Whirlpool tubs: First-class economy
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MORE MASSAGE, LESS MONEY The $650 Kohler Devonshire water-jet tub felt as good overall as tubs priced hundreds and even thousands of dollars higher.
Photo courtesy of Kohler |
The ability to turn a bath into a massage has given whirlpool tubs a starring role in new and renovated bathrooms. Roughly
25 percent of high-end bath remodels include one, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, a trade group.
Lower prices are helping put whirlpools in more remodeling plans. Sales are growing by roughly 10 percent per year. While
you can still pay $5,000 for a typical 5x3-foot tub, many are closer to $1,000, and one high-performing model we tested costs
just $650. Manufacturers are also selling models that combine the vigorous massage of water with the champagne effervescence
of air bubbles.
For this report, our testers had the best assignment in the house: immersing themselves in six similarly sized acrylic tubs
of all three types: water-jet, air-jet, and combination water/air tubs from leading brands American Standard, Jacuzzi, and
Kohler, as well as one from Waterworks, a high-end retailer. All mounted against a wall and replace a typical tub. Some tubs
are an optional part of coordinated bath suites that promise more matching and less mixing.
On their way to nirvana, our testers found some notable distinctions:
Pricier isn’t necessarily better. Well-placed jets and more-upright seating helped the $650 water-jet Kohler tub deliver as satisfying a soak as the priciest,
$5,100 combination tub. It was also quieter than the air-jet tubs and the combination models when they used water and air
simultaneously.
Build quality can vary. Some models leaked and one had to be replaced. One pricey air tub had fiberglass walls thin enough to see through.
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