Bathtub

A bathtub holds water for a bath.

People use them to stay clean. Some tubs are long and shallow. In these, you can lie down.

Other tubs are short and deep. In these, you sit up. Some old tubs have legs. These look like animal feet.

There are even small tubs for babies. A bathtub is a great way to relax.

A bathtub is a container used to hold water.

People use them to wash their bodies. They also use them to relax. There are many different kinds of tubs.

Some are Western style. These are long and shallow. You can lie down in them. Other tubs are Eastern style. In Japan, these are called furo. They are short and deep. You sit up in a furo.

Some tubs have a special look. Clawfoot tubs have legs that look like animal feet. These were very popular from the 1880s to the 1930s.

There are also slipper bathtubs. One end is raised to help you lounge. Some tubs are made for babies. These help keep a baby's head out of the water.

There are even hot tubs. These are heated pools used for therapy. Some people call them a jacuzzi. This name comes from a company that made parts for them. Modern tubs use many materials. They can be made of plastic or metal. They can even be inflatable.

A bathtub is a container used to hold water for washing.

People use them to clean their bodies and to relax. There are two main ways to use a tub. Western style tubs are usually long and shallow. These allow a person to lie down while they bathe. In contrast, Eastern style tubs are often short and deep. In Japan, these are called furo, and people sit up in them.

Many different materials are used to make these containers. Modern tubs can be made of acrylic or fiberglass. Some are made of steel or cast iron with a porcelain coating.

You might also see tubs made of soft plastic or foam. These soft tubs are often used by children and the elderly to prevent falls. There are even inflatable tubs that people can move indoors or outdoors. Some models even have air-filled pillows and armrests for comfort.

Humans have been using plumbing for bathing for a very long time.

Copper water pipes were found under a palace in Europe from around 3300 BC. On the island of Crete, researchers found a tub made of hardened pottery. There is also evidence of pedestal tubs on Crete from about 1000 BC.

These early designs show how much people have always valued bathing.

One very famous style is the clawfoot bathtub. These tubs have legs that look like animal feet. They were very popular from the 1880s until the 1930s.

In the late 1800s, these were luxury items made of cast iron. After World War I, a flu epidemic changed how people thought about tubs. Many people worried about germs hiding in the spaces under the feet. This led to new bathroom designs that were easier to clean.

Today, we have many special types of tubs for different needs.

Baby bathtubs help keep infants safe and reclining. There are also hot tubs and whirlpool tubs used for relaxation. In 1968, a company called Jacuzzi introduced the "Spa Whirlpool." This is why some people call a hot tub a jacuzzi.

From ancient pottery to modern plastic, the bathtub remains a helpful tool for health.

A bathtub, often called a bath or a tub, is a container designed to hold water for bathing.

Humans use these vessels to clean their bodies or to relax. Modern bathtubs are found in bathrooms as stand-alone fixtures or part of a shower system. They are made from many different materials. These include thermoformed acrylic, fiberglass-reinforced polyester, or porcelain-enameled steel and cast iron. The design of a tub often depends on how the person intends to use it. This leads to different styles based on whether the person lies down or sits up.

There are two primary styles of bathing used around the world. Western-style bathtubs are designed for reclining. These tubs are typically long and shallow to accommodate a lying position. In contrast, Eastern-style bathtubs are designed for sitting. In Japan, these are known as furo. Furo tubs are typically short and deep.

Modern tubs also feature specific plumbing mechanisms. They include overflow and waste drains. These drains can be positioned as right-hand, left-hand, center, or even reversible drains. Many modern tubs also have hot and cold water valves mounted directly on them.

Clawfoot bathtubs are a famous and distinct category of bath.

These tubs feature legs shaped like animal feet. They can come in four major styles. The classic roll rim bathtub is also called a roll top or flat rim tub. Slipper bathtubs, known as slipper baths in the UK, have one end that is raised and sloped. This creates a comfortable lounging position. Double slipper bathtubs have both ends raised and sloped. Finally, double-ended bathtubs have both ends rounded, unlike the classic style which has one flat end.

Other specialized designs exist for different needs. Pedestal bathtubs rest on a pedestal and often feature an Art Deco style.

For the youngest bathers, baby bathtubs are used. These can be small stand-alone tubs or devices that support an infant inside a standard tub. Many are designed to keep a baby's head out of the water while they recline. There are also soft bathtubs made of foam or soft plastic with non-slip coatings. These were marketed heavily to children and the elderly by the 1990s to prevent falls.

Even portable options exist, such as inflatable bathtubs that use air-filled pillows and armrests.

Human history with bathing and plumbing is very long. Documented plumbing systems for bathing date back to approximately 3300 BC. This was discovered through copper water pipes found beneath a palace in ancient Europe. The earliest surviving personal-sized bathtub was found on the Isle of Crete. This tub was a long pedestal style built from hardened pottery.

Evidence of pedestal tubs on Crete also dates to around 1000 BC. The design of the clawfoot tub has origins in the Netherlands. It eventually spread to England as hydrotherapy became a fashionable practice.

In England, early tubs were made of tin, copper, or cast iron. These often had paint that peeled over time. Around 1850, vitreous enamel was first applied commercially to steel and sheet iron in Germany and Austria. In the late 19th century, clawfoot tubs were considered luxury items. They were typically made of cast iron and lined with porcelain. One early method involved applying a porcelain coating to a cast iron horse trough. This style remained popular from the 1880s until the 1930s.

Several historical events changed bathtub design. After World War I, a flu epidemic occurred. People became very concerned with germs and cleanliness. They worried that the hard-to-reach spaces under clawfoot tubs were breeding grounds for germs. Although this was not true, it changed bathroom design. In 1912, the William Howard Taft administration broke up the porcelain trust. This was a cartel that controlled the costs of porcelain fixtures. Later, in 1928, the Crane Company introduced colored fixtures to the United States. This, along with easier cleaning options, led to the decline of clawfoot tubs. In 1979, James R. and Richard Wheeler adapted acrylic technology to create modern, durable acrylic bathtubs.

Bathtubs are also used for recreation and therapy. Hot tubs are heated pools used for relaxation. They were quite popular in the United States between 1967 and 1980. Whirlpool tubs became popular in the U.S. during the 1960s and 1970s. A spa or hot tub is sometimes called a "jacuzzi." This name comes from the manufacturer Jacuzzi, which introduced the "Spa Whirlpool" in 1968.

These tubs can use an air-bleed venturi pump to introduce air bubbles into the nozzles.