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COPYRIGHT 2005 Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.
The ability to turn a bath into a massage has given whirlpool tubs a starring role in new and renovated bathrooms. Roughly 25 percent of high-end bath remodels include one, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, a trade group.
Lower prices are helping put whirlpools in more remodeling plans. Sales are growing by roughly 10 percent per year. While you can still pay $5,000 for a typical 5x3-foot tub, many are closer to $1,000, and one high-performing model we tested costs just $750. Manufacturers are also selling models that combine the vigorous massage of water with the champagne effervescence of air bubbles.
For this report, our testers had the best assignment in the house: immersing themselves in six similarly sized acrylic tubs of all three types: water-jet, air-jet, and combination water/air tubs from leading brands American Standard, Jacuzzi, and Kohler, as well as one from Waterworks, a high-end retailer. All six mount against a wall and replace a typical tub. All but the Waterworks tub are an optional part of coordinated bath suites that promise more matching and less mixing (see page 22).
On their way to nirvana, our testers found some notable distinctions:
Pricier isn't necessarily better. Well-placed jets and more-upright seating helped the $750 water-jet Kohler tub deliver as satisfying a soak as the priciest, $5,100 combination Waterworks tub. It was also quieter than the air-jet tubs and the combination models when they used water and air...
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