A bath tub is a plumbing accessory which helps one take bath. They are generally made of acrylic or fiber glass. There come in two types of shapes: western styled, in which the bather lies down, and the eastern styled, in which the bather sits up. Bath tubs can be further classified into two types: one which is fixed, or the other, which is freestanding tub.
In the US the advent of bath tubs were the fruit of labor of mainly two companies: Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company and Kohler Company, way back in 1883. After World War I, ceramic tubs came and the most popular of these was the claw foot bath tubs. The claw foot tub had then metamorphosed the built-in modern tub in the latter half of the century. Even today, Kohler Company is a top notch company manufacturing all kinds of bath tubs, including the freestanding ones.
Freestanding tubs are the tubs which are not fixed in the bathroom. They are simply kept and their positions can be conveniently changed in case the need arises. They have their legs in the shape of claw foot, to have a tighter grip. They do away with the installation hassles and are also becoming increasingly popular because of their styling and looks apart from, acrylic and fiber glass. They are available in cast iron and copper, and their legs are generally handcrafted. The best part of these tubs is they generally do not have any fixtures or holes drilled into them.
It is not necessary that all freestanding bathtubs are claw foot tubs, but all claw foot tubs are considered to be freestanding tubs. Initially these tubs were inspired by the eastern type tubs where the water can cover up the bather even when he/she is sitting down. With time, a lot of innovations have been incorporated into these tubs. They now come with i-Pod connectivity, whirlpool jets, sound systems, inline heaters, and FM radios. Some of these tubs are incorporated with steam showers and steam rooms, and not only that , they are designed with access for anyone who is disabled. Instead of fading into obscurity, these tubs occupy a place of pride in your bath room. Some of these tubs have been inspired by the European design, making it look like a boat, like the Munich freestanding tub.
If one has a Victorian styled home, the claw footed tub will give it a classic and elegant look. These tubs have seen an increase in demand lately .The claw foot tubs come in mainly 5 kind of designs: classic roll rim, slipper tubs (where one side of the tub is raised to give it a lounge position), double slipper tubs (where both the sides are raised), double ended (where both the sides are rounded) and pedestal type (where instead of the claw foot, the tub is raised on a pedestal).
