Glad to hear you are enjoying the tub. Can't wait to get back to planning mine!

that is good news Irishman!! Hope it helps with circulation! Lascatx and anyone else buying these Jasons, when you place the order for undermount, the factory will send an accessory kit with the tub along with instructions where and how to drill for the cleaning port. I did not find mine right away, but the instructions were inside the pouch with the warranty and installation info, not in the accessory box. The box just says "accessory box" and I had to call the factory to figure out where the parts for the port were.
Make sure to determine if you want the little grab handle(s) inside or not too.

Divotdiva, I haven't been on this site for awhile, took a break. How is your bathroom reno coming. You haven't installed the Jason yet? I am still enjoying my air masseur.

Sofla - - nope, it's still sitting in my living room covered with drop cloths. But I can see a pinpoint of light at the end of the renovation tunnel.....the whole project got delayed for months at the city permitting office, just got underway mid Oct. On the up side I didn't have to do any entertaining over the holidays. Contractor plans tiling to start last week of Jan so tub should be set in place sometime next week. Glad to hear you are enjoying your tub, I will be looking forward to a long soak!

Hi! I'm just starting to look at tubs. Thanks for all of the helpful info above. For those who have a MicroSilk tub with AirMasseur did you opt for undermount simply because you didn't have enough room to hide some of the equipment or is such a combination unavailable? If it is available, do you have any specific lines/model #s you could mention? I glanced through the website but there was not filter for "free standing" so I just went quickly by the visuals and found some free-standing Formas but they didn't have AirMasseur

Thanks!

I have enough room to undermount and hide the pumps. I planned out the tub area to place the pumps on one end with an access panel. I plan to have a free-standing cabinet in that area that can be moved away from the panel should access be required.
I worried about doing it as an undermount, because if something goes wrong we'll have to remove the granite to move the tub. But, I like the look better. Many GardenWeb folks here on this forum also led me to that decision. The tub store AND our tile guy both recommend undermount for the finished look, and our GC.
Maybe the free standing tubs don't have AirMasseur because there is no place to hide the pumps? You can hide them with a drop in too.

Considering purchasing Microsilk and wanted to ask about your experience. Do you see effect of MS therapy? If you use it regularly and see benefits to your skin, what happens to the skin if you are away from home for a couple of weeks and don't take Microsilk therapy? Does skin get drier than before you used MS? (The more I use moisturizing cream the drier my skin gets, and I was wondering if there would be same effect here). What are the pros and cons? I am considering MS-Air combo. Any advise would be appreciated.

mine still not connected but maybe Irishman can respond as he has his installed and in use.

FWIW -- In the reliability department: I have a 14-year old Bain Ultra that is like new. Zero problems. I'm also glad I sat in one in a showroom to get the right size for *me*. (DH only showers.) I'd be drowning in a too-big air jet tub. I'm 5' 6", so I think any future owner would be OK with this size.

chisu, what model and what size did you get? I am planning on getting the Thalassa 55 which is 66 X 33. The one I had planned on getting was the Oval Plus 66 X 38, surprisingly, the Thalassa is actually wider on the interior by 1/8"! It is really important to try them on! I will go back and retry them before I put down my deposit, but going through the catalogue I was able to research all the minute details and changed my mind when I realized I could save some valuable floor space, AND save almost $2000!

Lascatx, I neglected to ask how your mom is doing after her fall?

Here is my latest update re: the Jason. It is now installed and has been plumbed and tested. The MS motor is a bit loud, I could hear it all the way down the hall, but then again it has not been closed up in its little alcove under the tub, the access is still open. The air blower was tested on a separate day. The air jets on full power appear to put out a lot of motion, much more than I expected! It has a boiling type of motion. After it is turned off, the light on the power switch blinks about 15 minutes, then the dry/purge system engages and blows out any water sitting in the air jets. This is supposed to run automatically every time the tub is drained, for 2 minutes. You don't just turn this purge on by itself. It's a big WOOSH and it blows everything out.

I did go with undermount and now discussing the tile-in of the access to the faucet. The panel for the motors is on a different side. I found this link that may be helpful to those wanting to have a tiled-in look. Maybe Mongoct or some of the other experts on here have had experience with these. My tile guy is just going to grout ours in, he looked this option over but didn't seem to think it the best option.

Here is a link that might be useful: Schuler Tiled In Access Panel

Interesting. And I'm envious. I still want one.

We did see the air function and I would call it a rolling boil too. Did not see the purge function in action, but I have wondered about that. Did you have the tub full of water with the MS test? We were told with one tub that the partial fill would make it louder, so that could have an impact as well as the open access panel. I wouldn't grout the access panel in. Not sure why your tile guy doesn't like that linked treatment -- looks like it is just magnetic touch latches. Seems pretty easy to me and I'll try to remember that for ours. I've been trying to decide between tile and wood panel.

Thanks for asking about my mom. Didn't realize how long it had been. There are reasons we've been on hold -- and why I really wanted/needed a good soaking tub. My mom passed early in the morning after Thanksgiving while my dad was in the hospital with pneumonia and congestive heart failure -- result of COPD and not using oxygen he was told he should (he says he wasn't told that and then still won't use it). A lot of other drama, but that was the finale. Dad has done okay until this last week or so. If he follows his pattern, we'll be headed to the ER again before too long. I don't really have any hope of getting our bathroom done before our youngest is off to college in the fall. It's the shower until then,

Let me know how you like the tub in full use. Hope you post photos.

Sorry to hear about your mom. So difficult to go through that and then to convince your dad to take car of himself.

The tile guy is a perfectionist and doesn't like "matching silicone" because he says it never matches exactly. Of course if I have to pull it out and regrout in the future, that won't be a perfect match either so today I may approach the other guy working with him. But to me it looks like a feasible solution especially for a smaller access. It is just magnets and I may stop by Lowe's and see if they have them in stock just to satisfy my curiosity.

The tub was mostly filled for the MS test. The test tub in the show room was small and I don't recall it being that loud.

Dad surprised me and called me and then made an appointment with his doctor early enough to avoid the ER. He did have pneumonia again, but pretty early. I think he caught it just in time because he was having chills when I took him his antibiotic prescription. Another bullet dodged.

Is your tile guy planning on sealing with silicone? I wouldn't. If it's on the side, it's not likely that water getting in would be an issue. Is the placement where it is fairly prominent in the room -- enough that a slight gap in the grout lines would be noticeable? Even so, I think I'd get crafty with a backer board cut to be snug and applying grout along the edges. Or what about something like a felt or vinyl "weather" strip along the back side? Can't be too much or too stiff or removing the panel could be made difficult.

You may already have it figured out -- hope it's going well and the tub is quieter when done.

No he's not sealing with silicone. He will grout it. He has a lot of stories about tearing out bad work done by others. The Schluter panel recommends using a matching silicone (color matched to the grout used in the rest of the bath) to install a panel with the magnets, that's what he doesn't like.

Almost done with the tiling - a few more days I suppose as they still have the powder room to do.

I'll be honest -- I just looked at the picture and saw the magnets. I wonder if you'd need the silicone too. Well, when we get to doing ours, I will make sure I add a couple sq ft of tile so we can try it and redo it if necessary.

Now the powder room is the one bath we have completely redone. :-)

This post was edited by lascatx on Sat, Feb 22, 14 at 17:07

The silicone is used to provide the "appearance" of it being grouted in place, when it's not. This application is not recommended for large tiles like mine, they say to use more magnets to hold the tile panel in place. Can't you picture the dog (toy breed) walking past and the magnets pulling at his collar until he is fastened to the tile, LOL.

Anyways looks like it's out for me and will just have to tear out the piece if that day ever comes. I will store a couple of extra tiles inside the tub enclosure.

LOL on the new dog exerciser. The only reason we had to access under our tub until this leak occurred (more than 20 years after the house was built was when the tubing on the air switch came loose. As far as we know, that took something like 12-15 years to happen. You've tested everything out -- you should be good for a decade or two. Hope so.

Here's a pic of my enclosure. It is the tile 12x12, with a piece of the pencil rail as a handle. At first it was grouted in, then we decided to put the vent on that tile so all we did was cut it out and pull it off. After the vent was put in we decided to caulk it in. Both options are working.

As a belated answer to the 2/9/14 post by Alex 9876, I will say that I have been averaging two baths/week with the Microsilk and all the former skin dryness I had is long gone. I haven't "tested" how long I can go without the Microsilk before the dryness returns, but I do not find that the more I use it, the more frequently I need it. We have the Microsilk/AirMasseur combo tub, but rarely use the latter feature...the Microsilk is the key for us!

thanks Irishman! Hopefully Alex9876 sees this. I will likely use the MS option more too. Did you also buy the wand for face/scalp?

Lascatx, what the guys finally did was to use regular mortar to attach all the tiles to the backboard except the one by the faucets. They attached that one with silicone, and then instead of grout they used the "matching silicone" to fill in all between all the tiles on the side of the tub, so they all match but it looks like grout. It's not likely to get wet there anyways. Then if there is ever a reason to get behind the panel, you cut through the silicone and pull out the one large tile (12x24). I also have a few extra tiles in case it would be dropped or broken.

sofla - Can you tell me where you purchased the vent on your panel and what the size of the vent is? I think we may look at this as a possibility for our tub.

Thanks!

Thank you, irishman68. We purchased MS and Iook forward to having it installed.

The vent was purchased at Doug Mockett Company on line, Measures 4in round which was what the recommendation was that came w the tub. They have a selection of sizes and shapes.

Divotdiva: In answer to your query about the wand, no I did not get one. Instead, I just scoop some water onto my face with a washcloth and that works fine. This Microsilk® is the greatest thing since sliced bread!

well someone already broke my brand-new never yet used regular wand so now I have the unexpected option of buying a MS wand to replace it. :-:

Am going to also create a new post, but had to chime in here. Just got back from looking at hot tubs...(plans are to replace our current 15 year old one), and as I was leaving one showroom, saw a sign advertising Microsilk...long story short, ended up going into the yard behind the warehouse where they have a bathtub sized hot tub with the MS that the owner (who has terrible exema) has been using for 20 min several times a week. He says it has made a huge difference to his legs, which supposedly were almost raw when he started. I stuck my arm in there for several minutes, it definitely feels smoother. As I type and caress my arm it feels like I have put lotion on it, and I swear that hand looks less wrinkled.

Now, I am thinking maybe I should go for the MS option in my hot tub, just wondering if anyone here has done that?

I didn't know they were putting it into hot tubs, but I'd put it in at least one tub. Will be a bath tub for me.

I strongly recommend you go with the bain ultra. The customer service w/ Jason International is worse than appalling. I purchased the microsilk tub and after a month of use, it started to leak. They were non-responsive to initial calls and when they finally followed up and sent a technician, they flatly refused to cover the damage caused by the tub and simply replaced the faulty part. Having to cut into the wall to gain access to the tube that was leaking or re plaster/paint the ceiling the water soaked through were left to me. Who cares about microsilk vs bain ultra. They're the same and bain ultra has much better customer service from what I hear (esp from my contractor who deals with them regularly). Whatever you do, avoid Jason International products.

I find the above post from naima70 a bit disconcerting in that it doesn't speak about the installation of the tub and the possible problems related to that installation. Whenever I read absolutes like "worse than appalling," I become a little suspicious. As to "who cares about microsilk...I care because, as a Type 1 diabetic, it has done wonders for my dry skin. Jason International has been very responsive to our queries and we could not be happier with the tub! I'm sure Bain Ultra products are very good (we thought so when we were making our decision), but praising their service without ever having experienced it is a bit over the top.

Irishman, I'm glad to have stumbled on this and see you like your MS so much. My dad passed after a couple of illnesses and I've been handling his estate. I'm hoping to get to our bathroom soon. The tub is the thing I look forward to most.

I have a Bain Ultra jet tub -- drop in -- installed in 2001. Never a single problem. Sorry, I can't speak to any 'wonders' it's done for my skin! It just works perfectly, is a breeze to clean, and I can easily get in and out of it. I probably use it once a week. It's 'just my size', fills in a few minutes. (DH uses only the shower.) I almost never use the whirlpool tub in our guest bath, which takes ages to fill -- and I fear problems with the jets.

I support naima70 comment about poor customer service of Jason. Specifically, I had to deal with Robert (can't speak about others). Even people from the store through which I purchased the tub were embarrassed about Jason's service. I just hope I will not need to deal with them and I just recently installed the tub.

I haven't been on line on this site for a while and now find it merged with Houzz. Not too long after install and finishing our bath, the MS would not operate. Only the air. The instructions state the infrared on the MS has to be in line with the "brain" so the signal can't be blocked. Otherwise the MS won't switch on. Moved the MS unit around hoping to get the infrared to work: sometimes it did, then would quit again. After calling back the plumbers, moving the pump around, and speaking to Jason on the phone, it was determined that they needed to send a jumper which disconnects the little dot on the side of the tub from signaling the MS unit that sufficient water levels are in the tub. First time, the jumper wire never materialized via air mail. 3 weeks later, I called again, they send another which arrived, I installed it myself. It just clips onto the unit where all the wires go - including the air module.

Jason said the new tubs - manufactured conveniently a month or so after mine shipped - have already had this bypassed. Any tub built with MS before around Aug 2014 probably needs the jumper.

So far it still works. I don't use it a lot because the tub requires a lot of water and for some reason other members of my household want to take hot showers. The pump also needs to be relocated and screwed into a new spot under the framing so it does not vibrate - it is very loud. Originally it was OK but it was unscrewed from the framing to get the infrared working. It's on my hubby's to-do list.

Otherwise I do like the tub and features. The MS does seem to soften the skin.

By the way "mrswv" and Divot Diva one and the same. I guess Houzz uses my name from their site.

Hello Microsilk owners and prospective owners, I am back after over a year of construction plan delays and am ready to purchase MS tub. Before I do, I want to double check with y'all and your experiences. There is a Union Hardware in my area that has an MS tub in the store that they say has been trouble-free for a year. Hopefully, their own installation experiences will help.

Hi -- resurrecting this old thread to see if anyone has an updates on the microsilk. We are planning a bath remodel and trying to decide if an undermount microsilk unit is worth shelling out the big bucks for. Some of the allusions to poor customer service have me a bit alarmed. Any new or updated experiences to share? Thanks so much!

So far, I don't regret purchasing MS. Have MS and air but mostly use MS.

Thanks euro! So you do use it often? Do you notice a difference in your skin? Also, you had made a comment above about their customer service that scared me, since it seemed like you started out like me in this same thread -- wondering if you should buy it -- then you posted that you bought it and the next post was about the horrible customer service you experienced. I would be looking to undermount the tub and would not want to do so if the quality is poor and there is any chance I'd have to replace it -- the soapstone people tell me that removing the tub would likely break the stone.

Fortunately, I didn't have to interact with the customer service since I had bad experience other than asking a quick question which went well. What I am glad about is having MS feature. I feel it has some positive effect on skin. Use it once per 1-2 weeks. I don't think other manufacturers offer this technology. I just hope not to have any issues for long time and when it happens, hopefully, CS will be much better by then. Again, I had bad experience with the person to whom I was referred the most but I can't say about others. Jason made a good choice to purchase MS technology from a hot tub manufacturer but they are not commercializing it well.

Quick update: I have been comparing Jason AirMasseur, Purebath (and BainUltra) tubs, given that the sanitation issue in a traditional whirlpool gives my husband and I the willies.

Jason tech support told me that they did away with the sani-design cleaning system with cap about a year ago, as most/many consumers were doing an undermounted design that closed-off the cleaning fluid port. Now they suggest that ALL their baths be cleaned by pouring in a non-acetone, non-ammonia, non-abrasive cleaning solution (their product, an acrylic tub cleaning product, or combo of bleach + DW liquid) above the jet or air openings and running the system then rinsing, as all other companies suggest. Well, actually, no other air bath Co's suggest cleaning like this, but it cannot hurt.

I am debating between the Jason 525 with microsilk / air and the Kohler combo tub with whirlpool and effervescent bubbles... The Kohler allows you to use both at the same time. Is the effervescent the same as the microsilk?

We are now ready to execute new bathroom plans with Microsilk 72' x 36 tub. It is a big expense so I am being extra careful. Any more advice, caveats, suggestions for me?

leakenj, Per 2 distributors in VA, Kohler Effervescence is not the same as Microsilk. Evervescence is just big bubbles whereas Microsilk claims to be oxygen-infused microbubbles.

Just a quick update. I spent days reading material on air tubs and whirlpools and got my decision down to a 36 x 72" Jason and Purebath. To get an outside opinion, I called an online bath dealer in the Richmond, VA area where I used to live (Whirlpooltubs.com, Steve) and after discussing a lot of models, which he sells as well, he steered me to Mansfield, an UN-fancy company that offered a ton of features and everything I was looking for, at a nice price. I ended up with the Baywood 6 Ariance GentleTouch (air bath version) which has back jets with heated neck/back rest, heated silent air (all offer this), included neck pillow, chromatherapy. This combined the features I thought my husband might benefit from (back jets) with the surround air jets, in a quiet system, as we will put the motor on the other side of the wall with insulation.

Mansfield offers the Ariance in 3 models: HealthTouch (whirlpool), GentleTouch (air bath) and DualTherapy.

I would love to tell you what I think about this bathtub, but we are still building our home and are months' out yet.

This dealer was on the ball and very helpful.

Thank you for the input, kitchengirl! Is the airbath similar to Kohlers, meaning big massaging bubbles but not ozone-infused micro bubbles? I will look up the various companies you mentioned. I just signed the designed contract so it looks like we do not go full swing until October to Winter. Good luck on your home construction. Do keep me updated.

After considering both Bainultra, air and geysair, and Jason, air and microsilk, I have decided on Jason. Anyone have any updates on the quietness and reliability of the newer Jasons?

Just took my first bath in a Jason Microsilk tub the other day. It was fine - worked as it was supposed to and was not super noisy (I think it was quite a bit quieter than the maax whirlpool tub it replaced.)

Been awhile since anyone has commented here - learning the ropes of this site so may need to start new. But looking at installing a tub. The idea was microsilk to help my daughters skin issues and air massage to help my husbands aches and pains. Too expensive to do both. Currently my daughter refuses baths. So wondering if anyone has a comment on the air for skin issues. Would it be worth investing in Jason air Masseur and hoping it will help her? Comments on what you think of your tubs as well. The sales lady mentioned Bain Ultra but I know nothing about it yet. so comments on these tubs for skin issues would be great too. Thanks

My Microsilk tub stopped producing bubbles and we need to replace the motor. However, the new motor (Generation 3) seems to be larger than the one we have (Generation 2) and I am concerned that it will not fit under my tub. The plumber has concerns as well. Did anyone have experience with replacing Generation 2 motor with Generation 3?