What Is the Difference Between Microbubble Therapy and Hydro Massage Jets?

Hydro massage moves water: a pump draws bath water in and pushes it back out through the hydro jets as a directed stream, and an intensity dial on the deck sets how strong it feels. Infusion microbubble therapy does not push a stream at all. A dedicated pump, pressure vessel and agitator feed a single port that fills the whole bath with billions of tiny bubbles, turning the water cloudy and silky. On an Ella tub microbubble is sold paired with hydro massage as the Hydro plus Microbubble package, which What Is a Therapy Package on a Walk-In Tub? places among the other package choices.

How Hydro Massage Jets Work

Hydro massage is a water system. The pump draws bath water in through the pump inlet cover, sends it through the in-line heater and back out through the hydro jets, so the water you sit in is the water doing the massage. The Hydro package adds that water pump with the in-line heater and ozone, plus a push button to start it and an intensity dial. The dial mixes more or less air into the water stream, which is how you make a hydro massage softer or firmer, and it exists to soften the jets if they feel too strong.

How many hydro jets you get follows the package and the model rather than the therapy itself. The Standard ships with 18 hydro jets, the Capri has 15 hydro jets arranged with 9 in the upper section and 6 in the lower section, and a Transfer spec sheet lists 22 hydro jets for the Hydro package. The video of the Hydro Massage and Infusion Microbubble tubs points out the powerful hydro massage, the intensity control dial and the strategically placed foot massage jets that come with the hydro side of the package.

How Microbubble Therapy Works

Microbubble therapy, which Ella calls Infusion microbubble therapy, is a second kind of bubble that has nothing to do with the hydro jets. The microbubble system adds its own dedicated pump, a pressure vessel and an agitator that feed one jet. With one touch of the micro button, billions of microbubbles are generated from that single port, and the water turns from clear to cloudy as they spread. Touch the micro button once again and the system turns off. The second video shows the change in the water from clear to milky.

What you feel is different too. Instead of a stream against the skin, microbubble therapy conditions the whole bath to a milky, silky texture. The published descriptions say it oxygenates and gently exfoliates the skin, and that it moisturizes and invigorates, which is why it is a popular choice for customers who want a skin-conscious or skin-sensitive bathing option. It is a soak rather than a massage.

Hydro, Microbubble and Air Side by Side

The practical difference is that hydro massage is something you feel at specific points and adjust, while microbubble therapy changes the water itself and runs at one setting. Air massage, the third system, is the one people usually mean by a bubble tub, and What Is a Bubble Tub and How Does Air Massage Work? explains how its blanket of bubbles differs from the microbubble cloud. Because microbubble comes paired with hydro, choosing it does not mean giving up the jets.

Which Tubs Offer Microbubble and What Comes with It

The package choices at order time are Soaking, Hydro Massage, Air Massage, Air plus Hydro, Hydro plus Independent Foot Massage, Hydro plus Microbubble, and triple combinations on certain models. The video presents the Hydro Massage and Infusion Microbubble package on the Elite, Royal and Petite, and the ShaK and Big4One ship with the digital-controller Air plus dual Hydro package with microbubble optional. Walk-In Tub Therapy Options and Features lists hydro plus micro bubbles among the five therapy options. Confirm the current list for the model you want with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, because the package cannot be changed after the tub is built.

A few things ride along with the package choice:

• The LED chromatherapy light comes with every dual and triple package, including Hydro plus Microbubble, but not with hydro alone.
• The in-line heater and ozone come with the hydro side of the package. The heater is designed to maintain water temperature rather than raise it.
• The package decides how many dedicated electrical lines your electrician runs, and the spec sheet prints them per package.
• If you want no jets at all, most sit-down models can be ordered as soakers instead, and the common model questions page lists the exceptions.

Living with Each System

Care follows the package. Hydro tubs get the monthly vinegar flush and a pump inlet cover check: combine 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, fill the tub with water to one inch above the highest jets, add the mixture, run the tub for 10 minutes, then drain. A microbubble tub still has its hydro jets, so the same monthly flush applies. If a hydro massage feels too strong, turn the intensity dial down before assuming anything is wrong. Keep the schematic that shipped with your tub, because it names the package and its circuits, and for any jets question the team will first ask which package is on your order.

Watch: MicroBubble Therapy Infusion: Top Voted Walk-In Tub 2020 | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• What is a hydro tub and how does hydro massage work?
• What Is Infusion Microbubble Therapy on a Walk-In Tub?
• Hydro Massage vs Air Massage vs Microbubble: What Each System Does and How They Combine

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