I'll have to be honest, as much as I want to believe in Aquatic after talking with their incredibly enthusiastic and helpful cust srvc rep,as well as the most impressive specs on the market, I visited a showroom yesterday to experience the real deal (Infinity VII) and found the dry test-drive a bit harsh on the bones, i.e., doesn't conform to body like I had hoped, a little too upright and not conforming to the reclining torso. That test drive, albeit a dry run, convinced me this was not the tub for me despite it looking ideal on paper. Granted I wasn't able to float in the tub with water, so this is slightly unfair to the mfr, but getting in and out of the deep vessel along with reclining in the tub without water was surprisingly uncomfortable, and bone-crunching. I'm a young man still, and felt like multiple grab-bars on the walls would be de rigeur. The only reason I post this is not to discourage you from buying Aquatic, but because shopping for a whirlpool/airbath combo has been one of the most difficult quests I've experienced in planning my bath addition, and on paper, this was the tub for me, in vitro, this was NOT the tub for me. Just keep in mind that you simply must seek out a showroom to sample any tub prior to making the huge investment - not just money for the tub, but permanent plumbing specific to that tub leaves little room for future change of heart! For this reason, I've been very careful in ensuring that I'd be completely happy with the fit, and felt it necessary to share my experience. This is a decision 3 years in the making due to lack of showrooms that simply don't offer the real test drive or tub variety that gives you an overall gestalt. Again, Aquatic might be for you, but test drive it, or your regrets will eat you up. Other tubs I've crossed off the list, right or wrong, were Bain Ultra cause I simply wanted the combo, however, they seem to have an unbeatable reputation in the strictly air-bath category. Sani-jet, I actually experienced with water, and the jets were simply too weak for me, but again all their specs looked good on paper. Neptune, I experienced in a hotel, and was extremely impressed, but when it came to owning one, the contour again wasn't something I'd want to recline in for an hour, and none of this years styles/profiles appeal to me. Americh, don't know. Maax.....two trades people gave me bad reviews saying they make the most comfortable, stylish tubs with the necessary whistles and bells, but technical issues required discontinuing their carrying the line....surprising, as Home Depot Expo was pushing this on me like you know what. What am I going with, well I did a dry test run on the Jason LX635 (6 foot) which meets my comfort criteria without water, looks great on paper, has been in the business for as long as Jacuzzi has been in business (Jason=son of Jacuzzi), and was carried by a local trusty high end fixture place with exceptional reputation and attentive to customer feedback. Again, I'm taking a risk without doing a 'wet' run, and their head pillow was so poorly placed, that I dissed the option, but overall, it met most of my criteria. Will keep you posted after install, etc. The most comfortable tub I've experienced was the Maax oval-shaped whirlpool-air combo (Pearl?), but again, I talked to two vendors who said they had issues with them which is highly unfortunate since comfort-wise and on paper it was the perfect tub, like sitting in a LazyBoy, but with water massage. I hope to seek something comparable in the Jason.

Thanks, advertguy. I think I can picture what you did now. I had thought you put the marble *on* the tub, and I was wondering how you attached it -- but now I understand you put it *under* the lip of the tub, and then tiled up to it. That's an interesting idea I might consider, although it might be hard for me to bring the front end out the extra two inches because of the depth of the alcove; I want the tiled face of the tub to be a flush continuation of the full wall entry to the bathroom, and I think I'd need to move a wall a few inches to do what you did. But thanks for the idea, and thanks for the lead on the Kohler tub! By the way, do you have any regrets about using an acrylic tub versus porcelain-on-steel (what we have in our 30-year old tub now) or cast iron (which seems to me to bean unnecessary extra expense for a fixture in a guest bathroom we don't use often) or other tub materials. I know some people have very strong opinions about what type of tub they want, but having never bought a new tub before, I don't think I really care as long as it looks and feels okay. -- Eric

The Bain Ultra tubs (and I would think most airbubble tubs) are very low maintenance unlike many whirlpool tubs that need monthly cleansing cycles. Resale-wise I think alot of people are looking for a master bath with a tub that does something therapeutic, so I don't think it matters if it's air or whirlpool. If you're not worried about resale, I would say do what you feel is right for your lifestyle. Having the air gives you the choice of using the tub as a soaker or as a therapeutic option if your back is hurting, you've pulled a muscle, etc. With the soaker, soaking is the only option you have. I personally, like to leave my options open. Just my $0.02.

Just a quick update. I spent days reading material on air tubs and whirlpools and got my decision down to a 36 x 72" Jason and Purebath. To get an outside opinion, I called an online bath dealer in the Richmond, VA area where I used to live (Whirlpooltubs.com, Steve) and after discussing a lot of models, which he sells as well, he steered me to Mansfield, an UN-fancy company that offered a ton of features and everything I was looking for, at a nice price. I ended up with the Baywood 6 Ariance GentleTouch (air bath version) which has back jets with heated neck/back rest, heated silent air (all offer this), included neck pillow, chromatherapy. This combined the features I thought my husband might benefit from (back jets) with the surround air jets, in a quiet system, as we will put the motor on the other side of the wall with insulation. Mansfield offers the Ariance in 3 models: HealthTouch (whirlpool), GentleTouch (air bath) and DualTherapy. I would love to tell you what I think about this bathtub, but we are still building our home and are months' out yet. This dealer was on the ball and very helpful.