Hey Bulldog, Have you looked at Sanijet? Their lowest price model is just over $2k but they have a 30% off LIST price sale right now. Reviews are hard to find about them but the ones in this forum have all been good. (I don't sell them, I swear!) I looked at Kohler's Mariposa and it was quite comfy. I priced a 72" model and it was a somewhere in the $2-3K range so the 60" might be in budget.

Mom has Bain Ultra Meridian with air jets. She and Dad love it. It gives a nice therapeutic massage. It also has a dual dry cycle to help ensure there is no water in the air holes after the water has drained from the tub. The Amma is similar to their Meridian except it has those "integrated seats" in it. I really like the look of the Amma myself. On the other hand, I prefer a gentler air bubble bathing experience. We have the Kohler Purist with the effervescence feature (micro bubbles). It's exactly like what I imagined sitting in a tub full of champagne would feel like--soft, relaxing, caressing bubbles. Definitely more my speed. What does your shower layout look like? We have a regular showerhead, a handheld with multiple settings on a slide bar and a ceiling mount rainhead. We occasionally use the rainhead. With the way we placed the handheld and the main showerhead, we can achieve a very similar experience to the jets. Jets can be very costly, require plenty of water pressure (no running the dishwasher, washing machine or any other baths) while running those jets, and once installed many people use them for the first couple months and then stop. I would really do some serious thinking on the jets--unless you're in a super upscale neighborhood where the houses are all relatively new and have all the latest gadgets, no buyer will expect the jets. However, I do think buyers will expect a shower head and not just a handheld. Hope this helps!

You can get a 5' "soaker" tub with wider stance and deeper seat for about $200. For a 5' jacuzzi (check out the one fifth on the list), it'll run you about $800. Both take only a couple of inches either direction than a "standard size" tub.

The problem with Jacuzzis and why many people are removing them is that they don't get used often and the water that remains in the pipes gets moldy/slimy. Next time someone decides to use the jacuzzi, all that black gunk comes out in the jets. Pretty gross and you then have to clean the jacuzzi tub before you can actually take a bath. We never used ours enough and hated having to clean the gunk the few times we did want to use it. I removed our jacuzzi and replaced it with a free standing soaking tub ... which we also never use ... but it looks so much prettier and won't need to be cleaned the day that I do decide to take a bath!