I think, Steve, that you are assuming that a soaking tub must be enormous, to think that your 5'2" wife wouldn't be able to get in and out easily. It ain't necessarily so, to quote the old song. I'm the same height, with osteoarthritis in back (due to old back injuries), hip, and a buncha other joints along with severe fibromyalgia and I soak in my clawfoot tub at least once a day. Can barely walk if I don't. With the clawfoot I'm able to hold the rim to get in and out of the tub easily even though the rim is nearly 24" off the floor; with a more conventional tub you could install grab bars (there are many attractive ones now, they're not all so institutional-looking) or if you wanted a tub with a deck, make the deck wide enough and solid enough to sit on and swing one's legs in. From a therapeutic and and physiological POV, simple moist heat is a lot more important than the thumpety-thump of jets - 20 minutes of moist heat (aka a soaking tub) softens tight fascia/ligaments/tendons, relaxes muscle spasms, increases circulation. You need those 20 minutes though, less doesn't cut it. (This information comes from the chronic pain clinic I go to, my previous pain clinic in Boston, my husband's massage therapy training - he is certified but is not practicing at this time - and my physical therapist.) A 20 minute shower with body jet use runs through a LOT of hot water unless you have a recirculating shower unit with a built-in heater to keep the water hot (Kohler makes one but I hear it's pricey, like several thousand dollars just for the unit kind of pricey); without a recirculating system you would also need a water heater capable of supplying a good 200+ gallons to take a multidirectional shower that long and mighty deep pockets to pay the water and water-heating bills! I too think whirlpools are disgusting things - once I saw the gunk that collected in the pipes, I was cured of ever wanting one, and when we tore the PO's whirlpool out we did not get another. Cleaning (or more particularly rinsing, since you have to refill the tub above the level of the jets) uses a lot of water, which I consider pretty wasteful. I tried out an airbath and frankly wasn't that impressed, but you might want to try one and see what you think of it; some people are really thrilled with the Sanijet pipeless whirlpools but I have been hearing some less than positive things about their quality control and customer service, and for their prices both should be impeccable. IMO there must be at least one good tub, not one of these pansya$$ oversized shower receptors with a 9" water depth, somewhere in the house. We have been househunting for the last couple of months and bypassed at least a half-dozen houses that I'm sure were nice otherwise because they only had 3/4 baths instead of full baths. The 1 1/2 bath house we picked has a pretty uncomfortable tub, but it's there, it's almost deep enough, and I can tolerate it while we come up with the money to replace it.

First thing I'll say is... yes, absolutely go for it! 2 person tubs are awesome. You get convenience, privacy, and all-weather usability that outdoor hot tubs usually don't offer. I really, really wanted one in my current new-addition bathroom and allotted a 6' x 3' space for a tub, but cost, time, and small water heater considerations resulted in settling for a 6' tub/shower designed for one, though two will fit in a pinch. You do want to be sure there's enough hot water to fill the tub. You'll also need to think through whether you'll usually bathe together or only occasionally. If the latter, you'll be using alot more water than in a smaller tub, at least with the two tubs you linked to. Some tubs (like one) are cleverly shaped so one portion of the tub sized for one fills first, with a raised portion that can be filled only when needed for two. However if you usually will bathe together, than a tub with a more common full-width floor will be roomier and more comfortable. And though the total gallons of water needed to fill the tub on the specifications page can look scary, remember that two bodies will displace alot of that water, so you won't need as much water to fill the tub. And even if you still wind up using more water than a small 5' tub, you'll still likely save water by bathing together rather than two single baths or one bath + one shower would have used. Some two-person tubs are shaped with backrests on both sides, so you sit on opposite ends. Others are designed to have you both facing the same direction. Some work well either way. I like some slope to the backrest(s) for comfort - more than the Jason tub you linked to has - but it's hard or impossible to tell how comfortable a tub is by looking at a picture. Not sure if you're also changing out the valves/controls, but a handshower is nice; if feasible, I like an overhead showerhead option as well. I've had noise issues with some whirlpool and air tubs - I wish they all had rheostats so you could turn them down so you don't have to scream at each other to be heard over the roar of the jet motors. Ironically, most whirlpool tubs I've used would be better served by less force from the jets anyway. The noise issue is another reason I like the side-by-side configuration better than the facing-each-other setup. Do you have a separate shower? And are you only considering (5 foot?) corner tubs? Also, I think the bacteria issue is overexaggerated - with proper maintenance, I've seen 20+ year old whirlpool tubs that still run clean.

I sacrificed a sink to have a wider (and deeper) air tub. With old sore muscles and a bad back, it was a must and I'm SOOOO glad I did. I have 70" vanity with one sink on the end. A knee space for a chair and I have a nice wide makeup area :) I would NEVER give that up either! Now, my vantage point is that DH and I don't share a bathroom. Even if we did, there is rarely a time where we would need to be at the sink at the same time. If that situation came up, I'm sure HE wouldn't mind using the other bathroom :) Gee, I hope that helped. After rereading your options, I'm not sure that it did :o Monica

This house will all be on ONE level....and completely handicapped accessible. My DH is an architect so is drawing the plans and his former wife (before she died) was in a wheel chair...so he is making sure there are no steps at all...even to the front door. Our house is all one level and it doesn't even have a step to the front door (or the other front door) either! The main reason we bought (overpaid) this house was its accessibility. My mother cannot walk up steps (we don't know if she has Parkinson's or some other condition but basically she can't walk very well) and we bought with the thought that she may have to move in with us one day (soon). Although we're still relatively young (47 and 49), I love the one-level living. My knees are a lot happier. The only thing I discovered about having no front step is that leaves come into the house very very easily - I guess the step prevented this from happening. FWIW, the master bathroom does not have a bathtub - it only has a shower. That really was not an issue when we saw the house.