How do hydro, air and microbubble therapies differ and how do they work?

Hydro massage, air massage and Infusion microbubble therapy are three separate systems, each with its own pump, plumbing and controls built into the tub at the factory. Hydro pushes bath water through jets with a water pump, air pushes warm air through many small jets with a three-speed blower, and microbubble fills the bath with billions of tiny bubbles released from a single port. Nothing extra has to be connected by you after installation, and the five package choices are listed in Walk-In Tub Therapy Options and Features.

The Three Therapies Side by Side

The tub shell is the same whichever therapy you choose. What changes is the equipment installed underneath it and the buttons on the deck. The table pulls the systems apart, with the independent foot massage shown on its own line because it is a second hydro pump rather than a different kind of massage.

What the differences mean in practice: hydro is the therapy to choose if you want a firm massage you can adjust with a dial, and it is the system that brings the in-line heater and ozone with it. Air is the gentle choice, with a rolling motion and no heater of its own. Microbubble is a soak rather than a massage, so on a seated tub it is added to hydro instead of replacing it. Because every system has its own pump, anything you order together can run at the same time, and triple packages exist on certain models for exactly that reason.

How Hydro Massage Works

The hydro pump draws bath water in through its inlet and pushes it back out through jets aimed at the back, hips, legs and feet. Pressing the hydro push control starts the pump, and the in-line water heater and the ozone sterilization turn on and off automatically with it. The intensity dial on the deck adjusts the strength of the stream, so if a massage feels too strong the dial exists to soften it. The in-line heater maintains the temperature of the water you filled the tub with while the pump runs. It does not raise the temperature of water that arrived cool, so your house water heater does the work of filling the tub hot.

Jets aimed at the legs come with the hydro system rather than with one model. The outward-swing tubs list two calf and leg hydro jets plus four foot massage jets, and the Capri carries 15 hydro jets, 9 in the upper section and 6 in the lower section. On the Standard60, diverter switches let you run the foot and leg massage only, the back massage only, or both. With the Hydro plus Independent Foot Massage package the jets are split between two pumps, one for the upper seat jets and one for the foot and calf jets, so you gain a second pump and a second dial rather than extra jets, and the foot and calf jets can run without the seat jets. Jet counts follow the package, not the model: a Transfer spec sheet lists 22 hydro jets for the Hydro package and 11 hydro plus 17 air jets for Hydro plus Air, and both figures are correct for their packages.

Two cautions. Never run a pump before the tub is filled above the jets, because running dry can permanently damage the equipment. And give the hydro loop its monthly care: combine 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, fill the tub to one inch above the highest jets, add the mixture, run the tub for 10 minutes, then drain.

How Air Massage Works

The air system uses a blower rather than a water pump, so no bath water passes through its lines. It pushes warm air through many small jets in the seat and floor, which gives the gentler, bubbly massage. One push button runs it: the first press is high speed, the second press is medium, the third press is low, and a fourth press turns the system off. Air on its own brings no in-line heater and no ozone, because both belong to the hydro system.

Air systems clear themselves. About 20 minutes after the air pump is turned off, Auto Purge starts on its own and runs for 120 seconds, blowing residual water out of the air lines to help prevent mildew and mold. It cannot be stopped, and it is normal even if it starts while you are still in the tub. On the two-seat tubs the air system and the seat hydro jets run from one digital controller shared by both bathers, while each bather has their own foot hydro pump, as Can each bather in an Ella two-seat tub control their own therapies? explains.

How Infusion Microbubble Therapy Works

Microbubble is not a jet massage. A dedicated 1 HP microbubble pump, a pressure vessel and an agitator valve draw bath water in and return it through one jet, filling the water with billions of tiny oxygen-rich bubbles. The first video on this page shows what that looks like: one touch of the micro button starts the system, the water turns from clear to cloudy, and a second touch of the same button turns it off. The bubbles condition the water to a milky, silky texture that softens, invigorates and exfoliates the skin, which is why it is the popular choice for skin-conscious bathers and why it is sometimes described as a detox feature. Ella does not sell a separate detox system. The benefit comes from this therapy.

The water is simply the water from your own home. You fill the tub from your household hot water supply for each bath, set the temperature at the faucet and drain when you are done, so there is no standing treated water and nothing is added to the bath. The cloudiness is bubbles, not a treatment. On tubs that also have hydro massage, the ozone generator is plumbed into the hydro loop and sanitizes that loop while the hydro pump runs. On seated tubs microbubble is offered together with hydro rather than on its own, and the models that take it are listed in Which Ella walk-in tub models include the detox microbubble system?. The second video walks through the Hydro plus Microbubble package on the Elite, Royal and Petite, including the intensity dial, the foot massage jets and the ozone sterilization that come with the hydro side.

What the Choice Means for Your Order and Your Bathroom

The therapy is chosen when you order and cannot be added later, because each system brings its own pump, plumbing and switches at the factory. Settle it with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before production, and keep the schematic that ships with the tub, since it names the package and its circuits. What Is a Therapy Package on a Walk-In Tub? explains how the package sets the jet count, the controls and the extras, and the therapy package inclusions cheat sheet lists every pump, heater and dial package by package.

Electrical work is the one thing the tub does need from you. Each powered system runs on a dedicated line protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter at 110/120V, installed and tested by a licensed electrician, and the microbubble circuit needs a second dedicated line. Because the number of lines varies by package, your electrician should work from the package diagram in the specifications. The LED chromatherapy light comes with every dual and triple package but not with hydro alone, and the heated seat and backrest is a separate option on any package, including a soaker.

A therapy tub can also take a shower setup. The rain shower and shower column kit connects to a diverter on an Ella 2 or 5 piece deck-mounted faucet and carries a movable hand shower, and a separate handheld shower arm with a 24 inch slide bar kit is offered. Because a walk-in tub is open on top, keep the hand shower below deck height and aimed at the tub wall, and consider the folding tempered glass screen to keep water off the floor.

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