The Tub King Blog - Tub Talk: February 2014

How to Create a Glamorous Bathroom

By Kerry Knight

You've seen them in the movies and on the real estate channel when they feature the beautiful homes. All the designer magazines showcase them and, of course, the do-it-yourself, flip-that-house type TV shows mention them as well. I’m talking about the centerpiece of any bathroom: the bathtub. The bathtub can make any bathro

om glamorous and beautiful.

English: Black and white tiles bathroom (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are many home improvement TV shows today that cover every decor

ating idea, from planting scrubs to installing kitchen cabinets. Millions of do-it-yourselfers (myself included) watch them and then pack into stores like Lowe's and Home Depot every weekend to buy supplies — all in our quest to become a custom designer. Then we invite friends and family over to see just how talented we are.

In the bathroom, there are many areas where we can get creative. How about beautiful tile floors or fresh paint? Or a skylight or glass block window?

However, if you neglect the real focal point of the bathroom, the bathtub, you’re missing the mark. The old style, 60-inch, slide-in metal tub, and the one piece shower surround, are both dated. Plus, they don't really show off anything or catch one’s eye in the bathroom. Strictly utilitarian.

Think about taking out your old battle-worn bathtub and replacing it with a real show piece. For example, a Double Slipper Tub, resting just below a huge picture window, or overlooking a panoramic view of the landscape outside. Imagine how peaceful and relaxing your bath time would be. These gorgeous tubs will make your bathroom a real focal point in your home. Consider having the outside of the tub painted in your choice of color, like candy apple red or midnight blue. The tub’s legs also come in an assortment of metallic finishes, such as chrome, oil rubbed bronze, white or brushed nickel. Imagine how beautiful your bathroom will be. Even more, imagine the serenity of bathing in that beautiful tub!

The free-standing Slipper Tubs tub don't require an abutment against the wall, where it’s lost or hidden. It can stand in right smack in the middle of the bathroom if you want. All that’s required is a little extension of your existing plumbing. And if there's room in the floor for water lines and drainage, it's not that difficult to manage.

Or, consider adding free-standing water supply lines that come out of the floor and drape over the edge of the tub, where a gorgeous brushed nickel faucet hangs with porcelain hot and cold caps inserted inside the cross point handles. Then add the English “telephone faucet,” which has the hand held shower sprayer. Now you really have a touch of class.

There are other exotic porcelain tubs, if you prefer, like the Single Slipper, which comes in various sizes, or the traditional Roll Top or Dual Ended Tub. Everyone has his or her own personal taste and needs. I suggest you visit a showroom like the one at Tub King, so you can see firsthand the beauty and elegance of the tubs. You’ll get a real sense of the look and feel, and I guarantee you’ll fall in love with one of these tubs.

While you're at it, think about taking out the old bath sink and replacing it with something Victorian-looking, like a pedestal or console sink. They come in many sizes and designs, but they all take you back to times when bathing was something truly special.

Now you're ready to consider the finishing touches of live plants, wall hangings and color. Add Victorian trim to the entryway, floorboards, windows and ceilings and finally, update the bathroom door to a multi-panel one to complete the look.

Remember, your new bathtub is the center piece. Once in place, everything else follows. When finished, your bathroom will not only be something you're proud of, it’s a functional sanctuary you can escape to wash the stress of the day away.

In this article, I have discussed how the bathtub is the center of focus in most designer bathrooms. These usually have Claw Foot Tubs, or a Slipper or Double Slipper Claw Foot Tub. Some will showcase the Roll Rope Claw Foot as the center of attention. Either way, using a claw foot tub is an easy way to add beauty and elegance to any bathroom. That’s why you see them in so many movies and in the homes of the stars.

Customer testimonial for Cast Iron tub

If you found this article to be useful, please pass it on to your friends and co-workers. If you have a comment related to this article, please leave it in the comment section below. If you’d like to receive a FREE Walk-In Tub Buyers’ Guide, click here. Have a question? Feel free to contact me at the number or email listed at the end of this article and I will personally get back to you. It has been my pleasure sharing this information with you. Thanks again for visiting with us.

Until next time.

Alan and Kerry Knight are the owners of Tub King, Inc., and SeniorBathtub.com in Jacksonville, Florida. Together they have many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. Their companies not only provide superior products, they are also award winners, receiving the “Best of Jacksonville Chamber Award” three years running. If you would like to contact them, call (800) 409-3375 or (800) 843-4231; or email them at alan@tubking.com.

Related articles

Why do New Products Appear? Necessity!

By Kerry Knight

The new year is here and they are coming! You know what I’m talking about, the new and improved must-have's, can’t-live-without items seen on every TV, heard on all the radio stations, and plastered all over your internet search results. The new, must-have

Superbowl Ad on LG widescreen TV, Black Eyed Peas, (Photo credit: Wonderlane)

things!

Every day some hot new product appears in the market place. It's marketed as something you simply must have. How could we have lived without it for so long? We wonder where this product came from. However, a better question than "where" might be "why?"

Another combination of chocolate and nuts can't be that important. Putting out some new fragrance can't make that much difference in attracting your soul mate, can it? Most ads are just over-the-top. Just look at the Super Bowl ads. Pure entertainment! They may not sell, but they can sure make you watch.

Someone once said, "Necessity is the mother of invention." When the public needs something, someone will find a way to satisfy that need.

A few years ago, some marketers started paying attention to aging trends In 1900 in this country, there were three million men and women over the age of 65.

Baby Boomers Haven (Photo credit: thinkpanama)

By the year 1950, that number had quadrupled to 12 million. In 1980, it had doubled again to 25 million.

Today, as our senior population has grown to over 40 million, (that's one in eight Americans). That number is expected increase even more and will reach close to double that by the year 2030. At a total of over 72 million men and women over 65, that will represent twenty percent of the US population.

After looking at aging trends, someone decided to look for marketing trends. What do seniors need most of all? What are their concerns? How can we market to them?

A recent article I read stated that today’s seniors want something very different than their parents had. They want to feel and look younger. More importantly, they want to enjoy life more, stay active, be independent, and take better advantage of their retirement years than their parents did.

One of the greatest needs of seniors was how to remain mobile. This led to better walkers, wheelchairs and electric scooters.

Another was how to receive help with transportation, meals, housekeeping, and companionship. That led to the creation of in home health care and assisted living facilities.

Great strides have been made in medicine, nutrition and supplementation allow seniors to feel younger and be more active. This desire to be more active and independent also has a down side. Senior can still get hurt, and once hurt senior take longer to heal. This has lead to all manner of health and healing aids including aids for independent living.

Along the lines of independence living was the need for being able to bath independently in a safe and therapeutic way. How can I bathe myself without the fear of falling? Is there a way I can sit and bathe without having to get down into a conventional bathtub, with the awful strain on the back and legs?

In addition, there are a ways to add joy to the bathing process. By adding hydro (water) therapy, just like in a hot tub or Jacuzzi, you get therapeutic results without having to step down into a sunken tub and running the risk of serious injury?

Check out our Walk In Tub Buyers Guide, It's FREE!

When these questions came to the light of day, someone found an answer. The answer was the Walk In Tub. Remember, necessity is the mother of invention. When enough people need something and want something, it will eventually appear.

Today thousands are enjoying safe, independent bathing, with all the advantages of huge therapeutic tubs, but without the size constraints or huge expense. They come in sizes to fit exactly in the space where your bathtub is now. Moreover, they are affordable and provide a multitude of health benefits to sooth many ailments. You should be able to get a Walk In Tub with faucet, controls, drain, overflow, hand held shower, grab bar, air-jetted hydrotherapy, water jet whirlpool massage, inline heater, and free shipping for under $3000. Take the time to check it out for yourself. It might be the best thing that has appeared on the market for seniors in a long time.

In this article, I have discussed how the advertising industry hypes and exaggerates new products every year. It further goes on to explain why new products appear. They appear as necessities, items fulfilling people’s desires based on their needs. This article discusses the many needs of our aging baby boomer generation. The 40 million Americans looking to act feel and look younger than their parents did. It further goes on to tell how the Walk in Tub was born out of necessity to fill one of those baby boomer needs.

Walk-in Tub Buyers' Guide

If you found this article to be useful, please pass it on to your friends and co-workers. If you have a comment related to this article, please leave it in the comment section below. If you would like to receive a FREE Walk In Tub Buyers Guide, click here. If you have a question, feel free to contact me at the number or email listed at the end of this article. It’s been my pleasure sharing these tips with you. Thanks again for visiting with us.

Until next time.

Alan and Kerry Knight are the owners of Tub King, Inc., and SeniorBathtub.com in Jacksonville Florida. Together they have many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. Their companies not only provide superior products, they are also award winners, receiving the best of Jacksonville Chamber Award three years running. If you would like to contact them, call (800) 409-3375 or (800) 843-4231 or email them at alan@tubking.com.

Why are the Jets Important in My Walk-in Tub?

By Kerry Knight

When it comes to health care devices, anything worth using or owning is always related to having the right options on that device. Walk In Tubs offer a great example. The reason I say this is because many unscrupulous vendors will try and sell you a stripped model that does not really fit your needs. They usually do this by hooking the prospect with a low ball price. However, once the buyer gets the Walk In Tub home, they soon discover they have been short changed with regards to their health and therapeutic needs.

Also check out the FREE Buyers' Guide offer at the end of this article

When looking to purchase a Walk In Tub, there are usually three major options. First, the Soaker model, with no jets at all, provides a tub with all the safety features you need. They have a door which is water tight for safety, an easy access threshold for stepping over into the tub, slip resistant surfaces, an ADA compliant seat, and grab bars for making getting up and down easier. The owner can then sit in the tub, without the fear of falling, soaking in warm water, and utilizing the hand held shower sprayer to rinse the body and wash the hair. With no jets in the tub, installation is relatively easy, since, there are no electrical requirements. Just connect to an existing drain and water lines and you're all set.

The Wonder of Hydrotherapy

However, many wonder about the advantages of the jetted systems. The second option would be to install the air jetted hydrotherapy. This model should come with 18 jet ports all over the tub, with 8 ports around the seat, 8 ports in the floor and 2 ports behind the knees. It is designed with an air pump that blows warm air (off the motor) into the water to create thousands of therapeutic bubbles. This therapy is often called THE BUBBLER. It is great for assisting with the pain and discomfort associated with rheumatism, lumbago, multiple sclerosis, sciatica, menstrual cramps, arthritis, high blood pressure, migraines, stress, sprains, poor circulation, and much more. The bubbles are designed to treat the entire body at once. The warm, bubbling water can do some amazing things.

The Magic of Heated, Jetted Massage

A third option is the water jetted massage system with inline heater. Normally there will be 6 large ports, strategically located in the back and around the legs. There is a water pump that pulses the water against the body to massage the muscles like the hands of a masseuse. Fortunately for you, the hands never get tired. The inline heater ensures that the water stays warm so that you can stay in much longer than usual.

Sometimes, due to sensitive skin, a person is concerned about the amount of pressure given by these jets. What if it is too much force that creates discomfort rather than helping? The answer is simple. Each water jet port is adjustable. By turning the nozzle clockwise you restrict the force or pressure of the jet. The jets are also directional, which means if you want to direct the water to a specific part of the body, you can. Let's say you have a muscle in your back that is tight due to an injury or just sleeping the wrong way. Just by turning the jet to that spot and adjusting the pressure, you can provide a warm, soothing solution.

The Difference in Cost is Less Than 1/2 Cent a Day

In most cases, the price difference between a soaker tub and a jetted tub, is a matter of a few hundred dollars. Most find that it is well worth the difference. Here are the facts. If the life expectancy of your Walk In Tub were only 12 months, your added cost would only amount to a little over 50 cents a day. Since a Walk In Tub can last many years the actual difference in cost is less than ½ cent a day. The added therapeutic benefits over the life of your Walk In Tub are well worth the insignificant amount you pay to upgrade your unit. You may not need the water therapy now, but someday it might be a life saver.

So, make sure to look at the options that are available to you. You will be glad you spent just a little more.

In this article, I have explained how some vendors attempt to fool prospects into thinking that their Walk In Tubs cost less by stripping out the features. I further explain the benefits and options that can be added to Walk in Tubs. These options can convert a Soaker Walk In Tub into a Walk In Tub with therapeutic benefits via hydrotherapy or heated jetted massage.

Get The FREE Buyers' Guide

If you found this article to be useful, please pass it on to your friends and co-workers. If you have a comment related to this article, please leave it in the comment section below. If you would like to receive a FREE Walk In Tub Buyers Guide, click here. If you have a question, feel free to contact me at the number or email listed at the end of this article. It’s been my pleasure sharing these tips with you. Thanks again for visiting with us.

Until next time.

Walk-in Tubs ... Great for the Whole Family

By Kerry Knight

Have you ever wondered if a Walk in Tub would be appropriate for people of all ages? I mean, do you really have to be a senior to enjoy the therapeutic benefits these tubs have to offer? I started thinking about this after several clients told me how their families enjoy coming over to their place to use the Walk in Tub.

I was recently talking to one of our customers who had purchased a Walk in Bathtub. She had purchased it for herself several months earlier, and was thoroughly enjoying its many therapeutic features. Her tub offered air jetted hydrotherapy, with thousands of bubbles that soothed her body and relieved her various aches and pains. It also provided water therapy for her many physical problems, such as a water jetted massage system that swirls the water and pulses pleasant water pressure against her back, legs and hips. This was one feature got the attention of the whole family. She amused, "Now, when my kids and grandkids show up, they all head for the Walk in Tub."

It’s true. A 40-year old “kid” can enjoy the Walk in Bathtub just like a 75-year old. Mid-life years offer their own set of therapy needs. Back problems can arrive without warning. Just bending the wrong way or trying to lift a little more weight than you should, can bring on lower back pain. This can inflame the sciatic nerve, sending pain to your legs and knees. Falling off a ladder or tripping down a flight of stairs can require quite a few weeks of in-home therapy. And sometimes even the young can develop serious illnesses or have accidents that require the need for water therapy.

The smaller kids just love to play in the tub. The controls are easy to operate, and the children will feel like they have their own personal hot tub. For those parents who have cajoled their youngsters to take a bath, the walk in tub is a great incentive.

The tubs are just about maintenance free. Just an occasional wipe down and then allow the jets to run their cycle. Occasionally, simply run a little low foaming liquid cleaner (like dish washing liquid) through the system to keep it sterilized. That way you can have it ready for the family visits.

We haven't found anyone yet who can't benefit from the Walk In Tub. Many very athletic young adults love the tubs because of their muscle strains, sprains and mild tissue injuries from training. Those who jog, play tennis, bike, and exercise regularly or get involved in competitive sports, will find tremendous benefit from its use. Just imagine coming home after a difficult day at work and stepping into the tub for a few minutes. Open the watertight door, sit down and turn on the jets, allowing all the day's worries to disappear.

Ahhhhhh. Now that’s a real healthy, happy hour.

The tubs come in different sizes so they can accommodate a person of any size. The door of the tub is wide, allowing easy access and the step up over the threshold is highly accessible. The interior is wide and the seat is comfortable. The water jets actually come with an inline heater so the water always stays warm. We've all been in traditional tubs where we soaked for a while and then noticed that the temperature was dropping. All the benefits from warm water therapy then quickly disappeared with the introduction of the sudden shock of cool or cold water. With the inline heater, you can stay in the tub as long as you like.

With all its many benefits, the Walk in Tub has become a favorite for the entire family. So, if you are a senior and you wish your family would visit more often, this might just be the carrot on the string to get them there.

In this article, I recount all the wonderful benefits that one of our customers shared with me about their Walk in Tub. They talked about all the therapeutic benefits for the hydrotherapy, the jetted massage and the heated water. They went on to explain how their whole family enjoys and uses the Walk in Tub in their own way. It just goes to show that any generation loves to take advantage of the therapeutic benefits a Walk in Tub has to offer.

If you found this article to be useful, please pass it on to your friends and co-workers. If you have a comment related to this article, please leave it in the comment section below. If you have a question, feel free to contact me at the number or email listed at the end of this article. It’s been my pleasure sharing this family story. Thanks again for visiting with us.

Until next time.

Related articles