Ofuro Soaking Tubs

Description

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.

Click Here to view our most frequently asked questions regarding Ofuro Soaking Tubs.

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 Ofuro Master Craftsman began as a woodworking apprentice in Japan many years ago and we’ve been perfecting our own style of Ofuro Soaking Tub since 1976.

The Japanese used “Hinoki” wood to make traditional Ofuro tubs for centuries.   The same wood here in the U.S. is called Port Orford Cedar and is used in place of Hinoki that has become very difficult to procure.  Roberts Hot Tubs offers three outstanding wood options for crafting Ofuro Soaking Tubs:

1. Port Orford Cedar – Traditional
2. Alaskan Yellow Cedar – Slightly More Durable
3. Teak – Rich & Exotic

The Biggest 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, shampoos, bath salts or oils in a soaking tub as doing so will undesirably affect the wood quality over time.

2. Tub/Water Depth – The average water/tub depth in Western bathtubs is approximately 12″ and you cannot 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 body type and specifications.

3. No Overflow – Unlike 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.  Ofuro Soaking tubs can be filled and drained with each use or they can be filled and maintained like a hot tub using a heater, pump, filter, sanitation system and jets.

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 instead of filling and draining after each use.

Adding circulation and filtration systems allows you to re-use the water in an Ofuro tub for months without draining it.  The plumbing fittings that we use on Ofuro Soaking Tubs are custom made and flush mounted to the tub.

RHTubs has spent over 40 years perfecting our craft and RHTubs Ofuro Soaking Tubs now rival, even exceed, 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.  The craftsmanship is so fine that our tubs are used in commercial applications.

Most importantly, and unlike many of our competitors, our development process keeps our Ofuro Soaking Tubs from seeping, weeping, dripping or leaking even a drop of water.

What Size Ofuro is Right for You?

Our Ofuro Soaking Tubs are custom made to order, so there are no standard sizes.  We make the tub to fit your individual design applications and unique specifications.

We’ve built about every size you can think of, so if you can imagine it, we can build 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 of the tub and will range from 2″ (standard) to 4″ for larger tubs.

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″.

If you are interested in learning more about our Ofuro Soaking Tubs, pricing or ordering information, please call our customer care center toll-free at 1-800-735-5290 or email us at customercare@rhtubs.com.