i am a brand new member. i have ben reading this forum 4 about 3 weeks and am very grateful 4 all the opinions and information shared. I am in the process of building a BR and the tub is most important to me. after reading some posts from 07,8,&9, i have researched maax, bain ultra, toto and others. from reading i decided on air because i want to use additives and also need the massage for a chronic neck and back condition. i am leaning towards the bain essencia but i also am staggered by the price. i prefer the size , 6838 not too big. and the warranty (20 yrs). does anyone no the warranty on the maax? also i read about someone purchasing the atlantispa and was wondering about the price of that. hope i have not rambled too much. love this forum and look forward to all i am going to learn:)

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?

You may have already moved forward with your remodel, but I wanted to say I completely understand what you were going through trying to find a good looking 30" tub. I was about to give up myself when I lucked into finding the Exhibit 60x30 (IFS) tub from MAAX Professional. It's a great looking acrylic tub, with an integral flange to ensure water never leaks out around the seams. It's also 18" high, which should meet your height requirement. The price was quite reasonable too. Ours just was installed last week and so far we couldn't be happier. It may be a bit tough to find, particularly on the east coast (my Ferguson store just started carrying it the month I ordered it), but I think it's worth the search. I find it looks much better than anything else I've seen in the price range for a 30" tub. Here is a link that might be useful: MAAX Exhibit 60x30 IFS

Read this forum and educate yourself. A lot is personal preference. The rest is contractor logistics specific to your piping, electrical supply, and the creative collaboration of your designer and contractor.