A bidet is a device that sprays you clean after you use the toilet, so you don’t need to wipe with toilet paper. They’re actually more hygienic than T.P. and are more eco-friendly too (more on this later).
The Tushy Ace is a luxury bidet that replaces the existing seat on your toilet and comes with premium features like heated seats. It can be installed without any specialized equipment (the only thing you’ll need is an electrical outlet nearby to plug it in).
The Ace costs US$499 on Tushy’s website, although you can usually get them for a bit less from discount codes or sales.
But, is the Tushy Ace worth its price tag? Or are there better alternatives out there?
I’ve been using my Tushy Ace bidet daily for over 3 months now. In this review, I’ll share how to use the bidet (including hidden features), its pros, cons, and my honest opinion of whether or not this bidet is worth your money.
Note: I’d like to say thank you to TUSHY for sending me the Ace bidet to review. Just to be totally transparent, I was not compensated in any other way and this review is my honest opinion of their products. I’ll try to keep this as unbiased as possible.
Tushy Ace Features
- Remote controlled
- Front wash, bum wash, and oscillating washes
- Adjustable Settings:
- Spray Temperature, Pressure, Angle
- Heated Seat Temperature
- Dryer Temperature
- Self-cleaning spray nozzle
- Soft-closing lid
Here’s a closeup image of the Tushy Ace remote with its main features and settings. The buttons work like touchscreen buttons with vibration feedback, and the remote also comes with a magnetic holder that you can conveniently stick to your wall.
Note that not all the features have explicit buttons on the remote. Instead, some are activated by pressing multiple buttons at once (like the oscillating spray functions, cleaning mode, etc). I’ll talk more about these hidden features when I go over how I use the Tushy Ace in more detail later on.
Here’s a short video demonstration of the Tushy Ace (note that the footage is from Tushy instead of my own because the Tushy Ace doesn’t spray water unless you’re sitting on the seat).
Main Pros
- Extremely customizable settings
- Simple installation (about 10 minutes with no special tools)
- On-demand water heater (unlike other bidets that store pre-heated water)
- Nozzle self-cleans and retracts when not in use
- More hygienic than toilet paper + front wash is great during menstruation
Main Cons
- Needs electricity
- Limited controls on the seat (you’ll need to use the remote for most settings)
- Some remote settings are hard to access (i.e. to activate the oscillating bum and front wash you need to press the bum and front button at the same time)
Quick Summary: Is the Tushy Ace Bidet Worth its Price?
If you don’t want to read my full review, then I’ll get straight to the point on my final verdict for this bidet.
So, would I recommend the Tushy Ace?
The answer: It depends on whether you truly need a luxury bidet.
If you just want a functional bidet for cleaning your bum after using the toilet, then a simple (and much cheaper) non-electric mechanical bidet would work perfectly fine.
With that being said, I’ve used mechanical bidets before and I can say the Tushy Ace experience is multiple times better. It comes with a feminine wash for the front (great for periods and just general hygiene), is much easier to use with its automatic + customizable wash modes, and comes with other premium features like heated seats and more.
The bottom line?
If you’re in it for the deluxe bathroom experience, the Tushy Ace is perfect for you, and easily worth the price. But if you just need a basic wash after taking a “number two”, then go for a cheaper non-electric bidet.
At the end of the day, the choice is yours.
Also, just to be totally transparent: Buying a TUSHY product through my link will make me a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Know that I’ve only included affiliate links because I personally use and love my Tushy bidet. Thanks for supporting my blog!
Cyber Monday Extended Sale: 25% Off Sitewide with code CYBERCHEEK + Free TUSHY Ornament with Orders $130+. Offer valid 11/28-12/3.
Now, if you’re not sure whether or not you need all the features of a luxury bidet, I would recommend getting a cheaper mechanical bidet to try out first, before you make the jump to a more expensive luxury bidet.
A mechanical bidet doesn’t use electricity and instead works by using the existing water pressure in your toilet’s clean water valve. In fact, my first ever bidet was the Tushy Classic, a mechanical bidet that costs just US$99.
It comes with all the basic features you need in a bidet (i.e. self-cleaning nozzle, adjustable spray pressure and angle), but lacks some of the more luxury features like heated seats and heated water. However, I found it to work very well, especially given its price. You can check my Tushy Classic review here.
Again, at the end of the day it’s your choice.
With that summary out of the way, let’s get into my full review and thoughts about the Tushy Ace!
Common Bidet Misconceptions
First, I want to go over some common misconceptions of first-time bidet users.
When I first heard the idea of a bidet I thought it was weird (even a bit dirty or disgusting) to use a bidet to clean up after using the toilet. After all, in North America we’ve gotten used to using toilet paper our entire lives.
However, using a bidet is actually a lot more hygienic than using toilet paper. In fact, bidets are very common in Asian and European countries.
This quote from the founder of TUSHY, Miki Agrawal, really stuck with me:
“If a bird pooped on you, would you wipe it off with paper, or wash it away?”
Miki Agrawal, TUSHY Founder
Let’s just leave it at that. I don’t want to get too graphic in this review.
How to use the Tushy Ace Bidet
Installation
The Tushy Ace comes in two different sizes depending on the type of toilet you have. Luckily, toilet sizes are standardized, so one of the sizes should fit perfectly with your toilet.
For most toilets, the Tushy Ace should take around 10 minutes to install. All you need (that isn’t included in the box) is a Phillips head screwdriver.
Installation involves removing your existing toilet seat, installing the Tushy Ace seat, and splitting your toilet’s clean water valve into the bidet. Then, plug the Ace into an electrical outlet and you’re good to go.
All in all it took me about 45 minutes to install the Tushy Ace, but over half an hour of that was spent trying to remove my toilet seat, because I have a non-standard toilet. According to Tushy, installation should take about 10 minutes.
If you need help installing your bidet, you can find extra online instructions and videos here.
Cleaning your Bum (or Front)
To use the bum or front cleaning feature, click on either the BUM or the FRONT button on the remote (obviously!).
You can also activate an automatic oscillating spray by clicking the BUM button after the bum spray is already activated, or clicking the FRONT button after the front spray is already activated.
I find the automatic oscillating spray super effective and convenient — it normally takes me only 15 seconds of spray to get fully clean, and you don’t need to adjust anything manually.
Also, don’t worry about accidentally getting water everywhere. The Tushy Ace only sprays water if someone is sitting on the seat, otherwise, the spray functions won’t do anything.
Wash Settings — How adjustable is the pressure, temperature, and angle?
After clicking on one of the wash modes, you can use the plus and minus buttons to adjust the water pressure. To adjust any of the other settings, you can use the buttons at the bottom of the remote.
Each setting has 5 different levels as indicated by the lights on top of the remote. After adjusting your settings, they will be saved next time you use the bidet.
The Tushy Ace’s lowest water pressure setting sprays a gentle stream of water, but can go up to a very high pressure wash. I usually stick with the middle pressure, but the great thing about the wide range is you can choose what you like.
The Ace’s water temperature is also extremely adjustable, from cold water on one end to hot water on the other. I personally like the lowest temperature setting, but again, it’s up to you.
And finally, the spray can also be adjusted to a wide range of angles. I usually use the middle setting, but the spray angle you need would depend on how you are sitting on the toilet.
For most people, the granularity of the spray customizations will be more than enough for you to get a comfortable wash.
What I recommend if you’re using a bidet for the first time
If you’re using a bidet for the first time, I recommend you start low on the spray pressure setting first, and use a middle temperature setting, which will give you lukewarm water.
Then, you can gradually adjust the pressure, angle, and temperature of the spray as you get used to the feeling.
Also, the first few times I would, uh, double-check with toilet paper to make sure you’re fully clean. The first few times can be a bit… volatile.
When I first used a bidet a few years ago it took me a couple tries to get used to it. However, that was for a more basic mechanical bidet. The Tushy Ace should be a lot easier to use and get used to.
Drying
The Tushy Ace comes with an air-drying function that you can activate by clicking on the remote’s “DRY” button. Then, you can adjust the temperature by toggling the drying power with the plus and minus buttons.
The lowest setting blows slightly-below room temperature air, and the highest setting goes to warm-hot air.
I personally don’t find the drying feature too useful because it takes over a minute to fully dry off. Instead, it’s a lot faster to just use a small towel or some toilet paper. But, it’s definitely a nice feature to have depending on your preferences.
Hidden Remote Features
The remote has a couple other hidden features that you can access by pressing multiple buttons at once. Let’s go over them.
How to Mute the Tushy Ace
When I first got the Tushy Ace it made these really annoying (and quite loud) beeping sounds whenever you clicked a remote button or sat on the bidet.
Luckily, you can learn from my lesson and not go through that trouble.
To mute your Tushy Ace, hold the stop button on your remote for around ten seconds. (The stop button is the one with the gray square). To unmute, just follow the same steps.
How to Activate Cleaning Mode
If you want to manually clean your nozzle, you can extend/eject it from the bidet. To do so, hold the “SEAT TEMP” and “WATER TEMP” buttons on your remote at the same time for 5 seconds.
The nozzle will stay out for 2 minutes before automatically retracting.
Cons
I thought I’d start off with some of the disadvantages of the Tushy Ace before I get into its pros.
Needs Electricity
The main disadvantage of the Tushy Ace is that it needs electricity — both for the main bidet seat (which plugs into a 120V outlet) and for the remote (which uses 3 AAA batteries).
If you don’t have an electrical outlet near your toilet around ground level, it will be super inconvenient to use the Tushy Ace. In fact, I would say you probably shouldn’t buy one unless you have an existing outlet, or you’re willing to get an outlet installed closer to your toilet.
For reference, installing a new outlet usually costs $100-$500 from a licensed electrician.
Limited Controls on the Seat
One limitation of the Tushy Ace is that the seat only has basic controls: BUM, FRONT, and DRY. To do any customization or for the more advanced features, you’ll need to use the remote.
This can get annoying if your family members forget to place the remote back on its dock *AHEM*.
I can also see this becoming a problem if your remote dies or breaks somehow, leaving you without many of the controls.
With that being said, the remote seems pretty sturdy to me and as long as you don’t slam it or get it in water, then you should be good.
I am currently in contact with Tushy to ask if they sell replacement remotes, as I haven’t seen any on their website. I will update this article when I figure this out (though I’m sure there must be replacements available somewhere).
Some Remote Settings are Hidden
Another small limitation of the remote — some of the Tushy Ace’s settings don’t have dedicated remote buttons, and are instead activated by pressing a sequence of buttons.
For example, to activate the oscillating wash you need to press the BUM or FRONT button twice.
When I installed my Ace, I didn’t see any remote instructions in the instruction manual (or at least they weren’t easily visible) — which left me confused when I first used the bidet. But if you read my how-to section above or watch Tushy’s online explanation videos, then this shouldn’t be a problem.
This is a tradeoff between remote simplicity and features — the more features, the more cluttered the remote gets. I think Tushy struck a good balance, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind.
Pros
I’ve already gone over some of the pros in the how-to section above, but I’ll go over some of the more important ones again here (plus any that I didn’t already mention).
Let’s get started.
Fast, Customizable Clean for your Bum AND Front
The Tushy Ace’s automatic oscillating spray makes for a super effective cleaning experience, both for your bum or your front.
It usually takes me around 15 seconds of spraying to clean myself up with the Tushy Ace (after taking a “number 2”), which is a lot faster than when I used a more basic mechanical bidet.
I also really like the customizability of the spray settings. Each option (spray pressure, temperature, and angle) can be adjusted to a wide range of levels, from a gentle spray to a high-pressure spray, and from cold/room-temperature water to hot water.
Oh, and one more thing — the front wash is extremely useful for cleaning up after menstrual cycles. At least, that’s what my family tells me (luckily, I’m a male and don’t need to deal with that).
Hygienic
Not only is using a bidet more hygienic than using toilet paper in general, but the Tushy Ace also comes with its suite of hygiene features too.
First, the nozzle will self-clean itself before and after you use any spray, by running a stream of water down itself. The nozzle also retracts completely when not in use, so you don’t need to worry about it getting dirty.
In case you want to manually clean the nozzle, you can get it fully extended to wipe/clean by holding the “SEAT TEMP” and “WATER TEMP” buttons on your remote (at the same time) for 5 seconds.
On-Demand Water Heating
One thing that’s great about the Tushy Ace is its on-demand water heating. Unlike some other bidets that store pre-heated water in a water tank, the Ace heats water as it sprays out.
This means you’ll never run out of heated water. And it will always be fresh, not stale tank water.
Is the Tushy Ace Bidet Eco-Friendly?
I’m a big proponent of sustainability (as you might be able to tell from the name of my blog).
Tushy claims to be an eco-conscious company — but, is the Tushy Ace eco-friendly? (Spoiler: it’s eco-friendly for the average use case, but there are some limitations).
First, some context about the toilet paper industry:
The toilet paper industry contributes to major deforestation and water pollution.
It takes about 37 gallons (140 litres) of water and 1.3 KWh of electricity to manufacture just a single roll of toilet paper. And the average American uses about 11 rolls of toilet paper each month.
So the average person’s toilet paper consumption uses over 400 gallons of water and 14 KWh of electricity each month.
On the other hand, the Tushy Ace has a maximum power rating of 864W during operation (which I found on the sticker on the side of the bidet). Assuming that as an individual you run the bidet for, say 5 minutes a day, then in a month you’ll use 2.16 KWh of electricity each month.
(864W * 0.083 hours/day * 30 days/month = 2160 Wh = 2.16 KWh)
That’s a lot better than the 14 KWh of electricity embedded in a month’s worth of toilet paper usage. When you add on the water savings (the average bidet uses half a litre, or an eighth of a gallon of water per minute), then the Tushy Ace is definitely a better alternative to toilet paper.
With that being said, if you do things like sit on the toilet for extended periods of time with the heated seat on the highest setting, or you spend a lot of time drying off, then it’s possible that the Tushy Ace uses more energy than toilet paper.
Overall, however, the Tushy Ace is probably more eco-friendly than toilet paper for the average person.
Conclusion
In all honesty, even if TUSHY didn’t send me the Tushy Ace for free, I would probably buy one with my own money.
The Tushy Ace comes with every luxury feature you’d need in a premium bidet. The fact that it’s more eco-friendly and saves money from buying toilet paper in the long-run, makes the Tushy Ace completely worth it for me.
If this review helped you decide to buy a TUSHY bidet, I’d appreciate it if you could use my affiliate link. It helps me out with a small commission, and you can get 25% off using promo code
“CYBERCHEEK” after clicking “Checkout” (you must enter the code to get the discount).
Valid until November 26, 2023.
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Thanks again and see you next time!
Copyright Note: Some images in this review are from hellotushy.com. I obtained permission from TUSHY to use these images – if you want to use them, please obtain permission beforehand.