| A soaking bath style of tub is constructed much like a very large barrel with wooden staves. The water within is usually still, circulated only for the purposes of heating and filtering it. The tub is often inset within a wooden deck and is entered from that deck. Seating within the tub usually takes the form of wooden benches or a seat that forms a ring around the inner circumference of the tub.
The tub is filled once at system startup and is then maintained in much the same manner as a swimming pool. In simple designs, chlorine is used as a disinfectant. More sophisticated designs use an ozone generator, elliminating much of the need for purchased chemicals or manual treatment of the water. The tub is heated by electricity or, occasionally, natural gas or propane, or rarely, wood fires.
Spas
This style of tub is very different from the wooden soaking tub. These are usually less deep and manufactured from fiberglass-reinforced plastic formed into shapes that provide a variety of seating arrangements within the tub. Each seat is usually equipped with hydrotherapy jets that allow a forceful flow of water to be directed at various parts of the body. The water flow may be aerated for additional effect and some or all of the jets may also automatically move or rotate, causing the changing pressure of the water on the body to provide a massage-like effect.
These tubs may be free-standing or recessed within a surrounding deck. If free-standing, they are usually entered by climbing a short staircase of one or two steps and then stepping over the side of the tub onto one of the seating areas.
LineaAqua, Crane, Jason and Jacuzzi are probably the best known brand name of spas.
Spas usually have several independent water circuits with one providing heating and filtration and the others driving the hydrotherapy jets. Sophisticated computer controls are now common and many tubs now are equipped with extensive lighting and sound systems.
Bathtubs - Jetted Baths
Much smaller spas are now commonly available for installation within an ordinary bathroom. Resembling conventional bathtubs, they are filled afresh for each use, don't contain any heating or filtration mechanisms, and usually contain just one hydrotherapy water circuit. They may accommodate one or sometimes two people simultaneously
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