Unlike bathtubs, hot tubs aren't for bathing. They are for relaxing. People are supposed to be clean before they get in. Since soap or detergent should never be used in a hot tub, it doesn't have to be drained after each use, but germicide is still required to keep bacteria in check. Adding germicide to a bathtub for each use would be an expensive hassle, in my opinion. How well the germicide would interact with soap or detergent is an unknown.

I would like to bathe and then settle in for a relaxing hydro-massage BUT I don't think I want to "bubble" in dirty bath water so I bathe afterwards. Running two tub-fuls of water isn't an option. Monica

hmm no one mentioned jason whirlpools..of all the tubs i have looked at- they are definitely the most quiet which i think is important in a tub. of course the air feature is noisier than the jetted anyway, but i can't decide between the two so am looking at a combo unit...i am confused though about not being able to use bath products in the jetted because i was told by the manufacturer you can as long as it is not oil based..but maybe that is just for the Jason tubs. I recommend getting the heater if you plan to be in it more than 20 minutes..and you don't have a big hot water heater. I know many people who have gotten their tubs and either ran out of hot water before even filling it...and so they rarely use it. I am also curious if anyone has ever had a Pearl Whirlpool- I really love the concept of how it is an actual whirlpool instead of the jets..but compared to the jason it was not as quiet... so i have been tormented in trying to make a decision.. i suppose a person could always wear earplugs right??

I decided early on that if I had to choose, it would be jets. I'm no more worried about cleaning the modern style jet tubs than I would be about standing water in the drain pipes in the rest of the house. But the reason I wanted water jetted is that I have very specific back problems (resulting in constant sprains) and I find the forceful water movement helps with the muscle spasms that accompany the sprains. In the end, though, I didn't have to choose. We found a floor model Jason with BOTH air and water jets and compromised only a little (a couple of inches) in terms of overall design and space. For a mere $500 more than the Jacuzzi water jetted tub with heater that we were looking at, at Lowe's, we got BOTH the air jets and the water jets. I'm excited about the air jets because I won't have to fill the tub as much to use them, and they do feel delightful when I've experienced them at the store. Ours has two settings (low and high) for the air, and I've heard that the higher setting really is invigorating. So...maybe...you can have both?