If You Want to Turn Your Bathtub Into a Jacuzzi, I Found an Easy Way to Do It

Before now, every apartment I’ve ever rented just had a sad, boring stand-in shower with no tub. I desperately missed taking baths. It was such a staple in my self-care routine as a teenager that going cold turkey was rough. I wish I’d known then that there was such a thing as portable bathtubs — which are designed to sit in the bottom of said showers — but I’ll just have to cut my losses.

Things are looking up, because I finally have a usable tub and I can take baths to my heart’s content. It’s nothing special, but I have zero complaints because it’s better than nothing. Still, there are plenty of easy ways to make it more luxurious: a candle, a bath tray, maybe even a shower lamp. TikTok just gave me another idea to take my baths up a notch: a bubble massage mat.

For renters, it’s impossible to replace an old bathtub with something more luxurious, like a Jacuzzi. And even if you do own your home, remodeling it isn’t cheap. That’s what makes this mat so clever: It gives you a Jacuzzi experience without having to lift a finger (or drop a ton of cash). If you want the exact mat from the video, you can find that by clicking this link — but I found an even more affordable option at Amazon.

So how exactly does it work? The waterproof mat has 16 suction cups on its base, so it won’t slide around your tub — although, as some reviewers point out, you’ll have better luck if your tub isn’t textured. Once installed it’ll cover a good portion of the tub’s floor, as it measures 47.2 by 15.75 inches. For reference, most standard bathtubs are 60 inches long and 30 inches wide.

It connects to a motor via a hose, so that the air travels to the mat and creates millions of bubbles in the water, which creates a massage effect. With the included remote control, you can make it as subtle or as powerful as you’d like; it has six settings to choose from. The icing on the cake is that you can add heat, so it’ll keep your water warm longer too!

Average Rating: 4.1/5

“It is easy to set up; it simply sticks to the bottom of my tub with suction cups and I can instantly have a Jacuzzi experience. When I don’t want it in the tub anymore, I just un-stick and take it out. No fancy cleanup required. I flip the mat over when I’m done and run a blast of air through to empty out any water. The air is powerful and relaxing; it feels wonderful on tired, achy muscles.” —Trevor

“The air unit is very easy to operate where it is two on/off switches: one for bubbles, one for heat. I really like that you have the option to heat the bubbles; although this won’t change/increase the bath water temp, it stops it from cooling down too quickly if you only use just air bubbles, as we’ve found with other machines in the past.” —Jackson Elderton

“It’s comfortable to lie on, the instructions are easy, and the jets are strong. The only thing is (and because this works so well I’m not letting the minor cons affect my rating) it is a pretty big machine you have to put somewhere, and the tube connecting the mat to the machine is oddly placed, so you have to work around it. And it is a bit loud. But … worth every cent plus some.” —Shelley Gardine

As a regular bath taker — and as a renter with limited options to improve my apartment — I think this viral find definitely seems like it’s worth the splurge. Especially with the dozens of five-star reviews backing it up!

Buy: Dribbl Electric Bubble Massage Bathtub Mat, $119.99