Does a hydro massage only walk-in tub include foot jets?

Yes. Every Ella walk-in tub built with hydro massage has foot jets in the footwell, and on the standard hydro package they run on the same pump as the jets behind your back and sides, so foot massage is included rather than sold separately. What is separate is independent foot massage, an option that gives the footwell its own pump so you can enjoy a foot spa without filling the whole tub. The owner's side of this question is covered in Foot Massage Jets Not Working? Fill Level and Shared-Pump Foot Jets Explained, and this page covers what to expect before you order.

What the Standard Hydro Package Puts in the Footwell

Look into the footwell of any Ella hydro tub, the deeper well in front of the seat where your feet rest, and you will see jet nozzles set into its walls. Ella hydro massage packages include jets there along with the jets behind the back, so a hydro-only tub is never a tub without foot massage. The foot hydro jets sit on a beveled edge angled at the heel and the ball of the foot, and calf jets sit a little higher so the lower legs are worked as well. The exact number of jets in the footwell varies by model and by the therapy package on your order, so your order paperwork is the place to confirm the figure for the tub you are considering, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can read it from your model and serial number.

On a standard hydro package, one pump feeds the upper jets and the foot jets together. It draws water from the tub and pushes it back out through every jet at once. Press the hydro button and water flows from the back jets and the footwell jets at the same time, with one intensity dial setting the strength for all of them. If your tub also has air massage, that is a second system with its own pump and its own button. Air and water are two separate pumps with two separate controls, and they can run together or one at a time. The footwell layout, including where the floor drains and the lower air jets sit, is described in what the footwell is on a walk-in tub.

Why a Shared Pump Means a Full Fill

Because the foot jets share their pump with the seat jets, nothing comes out of the footwell until the tub is filled above the highest hydro jets, including the jets for your lower back. Any jet above the waterline sprays out into the room rather than into the bath, so starting the pump with the tub only half full puts water on the bathroom floor. There is a more serious risk too. A pump started with its jets exposed can run dry, and a pump run dry is permanently damaged, and that damage is not covered by warranty. A single-pump hydro system needs water 1 to 2 inches above the highest jets before any hydro button is pressed. Close and latch the door, fill to that line, press the hydro button, and the foot jets run together with the rest.

That is the practical answer to the second half of the question. On a hydro-only tub the foot jets are neither missing nor separate; they simply cannot be run on their own. Without the independent option, a foot-only soak is not possible on the hydro system, because the shared pump needs the full fill.

What Independent Foot Massage Changes

Independent foot massage, which Ella also calls the Hydro Foot package, gives the foot and calf jets their own dedicated hydro pump, their own push button and their own intensity dial. There is no diverter valve robbing power from one side to feed the other, so each system gets full flow. The first video on this page explains the design: two separate pumps, one for the seat jets and one for the foot jets, where other designs use a single pump and a diverter valve that produces a weaker, inconsistent flow. The second video shows the option in use, with four dedicated foot jets and two calf jets driven by the separate pump, and a separate control dial to adjust the intensity of the jet stream. The full feature description is in what independent foot massage is.

For a foot-only session, close the door and the drains, fill the footwell to just below the seat and just above the calf jets so every foot and calf jet is covered, then press the foot button and set the strength with the foot dial. The upper jets stay off because they are on a different pump. For a full massage, fill the tub 1 to 2 inches above the highest seat jet and run both pumps. One detail matters for warmth: on these configurations the in-line heater is attached to the foot massage pump, so it helps hold the water temperature while the foot jets run, and on a Hydro plus Hydro Foot tub the seat jets alone will not keep the water warm. Our guide on why the water does not stay hot explains that the heater maintains the temperature you filled with and never heats a cold fill.

The difference comes down to one question. If you want jets at your feet, any Ella hydro tub has them. If you want to soak only your feet and calves without filling the tub, only the independent option can do that, and because it is a second pump built into the tub, it is a choice made when the tub is ordered.

Which Models Offer It and What to Decide Before Ordering

Per the current Air + Hydro + Independent Foot Massage schematic, the option is available on the Royal, Monaco, Elite, Capri, Shak, Transfer60, Transfer32 and TransferXXL, and it is standard on the Ultimate. Triple packages that combine air, hydro and independent foot massage require two dedicated GFCI 120V 20A outlets, which your electrician needs to know before the tub arrives.

The second pump, its jets and its dial are built in at the factory, so independent foot massage cannot be added later. If a foot-only soak is what you had in mind, decide with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before the order is placed. If you already own a tub and are not sure which package it has, look for a separate foot pump with its own button and dial, or check your order; how to use only the foot massage walks through confirming the package and the safe fill level for each case.

Whichever package you choose, never start either pump until its jets are under water, keep the monthly vinegar flush going for both circuits, and step around the drain stoppers when you enter and exit the footwell, because stepping on an open drain can break the drain cable. Because the seat and foot systems are independent on a Hydro Foot tub, one can run while the other does not. If that happens, note which button, pump and dial are affected before you open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your model, serial number and therapy package.

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• Independent Foot Massage: A Foot Spa Without Filling the Whole Tub

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