I have had nothing but problems with my Bain Ultra jet tub. My tub would turn on randomly throughout the night, so I would be in bed and hear air rushing from the tub in the middle of the night. Within a year of installation the lights on the keypad stopped functioning. Called their customer service department and they will not honor their warranty. Apparently their electronics and keypads are poorly constructed. The Bain employee I spoke to suggested I replace the tub altogether.

Deb, That looks like a perfect fit! Am just seeing this pic today, think I read your reply via email, and the pics don't show that way. Are you sure the tub is only 60" long? My catalogue says the Azur55 is 66" long. I think I have changed my mind for the last time, and have settled on the Thalassa55. It is a little bit narrower, ie 33" vs 36" than the Oval Plus model I was considering, and actually gives me another inch of bathing depth, though tubs are the same height. (It's also $1000 cheaper, and I got my plumbing supply place to bring their original quote by another $800, so I'm much more comfortable with the purchase.) I definitely will get the Geysair. Though listed at $399, was able to get it down to $303. I would love to know how much wiggle room there actually is. I really don't like having to ask for lower prices. I just want others to know that even here in Canada, we can negotiate the Bain list price down.

We have a similar size Bain Ultra. It is a great tub. It is so large it drains the hot water tank. I should have gone tankless. The tub does not stay hot for extended soaks. I don't imagine any other air or jetted tub would either. I think I remember some form of heater that can be put in the air line to heat the air. This may help, but I didn't get that option. You can also have a heated back rest. That would be great, but I didn't do that either. Actually, I thought mine had that option, but I was wrong. I would buy the tub again. I really enjoy the air tub. I like it much better than any jetted tub I have ever used.

I was in the plumbing supply house this morning, so I asked the counter guy...an old crusty ex-plimber...who wasn't positive...but his ideas pretty much reflect mine. The back and neck heater is effected by heating air, which is then circulated through the air channels in the tub. More air movement means more heat output, or faster heating. The water is not heated directly, but might be indirectly due to the warmer air being circulated through the water. As to a whole tub warmer, a "direct water" warmer isn't offered, as that sort of defeats the theory of the air tub, which is isolating the water from the tub's plumbing. Plus there would need to be a pump for circulating water, a heat exchanger of some sort, he thought that it would be cost prohibitive to incorporate a maintenance-free water heating and circulating system, and that even if they did that, it might still muddle the theory behind the air tub, being that water is held in the tub and not circulated through the plumbing, so you can use oils, salts, etc. He thought that a "whole tub" air warmer wouldn't make economic sense because of the size of it. The air heaters for the back warmer are 700w, so he theorized that an air warmer for the whole tub would have to be 2-3 times that size, and would bump it up into the 220v range for electrical supply. Along the lines of an electric clothes dryer or an electric oven. So...not sure if that help, as it's more his ideas than straight talk from someone who actually knows the answer. Mongo