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- Verified Buyer
I researched several different paraffin spas before ultimately deciding on this one. The selling points were its size (width and depth) and apparent commercial quality/durability.The TB 6 (110V) is Therabath's newest/most recent model. The TB6 is a Professional DEEP IMMERSION (6-9 lb wax capacity) paraffin bath that accomodates hands and feet. It also has a new/improved (over the TB5 model) ANODIZED ALUMINUM TANK (with integrated handles) that is lightweight, durable, and energy efficient. This box set comes with 6 PACKAGES (6 lbs.) of Therabath of PARAFFIN WAX (which is what you need to get started). According to the manufacturer, six pounds of paraffin provides ~42 manicures (both hands) or 32 pedicures (both feet), assuming three dips per hand or foot. The plastic liners and terry mitts are NOT included. (Please see my note below about other, better options).The Therabath was very easy to set-up and use RIGHT OUT of the BOX. There is even a 5 step QUICK and easy SET-UP REFERENCE CARD so that you don't have to read the instruction manual. The most challenging aspect was finding the perfect location in the house for the Therabath (since it needs to remain plugged in/on at all times). After deciding on the location, I just opened the 6 plastic bags containing the wax, put the solid wax into the container, placed the grate on top of the wax, placed the lid on top of that and then plugged the unit in. After waiting about 6-8 hours, the wax was melted and ready to use.It is important to note that the makers of Therabath designed their paraffin wax spas without an external on/off switch or manual/adjustable temperature control. (When it's plugged in, it's "on" and automatically cycles on/off to regulate the temperature of the wax.) Therabath's rationale (according to their website) behind this is that the spa should be viewed similar to a refrigerator that is safely plugged in and running all of the time with internally regulated temperature controls. In reality, if you want to use the Therabath on a regular basis, you have to keep it plugged it to keep the paraffin wax melted. It takes about 6-8 hours for the wax to fully melt and be ready to use. Most people can't/don't want to wait 8 hours EACH time before using it. If you are a person that does not feel comfortable leaving things on/plugged in 24/7, then this probably is not the unit for you. I have had mine on/plugged in for almost 3 weeks without any problem. (And in the cycling on/off, it is off more than it is on - which is indicated by the indicator light.)I purchased the Therabath to help alleviate the EXTREMELY and painfully dry and cracked hands that I get as soon as the weather turns colder. The wax feels really good on my hands. I just wish I could "soak" them in the wax. Instead, you spread your fingers, dip for a few seconds, take your hand out for a few seconds and then re-dip. (You can repeat for as many times as you'd like, but based on my experience anything over 5 times is way too much.) I got a little carried away the first time I did it and did it probably 7 times. The wax was REALLY thick, but it felt good. After that, I put my hands inside plastic bags (getting the bag on my second hand was a little more of a challenge, but doable) and then put them in terry mitts. I generally leave the wax on for about 15 minutes and then peel it off (like a glove). The first time, my hands felt like I applied Vaseline to them and then slept with socks over my hands overnight. Each time I use the wax, they feel a little softer (and better). I've heard of people leaving it on overnight, but the wax was already starting to crack after 15 minutes, so I'm not really sure it would stay attached to my hands for over 8 hours.I decided to use just regular, generic zip-lock gallon-size plastic food storage bags and long terry oven mitts. The food storage, plastic bags are MUCH thicker (and cheaper) than the hand/foot "liners" and the terry oven mitts are thicker and hold in the heat better (and, again, cheaper) than the hand/foot mitts. You can even re-use the plastic bags to help save additional money. By using ZIP-LOC mouth bags, it's easier to get your hands in by yourself because the top stays open on it's own. It also retains heat better because you can zip-lock it to your arm.There are MANY different scents of Therabath brand wax to choose from. I purchased the unit with the LAVENDER HARMONY scent. When I first opened the package, I thought the scent was going to be too overwhelming, but once the wax was melted in the container (and even on my hands), it was only a very subtle scent (not strong like it was right out of the package).Overall, I am very happy with my Therabath Paraffin Spa purchase. I do have to admit, though, that I was extremely lucky and did not pay the full price. Amazon must have made a huge data entry error/glitch while updating/changing the prices in their system, because for a few hours one day it was selling for a fraction of the retail price. And that is when I purchased mine. The extremely low price was the only reason that I purchased it. I had the Therabath in my Amazon cart for a while because I was hesitant to spend THAT much money on something that may or may not work in alleviating the extremely dry skin on my hands (even though my friends swore by the paraffin treatments at their spa). I personally had never had a paraffin treatment at the spa/salon, so this was my first time trying it. For a fraction of the price, I absolutely love the Therabath. After much thought and consideration, I would not, however, pay the full retail price (for my dry skin problem) because there are other cheaper alternatives. In fact, before the price was drastically (erroneously?) lowered, I had decided that I really shouldn't spend THAT much money and instead was going to compromise and buy the Dr. Scholl's Paraffin Spa (on sale for twenty dollars at Wal-Mart) and then use the Therabath paraffin wax with that unit. I still think that is a good, lower-priced option and would still have done that if the price not been lowered on the Therabath. At a fraction of the price, The Dr. Scholl's is smaller, not as deep and is not the same commercial quality (as the Therabath), BUT it does have an ON/OFF switch and manual temperature control. Again, I have not tried the Dr. Scholl's ... only read about it. I still believe the Therabath is a far better quality paraffin spa, if you have the money to invest in it.I highly suggest looking at the manufacturer's website (which is the name of the product dot com) because it has a lot of useful information (including care, cleaning and maintenance of the unit).I needed a paraffin bath for hand-pain therapy, so I first ordered one of the cheap $40 ones here on Amazon. Right away I knew "cheaper" was not the best choice: the paraffin took forever to melt, was not fully melted, and even letting it cool for 30 minutes the paraffin was still way too hot to use. I've had paraffin therapy before, both in a physical therapist's office as well as at home, so I knew what to expect; this "cheaper" unit was on the verge of scalding (skin scalds at 140 degrees F; this one was at 137.9).So I returned "cheaper" and ordered one of these directly from the manufacturer, since Amazon didn't have one available with the Scent-Free paraffin (I cannot use scents of any kind due to severe allergies). But UPS lost the package, so I ended up just buying one with scented paraffin (which I'll toss) plus a refill package of Scent-Free paraffin. TOTALLY WORTH IT! Not only is this Therabath unit of much higher quality -- apparent as soon as you open the box -- but the paraffin melted much better and faster, no clumps around the edges, and the temperature was like I remembered from my previous experiences.The unit does take up a bit of counter space (see pics), but it's worth it to have paraffin therapy available whenever I need it (daily). Another reviewer said it's "not at all practical," but I should mention we have a modest-sized condo with not a lot of extra counter space, yet we found room. Also, I guess the other reviewer didn't realize you can leave this unit plugged in 24/7 (per the manufacturer), so it's always ready; no waiting for the paraffin to re-melt.It would've been nice if the manufacturer had included plastic bags and insulating mitts for the price, but all you get is the unit and 6 pounds of paraffin. At first I thought I'd just use a Ziploc bag and a towel, but it's awkward and slippery so I went ahead and got some paraffin bags instead. For the mitts I went one step further and ordered microwaveable therapy mitts (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S242C6R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), to help retain the heat even longer. The mitts are great on their own! The combination should really help my hand pain, which has already benefitted from the Therabath paraffin treatments (~12 hours of relief).Overall, if you're looking for pain therapy, Therabath is the way to go. The cheaper units may work for the "mani-pedi" set, but if you're serious about pain therapy or just want something to counteract heavy computer usage (I'm a 3D architectural visualization artist), Therabath is definitely a better choice.This is one of the most expensive units on Amazon but I must say that so far it is amazing! I dipped both my hands and feet for the first time today! I had a nice bath, and treated my feet and hands to an at home mani/pedi treatment removing all dead skin/cuticles, then I dipped my feet and hands one at a time into this warm wax and it was heavenly! I bought the professional disposable bags for hands/feet though you could easily use plastic wrap or reuse grocery bags. Then placed them in the footie/hand warmers that I also bought on amazon. I found the temperature to be perfect but keep in mind my feet and hands were already warmed up from lounging in my bath before hand. If your hands or feet are cold it may feel like the wax is too hot. I have severe pain in my hands, elbows, ankles and feet due to arthritis so I have to say that I just love this machine. It is just so wonderful to come home too after a long day at work on my feet all day, have a nice bath soak, then treat my feet, ankles and hands to a wax treatment! I imagine that I will just leave it plugged in during the fall/winter season when I have the most pain issues because it does take a long time to heat the wax (6 hrs). Also when buying wax in the future, I will just buy unscented and use my own essential oils for fragrance or aromatherapy. My feet and hands are so soft and I have not even put on any lotion yet!!
