Science and Design
The technology behind a MicroSilk® bathtub was designed to harness the power of microbubbles for home use. Microbubbles had previously been used in industrial and medical settings to clean and sterilize equipment and foods, but had yet to be cultivated for use on human skin. In 2011, Jason® Hydrotherapy introduced a system that would gently and efficiently produce these tiny workhorse bubbles in a bathtub.
What is a Microbubble? Why is it so important?
MicroSilk microbubbles are miniature gas bubbles measuring less than 50 microns (.002”) in diameter. While small, they are full of air, generally a mix of oxygen, nitrogen, and other gases. Under Stokes’ Law for Frictional Force the smaller the bubble, the slower it is to rise to the top of the water. Thus, microbubbles suspend in the water and form a “cloud” around the bather. The suspended microbubbles will eventually implode under hydrostatic pressure releasing oxygen and energy, in the form of heat, into the water. This heat energy allows the bath water to maintain temperature and even rise by as much as one degree every twenty minute cycle.
These tiny microbubbles are also negatively charged. According to Van Der Waals Force, “opposites attract.” Thus, the positively charged dirt and impurities on the skin are attracted to the negatively charged microbubbles as they surround and enter the pores and sebaceous glands. This force provides a high level of detoxification and hydration to the skin. As the bubbles gently brush against the skin they comfortably clean and exfoliate on a micro-level.
Oxygen - the critical component
MicroSilk microbubbles supersaturate the water with oxygen - so much so that the level of dissolved oxygen in the bath exceeds 13mg/L, which is up to 70% more than regular tap water. This level of oxygen saturation was achieved under the principle of Henry’s Law by increasing the pressure around the water, the water can hold more gas.
The gentle cloud of dissolved oxygen has particular significance for skin health. Oxygen is a natural cleanser. The skin uses oxygen to kill bacteria, stimulate the immune system, promote healing, and to supply energy to the cells. By immersing the body in water with elevated levels of dissolved “wet oxygen,” effective amounts of oxygen enter the pores and hair follicles, deep enough to reach the sebaceous glands.
Learn more on the benefits of wet oxygen.
Negative Ions fight free radicals and improve serotonin levels
Atoms are the building blocks of life. An Ion is an electrically charged atom. Positive ions (cations) are known as free radicals because they steal electrons from healthy cells to neutralize their own charge, causing cellular damage. (Think cancer and/or aging processes) Negative ions fight free radicals. High concentrations of negative ions are also shown to help improve serotonin levels, essential for high energy and a positive mood.
Anion levels are considered therapeutic between 50,000 and 100,000 ions/cc. As the MicroSilk microbubbles implode they release negative ions at the bathwater’s surface. An independent study indicates that Jason’s MicroSilk Technology generates and releases anions at levels over 80,000 ions/cc.
MicroSilk Hydrotherapy System
Behind the sidewall of the Jason MicroSilk bath sits a pump/delivery system that draws in ambient air through a venturi (a short tube with a tapering constriction in the middle that causes an increase in the velocity flow of a fluid and a corresponding decrease in fluid pressure) and dissolved into the water at elevated pressures. Microbubbles are produced by crushing the ambient air bubbles further through a patented system of turns and orifices that ends with a stream of microbubbles introduced into the bath well through a port / jet at a flow rate of 7gpm. Within 1.5 minutes the entire bath well is filled with a thick cloud of oxygen-rich microbubbles. There are no chemicals or other additives added to the water at any point.
