Wow, thanks bumble doodle! Tt is great to know that the tub works well as a shower. We are tall too--at least most of us (two of my teenage daughters are twins and one is 5'2" and the other is 5'10", so maybe the short one complains a bit but that's ok, since she complains about everything!) We are getting the non-jetted version. Also, I am hoping that building the deck at the front will help with the water spray. I am pushing the tub back into an alcove under the window the long way (so we get into the tub at the 32" side rather than from the 48" side) and we are trying to go without shower doors in order to make the bath feel open. With a deck, we buy a few more inches of length to help avoid water on the floor. We may not succeed and will put a panel on if we have to. Any thoughts on this?

Wish I'd seen this link sooner but I'll post my 2 cents... The air issue is a biggie! We have the Bain Ultra Amma and it came with dual back heaters. When we installed it, the back warmers didn't heat and the air jets were cold. The tech support was fantastic and they immediately shipped me a new motor. Unfortuantely, It didn't help much. I guess remotely locateing the motor just has the air cool too much making the run?? I LOVE the chromatherapy. I generally don't use the air jets in winter b/c it cools the water in the tub too quickly. :-( So I basically have a beautiful large bathtub with really cool lighting. Their tech support is awesome but unfortunately the air is what it is... An inline heater is not an option with this tub b/c both ports are used up with the worthless back heaters... Here is a link that might be useful: my tub

I just had a Mirabelle Bradenton 60x32 alcove tub installed on very short notice; had to choose from what I could get shipped that week. Fortunately, these were displayed at several local Ferguson showroom/stores so I could try them out first (Mirabelle is an exclusive Ferguson house brand in the US; this one is made by Clarke though I don't know if they all are). I like it alot; it's a very comfortable, *deep* tub and thanks to the thin sidewalls, it's wider than most inside as well, despite the thin armrests. The backrest is sloped enough to be comfortable but not so much as to steal showering space. We just used a simple Watts overflow from Lowes held in place with a single screw; it can be detached, reinstalled upside down with the drain slot facing upward rather than at the bottom, and you get two inches of added depth that way. American Standard sells priceier replacement "deep soak" overflows that are designed to look good with the drain slot near the top. Anyway, my only complaints with the tub are that they could have made it an inch or two longer at the drain end (not a problem for you it sounds like) and the armrest is a bit higher than I'd prefer - it is at a good height to use whilst sitting up rather than lying down in the water. This is designed for a single bather, but two could squeeze in if in the same direction both on your side, if you're reasonbly small. It would be a tight fit but may suffice for occasional use. There's definitely more room inside than most tubs with the same exterior length and width. As for whether 2 can fit in a 34"w tub; usually not unless it's a single-walled freestanding tub which is almost as wide on the inside as out, or is very long so you can stretch out or sit across from each other. Kohler makes a "Tea for Two" 60"x32" alcove tub designed billed as the only 5-foot replacement alcove tub that can accommodate two people, but that's a stretch; those who've installed them say to better plan on one at a time, name unwithstanding. I've found some 36" wide tubs that will fit two comfortably, both side by side or at opposite ends; 66" or especially 72" lengths help alot here, as do double-ended designs that place the faucetry in the center, but for both facing the same way an end-drain tub can work too, and they have the benefit of more foot room at the bottom of the tub. An apron is a panel found on some alcove tubs that negates the need for a wall of tile or other material on the outside of the exposed tub wall. It's often built in, but sometimes an extra-cost option (espcially with whirlpools and air tubs). Some drop-in tubs have optional aprons as well as optional tile-in moldings. Here's an example of a tub with a front apron:

Mrs Pete - I am also looking for an alcove tub that will be a comfortable soaker and I like the one you pictured. Can you please share the make/model? And do you know what the one in the resort that your husband liked was? The picture I shared above is the Ultra Bain Amma 6030 (60" long, 30" wide). Essentially the same size as a typical builder-basic tub ... but sporting upscale features. The one with which my husband first fell in love was made by Hydro Solutions and was either The Cassi or The Vanessa -- though I think it was a slightly older model because it was a little longer, included integrated grab bars and the corners were square -- or perhaps it was made specially for the large resort where we've used it. When the two of us started talking about it, we decided this was much too large for practicality at home: It holds 90 gallons! The reality of such a tub is that you have to have an over sized water heater ... and then the tub takes forever to fill and cools off quickly because of the large water surface. This tub started us searching, but -- in the end -- it wasn't the one we wanted. Do you think 36" wide is too much?? I don't see many tubs that are less then that. Definitely too wide. Need evidence? I just measured my super comfortable old recliner chair from arm to arm (meaning the exterior to exterior -- the whole width), and it's 31" wide. It's comfortable because it's just right for my arms to rest upon. The tub I described above (the one from the hotel) was too wide: I couldn't put my two elbows on the two arm rests at once -- they were too far apart, which made it hard to read in the tub. Assuming you're of normal size, wide isn't a particularly useful feature; on the other hand, deep is quite nice. Over sized tubs may be easy to find, but since when is easy to find a measure of what's best?