OK, I've been blaming it on my husband, but I'm just not a fan of the air bath experience. I'd prefer a soaker, but if I have to get something with action, I prefer targeted jets. I find the "whole body" massage of air baths kind of annoying. Its just not my thing . I do like to put my foot or shoulder directly against a water jet for a deep massage, then move out of the way... I like whirlpools with 6-8 jets that I can choose to use for a few minutes in a specific area, or not The Kohler Riverbaths look great, but the round ones are too big. We need to stay under 55" (round) I like the Sanijet 660, but my contractor is weary because of feedback he's had from another vendor. They say they installed one for a client, but when there were problems it was difficult to resolve because there wasn't a local contact to take responsibility, no local service people familiar with the product, etc. Currently looking at Duravit Blue Moon. Anyone with experience or other suggestions? Cost is high, but installation costs would be lower than other options because it comes with a deck and has te same footprint as our existing tub.

It will cost less to use if you do bathe together, as an average adult displaces about 15 gallons of water in a tub, so you wouldn't use much more water than one person in a small 60" tub. But yes, be sure you have an ample hot water supply to fill your tub. Especially in the winter in cold climates where the unheated water it mixes with is near freezing, a modestly-sized tank will struggle to fill a deeper tub. You may need to turn up the temperature on your water heater (and install anti-scalding devices at the faucets and showers unless you have thermostatic valves), upsize the water heater, or go tankless.

I'm not sure if you have particular size or style restraints, but I went with Jetta. They have a 10 year warranty. Their website shows pictures of whirlpool tubs but any of their tubs can be made soaking only. Unfortunately I can't give real world feedback yet because of project delays (fired the GC, DIYing their mistakes, and are lining up contractors for the rest of it). After sitting in it when it was delivered I think armrests are a good thing, though on some models I looked at they were so narrow they might as well have not even been there. Grab bars are something to think about- I plan to have blocking positioned for grab bars on the wall later on the road. But some companies offer them as options on the tubs themselves. Here's a link to my original post. During my research people that had Americh were also pretty happy with them as well. HTH- Lisa prelim jetta report

Thanks Judy. I am similar height and my SO is 6ft but he preferred this mini one because his knees can rest on opposite wall. It's deeper.. Just dropping 6K on a tub gives me a lot to think about. The last time I used a tub was probably 7 years ago. My whole bath is a modern Zen spa theme so it does fit with that.