What Is an Air Massage Tub and How Does It Feel?

An air massage tub is a walk-in tub with a built-in air system that sends gentle bubbles up through the floor and the seat while you soak. On Ella walk-in tubs the system uses 16 small, flat air jets set into the seat and floor, with three speeds, so the feel ranges from a soft fizz to a lively all-over massage. It is one of two massage systems Ella offers, and how it pairs with hydro massage and the heated seat is laid out in Air Massage, Hydro Massage and Heated Seat Options Explained.

More Than Bubbles: What the Air Jets Do

It is easy to assume that air massage is only a bubbly surface, but it is a real massage. Each air jet is small and flat and sits flush in the seat and the floor of the tub, so there is nothing to press against your back or legs. When the air pump runs, the jets push air into the bath water and set that water moving. The moving water is what you feel against your skin, along with the bubbles rising around you. Because the jets sit beneath and behind the bather rather than on the side walls, the sensation wraps around the body instead of concentrating on one spot.

The first video on this page shows Ella's jetting layout, with jets placed where other tubs do not put them, including hip jets, feet jets and bidet jets, and the digital or Easy Touch push buttons that start the three-speed air system.

How Air Therapy Feels at Each Speed

The air massage runs from one button, and the speed changes each time you press it. There is no dial to turn; the intensity dial on the deck belongs to the hydro massage system.

1. Press once for high speed. This is the liveliest setting, with the strongest flow of air and the most movement in the water.
2. Press a second time for medium speed.
3. Press a third time for low speed, a gentle fizz for anyone who wants to feel the bubbles without a strong massage.
4. Press a fourth time to turn the system off.

The second video on this page walks through that press sequence and the Auto Purge that follows. Since the first press is always high, expect the strongest flow first and press again to settle on a gentler level. The sequence is the same on every Ella three-speed air control, including the Transfer family.

Air Massage Compared with Hydro Massage

The other massage system on an Ella tub is hydro massage, and the two feel different. Hydro jets are larger than air jets and sit flat on the tub walls, placed to reach the back, hips, feet and calves. A pump draws your bath water in through an inlet cover and pushes it out through the jets, and the strength is set by the intensity dial. The result is a deeper, more focused massage on specific muscles. What Are Hydro Massage Jets on a Walk-In Tub? covers that system in detail.

Air massage is the gentler of the two. The bubbles and the water movement surround you rather than target one area, which is why it is described as soothing rather than deep. You do not have to choose one or the other. Both systems can be built into one tub, so bubbles rise around you while the hydro jets work on your muscles. The Transfer 60 is available with bubbles and hydro massage, and the E2C has hydro jets for the back, calves and feet plus air jets on the seat and below the feet, along with an independent foot massage.

One more option is sometimes confused with air massage. Infusion Microbubble Therapy fills the bath with billions of oxygen-rich bubbles smaller than 50 microns from a single port and turns the water cloudy white. It is a skin treatment that softens and exfoliates rather than a massage, and it runs on its own dedicated pump.

The Auto Purge: The Two Minutes After Your Bath

Every Ella air massage system includes an Auto Purge. After the air pump is turned off, some water flows back into the air pipes. Left there, it would create mildew and bacteria, so 20 minutes after you shut the air massage off, the Auto Purge turns the air pump back on and runs for 120 seconds to blow the water out of the lines. It is fully automatic. There is no button for it, it cannot be stopped, and it cannot be retimed.

Sometimes you will still be in the tub when it starts, especially after a long soak. That can be surprising, but it is normal and harmless; it is the tub taking care of itself. You can stay in the water and let it finish. If you need to get out while it is running, drain the tub and exit as you normally would.

The timing matters if you like to test the air before a bath. Running the air for a moment and switching it off restarts the 20 minute countdown, so the purge can land in the middle of the soak. The simple sequence is to fill the tub, turn the air on, and turn it off when you are done, so the purge arrives after you have finished. One purge about 20 minutes after shutoff is the normal pattern. If the air keeps starting on its own more than once per bath, that points to a stuck push button or a control box fault rather than the timer, and Why Did the Auto Purge Come On While I Was Filling the Tub? lists the checks in order.

What an Air-Only Tub Does Not Include

An air massage tub without a hydro package is an air-only tub, and it is worth knowing what that leaves out. The in-line heater that holds the bath at the temperature you filled it comes with every hydro package and runs only while the hydro pump runs. A soaker or air-only tub has no in-line heater, and one cannot be added to that configuration. The water in an air-only tub cools the way any bath does, so fill it hot from your home water heater and keep the bathroom warm. Why Doesn't the Water Stay Hot and Why Do the Jets Blow Cold? explains how the heater works on tubs that have it.

The heated seat and back is a separate, button-controlled option that warms the acrylic surface so it is not cold while you wait for the tub to fill. It does not change the temperature of the water. The pads are glued to the tub and the option is non-refundable once installed, so decide on it before installation day. If you are weighing air massage against hydro massage, or want both, your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm which packages are offered on the model you are considering.

Watch: Voted Best Walk-In Tub in 2020 With Air Massage & Auto Purge Function | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Why Does the Air Massage Blow Cold Air? There Is No Heating Element
• My walk-in tub turned on by itself: the air massage Auto-Purge is normal
• How do air and hydro massage differ, and why do some tubs skip air?

Common Questions