing below the level of the floor.

I have no interest in having a tub. I see them as giant dust collecting vessels. I know some people like a good long soak, so we may when the time comes get a Japanese tub. they take up less space, and use water more efficiently.

My thoughts about it are this. You are remodeling. If it's for to increase your resale value and you plan on selling in the not too distant future then plan according to what prospective home owners want. I want a big bathtub in my master bathroom plus a large walk in shower.

When I want a whirlpool soak I want a whirlpool soak.

Things that you might not have considered. Hot water. A large tub drains your hot water tank and by the time the tub is half full there isn't any more hot water so your long soak in hot water is going to be a short soak in tepid water.

Install an on demand hot water heater somewhere in the house. That way you'll have all the hot water you need without a tank somewhere sitting and cooking night and day all the time.

If you like to soak in a tub then a whirlpool tub will be used a few times. It does feel very good to climb in it on a cold day where you've been out running errands and feel cold to the bone. It warms you up so nicely.

There are sponges/scrubbers on poles now that you can use to clean your tubs. A whirlpool is tricky because you don't want to use a sudsy cleaner or a gritty one either. The residue gets in the pipes and gets gunky.

I used my water I soaked in (I shower to be clean every day) then when I get out I add some white vinegar to the water and run it a few minutes. All done.

I am not a tub person. Especially big tubs. I am short. I cannot reach into them to clean them,. my inlaws have a whirlpool tub. It is easy to clean, but my mil is 5' 6. She uses a padded cushion to kneel on to clean it. She also gets into the tub to it to clean the ledge against the wall. It is a tiled area that is against a giant window.

They only have had to have it serviced a few times. It is the original one. It was installed over 20 years ago.

We just purchased a brand new home with a huge tub. I mentioned that I wish it was not here, but I was told by my dear friend who is a realtor, they are a must for resale.

And a huge shower is just a huge space that has to be cleaned top to bottom.. If you have a housekeeper great, if not, you will dread cleaning it. A regular sized shower with a handled shower head helps with the cleaning. FYI, a seat built in the shower will help for as you age.

Our shower is a perfect size and easy to clean. I dust my tub with a long handled duster!

I love having my whirlpool tub! It is deeper than a regular tub, so it is great for soaking..... it takes up the same basic footprint as a standard tub.

I do use the jets just about every time...... and even though I think the instructions said to NOT use it with bubble bath, I do anyway, and it hasn't caused any problems....

I will frequently take a bath just to soak in the evening, and then still take a shower in the morning......... I don't like to go to bed with wet hair, so I wash my hair in the morning in the shower..... the whirlpool tub is mostly for relaxing and soothing muscle aches......

Maintenance? Nothing extra as far as I can see...... We've had it for 9 years, I think.......

I didn't realize people felt so strongly...and sad to say I never thought that much about cleaning one......I think I would get one..even for occasional soaks it would be luxurious and healing.. one thought I didn't see mentioned is how safe it would be when u are elderly. .if that matters