What Is a Hydrotherapy Bath and How Does It Help the Body?

A hydrotherapy bath is a warm soak in a tub whose built-in jets massage the body with moving water, moving air, or both. On an Ella walk-in tub that means sitting on a molded seat while a pump recirculates your own bath water through jets aimed at the back, hips, legs and feet, as described in What is a hydrotherapy tub with built-in spa jets?. Ella's own bathing articles describe warm water as something that has been shown to increase circulation and decrease swelling, which is why a hydrotherapy bath feels so good on sore joints.

What Makes a Bath a Hydrotherapy Bath

A plain bath holds still water. A hydrotherapy bath adds movement. A walk-in tub on its own is defined by its door, its low threshold and its built-in seat, and most Ella models can be built as a soaker with no jets at all. The bath becomes a hydrotherapy bath when a therapy package is built into the tub at the factory.

The hydro massage package brings a small group of parts that work together every time you press the Water button:

• The hydro jets. Also called hydrotherapy jets, water jets or whirlpool jets, they are set into the tub walls.
• The hydro pump. It draws bath water in through the inlet cover and pushes it back out through the jets. Nothing is added to the water. It is your own bath water moving in a loop.
• The in-line heater. It runs automatically with the pump and holds the water at the temperature you filled it, so a long session does not turn cool.
• The ozone generator. It also runs with the pump and sterilizes the water as it circulates.
• The intensity dial. Turning it adds or removes air in the water stream to make the massage firmer or softer.

The Ella Standard video on this page shows this combination on a real tub: a strong hydrotherapy system with an intensity control dial and an in-line water heater that keeps you comfortable while you bathe.

How a Hydrotherapy Bath Helps the Body, in Ella's Published Words

Ella keeps its claims simple, and so does this page. Ella's products are not medical devices, and nothing here is medical advice. What the published material does say comes down to three things.

• Warmth. Ella's bathing articles describe warm water as something that has been shown to increase circulation and decrease swelling. That is the reason a warm soak feels welcome on sore joints, even before a single jet is switched on.
• Targeted water massage. The hydro jets deliver a deep, targeted massage to the back, hips, legs and feet. Many of the jets can be aimed, and the foot jet nozzles can be opened, reduced or closed by turning the center of the jet face, so the massage lands where you want it. Tubs with independent foot massage add a second pump and dial for the foot and calf jets.
• Gentle air massage. The air system pushes air through small brass jets in the seat, the base of the seat and the footwell floor for a gentle, effervescent full-body bubble massage. It is the softer counterpart to hydro massage.

The Big4Two video on this page shows how far a hydrotherapy bath can be taken on one tub: three-speed air massage with Auto Purge, hydro massage with an in-line heater and intensity dial, powerful foot and calf hydro jets, heated seats, and a microbubble function the video describes as billions of bubbles that exfoliate, moisturize and invigorate.

Water Jets and Air Jets Feel Different

Hydrotherapy on an Ella tub comes in two main forms, and knowing the difference helps you picture the bath you want. Hydro massage jets move water. They are the deeper, more focused massage, and the intensity dial lets you soften or firm up the stream at any moment. Because the in-line heater runs with the hydro pump, the water holds the temperature you filled it at for the whole session.

Air massage jets move only air, so they are the gentler of the two systems. A three-speed blower feeds them, and the Air button steps through the speeds in a fixed order: the first press is high, the second is medium, the third is low, and a fourth press turns the system off. The air system has no heater, so the bath cools naturally while it runs. Many bathers enjoy both together, and several Ella tubs are built with hydro and air massage in one package.

What a Session Looks Like, Step by Step

1. Step in over the low threshold, close the door, and close the drains.
2. Fill the tub until the water sits 1 to 2 inches above the highest hydro jet. The pump must never run dry, because a pump run without water is permanently damaged and that damage is not covered by the warranty.
3. Press the Water button. The pump starts, and the in-line heater and ozone generator come on with it without any extra step.
4. Set the strength with the intensity dial and aim the jets where you want the massage.
5. If your tub has air massage, make sure every air jet is under water, then press the Air button and choose your speed.
6. When you finish, switch the systems off and drain. About 20 minutes after the air pump is turned off, Auto Purge starts on its own and blows the air lines dry for 120 seconds. It cannot be stopped and is completely normal.

Who Should Check with a Physician First

Every Ella manual carries the same notice before the first bath, and it belongs in any honest description of hydrotherapy. Water temperature in excess of 100.4 F may be harmful to your health, so check and adjust the temperature before use. Consult a physician if you have a heart condition, take medication or are pregnant. Prolonged immersion in warm water can cause hyperthermia. Do not use the tub after strenuous activity, and do not use alcohol or drugs before or during bathing. Bathers who do not have full use of their limbs must be attended by a caregiver at all times and use an installed safety belt.

The same warmth that increases circulation is the reason for the caution, which is why the decision belongs to you and your doctor. The published guidance is gathered in Hydrotherapy, Heart Conditions and Blood Pressure: The Published Cautions, along with the gentler options such as air massage and hydro massage at low intensity.

What to Know Before You Choose a Hydrotherapy Tub

Massage jets are not automatic on a walk-in tub. They belong to the therapy package chosen when the tub is ordered, and because the jets and their lines are built into the shell at the factory, the package cannot be changed after delivery. Jet counts belong to the package, not the model name. The Standard ships with 18 hydro jets, the Elite's hydro package has 16 jets, 10 in the seat and 6 in the foot area, and the Transfer family's Hydro Massage package lists 22 jets, 16 seat and 6 foot. The Standard, Standard60, Zen, Zen60 and Flow are hydro-only platforms and do not carry air jets. Do Walk-In Tubs Come With Massage Jets and Hydrotherapy Included? lays out what comes with each tub, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm the package for the model you have in mind.

Watch: Big4Two: Two-Seat Walk-In Tub: Large, Spacious Two-Person Bath | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Do Walk-In Tubs Have Heaters to Keep the Water Warm?
• What Is an In-Line Water Heater on a Walk-In Tub?
• Hydro Massage vs Air Massage vs Microbubble: What Each System Does and How They Combine

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