Cleanse, Rejuvenate & Heal Your Mind & Body
Ofuro Soaking Tubs have been used by the Japanese for centuries to alleviate both physical and spiritual maladies.
Western and European cultures view bathing as a way to clean the body, but the Japanese see bathing or soaking in hot water as more of a spiritual ritual that cleanses, rejuvenates and heals the mind, body and spirit.
This ancient technique of total immersion in hot water takes away tension, stress, soothes muscular pains and stimulates blood circulation.
If you are interested in learning more about our Ofuro Soaking Tubs including current prices and ordering information, please call our customer care center toll-free at 1-800-735-5290 or email us at customercare@rhtubs.com.
Click Here to view our most frequently asked Ofuro Soaking Tub questions.
The health benefits of this oriental soaking tradition, along with its ability to increase the quality of one’s life and well being, hasn’t gone unnoticed and consumer demand in Western Cultures for Ofuro Soaking Tubs has grown exponentially over the last twenty years.
Our Ofuro Soaking Tubs are custom crafted using the same quality, attention to detail, shapes and styling of traditional Japanese soaking tubs. Traditional Ofuro Tubs come in a wide variety of sizes and depths, but only two shapes; square or rectangular.
Each Ofuro tub is custom made and painstakingly crafted from the finest, hand selected woods available. Our master craftsman began as a woodworking apprentice in Japan many years ago and we’ve been perfecting our own style of Ofuro Soaking Tub ever since 1976.
The Japanese call the wood that they make traditional Ofuro tubs from “Hinoki”, but most Western cultures call it Port Orford Cedar. We offer customers three different wood options for Ofuro Soaking Tubs:
1. Port Orford Cedar – Traditional
2. Alaskan Yellow Cedar – Slightly More Durable
3. Teak – Rich & Exotic
Differences Between Ofuro Soaking Tubs & Western Bath Tubs
1. Soaking, Not Bathing – Ofuro Tubs are meant for soaking, relaxation and rejuvenation, not bathing. We strongly recommend not using soaps and shampoos as doing so will undesirably stain the wood.
2. Tub/Water Depth – The average water/tub depth in Western bathtubs is approximately 12″ and you can’t realistically submerge your entire body in hot water even when lying down. The average inside depth of our Ofuro Soaking Tubs is 26″ – 28″ and we can easily adjust the inside depth up or down depending on your specifications.
3. No Overflow – Unlike our bathtubs, Ofuro Soaking Tubs do not have an overflow. Ofuros are designed to overflow over the top of the tub and onto the floor. Not having an overflow allows the tub to be much deeper, but it requires that the floor underneath the Ofuro be completely waterproofed with a central floor drain installed.
In addition, traditional Ofuro tubs are typically drained onto the floor, although you can plumb it to drain into a standard drain pipe.
Soaking Tubs are traditionally very small, don’t have air jets or massage features and accommodate just one person. These tubs are filled with hot water and then emptied at the end of the evening.
The majority of westerners prefer their tubs to be much larger and they want the ability to customize their soaking tubs in much the same manner as you would a regular wood hot tub.
Our master craftsmen excel at creating Ofuro Soaking Tubs that meet the expectations of Ofuro traditionalists as well as customers who prefer a more Westernized Ofuro experience.
From an “Options” standpoint, most of our domestic customers add circulation, filtration and heating systems as well as therapeutic jets.
Adding circulation and filtration systems allows soakers to re-use the water in an Ofuro numerous times instead of draining it after each use. The plumbing fittings that we use on Ofuro Soaking Tubs are custom made and flush mounted to the tub with clear-coated bronze fittings. If desired, these fittings can also be plated with chrome, nickel or even gold.
We’ve spent almost 40 years perfecting our craft and Roberts Hot Tubs Ofuro Soaking Tubs now rival the finest Japanese products. We take great pride in hand-selecting each individual piece of wood that goes into making an Ofuro.
We construct our Ofuros in such a manner that when complete, each side appears to be made of a single board, with no seams or indication as to how the sides are joined together.
Most importantly, and unlike many of our competitors, our development process keeps our Ofuro Soaking Tubs from seeping, weeping, dripping or leaking even a single drop of water.
What Size Ofuro is Right for You?
All of our Ofuro Soaking Tubs are custom made to order, so there are no standard sizes.
We make the tub to fit your individual desires, taste, depth and space. We’ve built about every size you can think of, so if you can imagine it, we can make it!
The “typical” inside depth is 26″ to 28″ where upon you sit on the floor, but it’s not uncommon to make them as deep as 48″ to allow for bench seating. The thickness of the Ofuro’s walls are generally dependent on the depth.
As the depth increases, so does the wall thickness. Up to 28″ deep the thickness of the sides is a full 2″. Over 28″ and up to 36″ deep, the thickness increases to 3″. Anything over 36″ deep, the wall thickness increases to 4″.
Please call our customer care center toll-free at 1-800-735-5290 or email customercare@rhtubs.com for pricing, ordering and further information on Ofuro Soaking Tubs.