Does the Ella LayDown Walk-In Tub Have a Seat or Is It Lie-Down Only?

The Ella LayDown is a lie-down tub, and it does not have a built-in seat. Both sizes, the LayDown 30x60 and the LayDown 32x72, are built for reclining at full length rather than sitting. Instead of a molded chair-height seat you get a long, flat, textured floor to stretch out on, behind a low glass side door. For the wider picture of reclining across the Ella line, see Can you lie down in a walk-in tub?.

What You Find Inside a LayDown Instead of a Seat

Nearly every Ella walk-in tub is built around a molded seat at chair height, about 17 inches high on most models, with a footwell in front of it. The LayDown family is the happy exception. The two LayDown tubs are the Ella models built for lying down rather than sitting. The interior is laid out like a conventional bathtub, with a long flat floor, straight sidewalls and nothing raised to sit on.

On the LayDown 30x60, the spec sheet lists an interior floor of 46 inches long by 20 inches wide. The soaking space opens up to 53 inches by 25 1/2 inches above the floor. Both LayDown sizes have a soaking depth of 15 inches, compared to about 11 inches in a standard bathtub. That is why the product video describes the tub as much deeper and roomier than an average tub. The rest of the interior is simple and practical:

• A textured, slip-resistant floor.
• Straight sidewalls.
• A single oversized 2 inch brass drain with overflow.
• A tempered glass, inward-swing side door in a brushed-finish aluminum frame, with a low threshold for stepping in.

One detail causes confusion. The LayDown spec sheet uses the same template as the seated tubs and prints a seat line, even though LayDown tubs have no seat. If you spot a seat reference on the sheet, set it aside and plan around the floor and depth figures. Where the 15 inch figure comes from, and why it describes water depth and not the height of the tub, is explained in Do they make a bathtub that is only 15 inches high?.

LayDown Versus a Seated Ella Tub at a Glance

The table shows a trade between posture and height. A seated tub like the Elite stands 35 inches high because it is built around a chair-height seat. The LayDown 30x60 stands only 21 inches high because there is no seat to build around. In return, the LayDown gives you 4 more inches of soaking depth than a standard bathtub and a full-length floor to recline on. The seated tub lets you bathe upright without lowering yourself to floor level. Neither design is better on its own merits. The right one is the one that matches how the bather gets down, gets up and likes to soak.

Why Seated and Lie-Down Tubs Are Not Interchangeable

It is natural to wonder whether one tub can do both jobs. It cannot, and the reason is safety. The owner's manuals for seated walk-in tubs ask the bather to sit fully in the seat with the back against the backrest. They also ask the bather not to slouch, not to lie down in the footwell and not to put the feet up on the opposite side. The footwell is the deepest part of a seated tub. Ella's published guidance notes that a walk-in tub's water depth is comparable to a shallow swimming pool or a hot tub. A bather who slides off the seat to stretch out ends up in the deepest water with no backrest. That is why lying down in a seated walk-in tub is not recommended and could be hazardous. Any bather who is paralyzed or does not have all limbs functioning must be attended by a caregiver at all times and use an installed safety belt.

The LayDown solves this the right way. It is a tub designed from the start for a full recline, with a floor long enough to stretch out on and a depth chosen for lying down. If you want to lie back in the water, choose a LayDown. If you want to sit, choose a seated model. A LayDown is still a true walk-in tub, since a doorless version is not offered on any model, as covered in Can I Order an Ella Walk-In Tub Without a Door?.

Who Is Happiest in a LayDown, and Who Should Choose a Seat

The LayDown suits bathers who want a full-length reclined soak. It also suits bathers over six feet tall, especially in the 32x72 size, and households that want a conventional bathtub layout with a glass door in place of a high wall. You step in over a low threshold rather than climbing over a tub wall, then recline the way you would in a regular bathtub. The sizing side of that decision, including why the 72 inch model needs a longer wall than a straight tub replacement, is covered in What is an oversized bathtub and who actually needs one?.

A seated walk-in tub is the better match for a bather who prefers to stay upright. It is built around a molded seat at chair height, with a non-slip textured floor and, on nearly every Ella model, a built-in grab bar as standard equipment. Ella seats are sized by model, from 19 inches on the Petite to 29 inches on the TransferXXL. The practical differences between sitting in a walk-in tub and lying in an open basin are laid out in Walk-In Tub Versus a Regular Bathtub.

What to Plan for When You Choose a LayDown

With the seat question settled, a few LayDown-specific points are worth knowing before you order:

• Therapy options. The LayDown 30x60 can be ordered as a soaking tub with no jets, or with air massage, hydro massage or microbubble therapy. The air massage package lists 20 jets, a 3-speed pump and an auto-purge that activates 20 minutes after the pump is turned off and runs for 120 seconds to clear the air lines. The hydro massage package includes an intensity dial control, an in-line water heater and ozone sterilization.
• Faucet rule. No LayDown includes a faucet by default. The LayDown 30x60 has no factory faucet option and needs a pre-existing or new customer-supplied faucet, typically wall mounted. The LayDown 32x72 is faucet ready and can be ordered with an optional Ella deck-mount fast-fill faucet.
• Shower screen. Both sizes can be ordered with an optional glass shower screen, which makes the LayDown a comfortable place to shower as well as soak.
• Door side. The door and the drain sit on opposite sides. A right-side door tub has its drain on the left, and a left-side door tub has its drain on the right, as you face the tub. Confirm the side with your installer before ordering.
• Getting it in. The LayDown 30x60 has a net weight of 160 lbs, and its shipping crate measures 63 inches long by 33 inches wide by 29 inches high. Check doorway and hallway clearance along the path to the bathroom.

The LayDown 30x60 product video gives a good feel for the lie-down layout. It shows the chrome locking handle, the tempered glass door and the low threshold for an easy step-in. The narrator then invites you to stretch out and enjoy a full body air massage from the 20 air jets. If you would like help deciding between a LayDown and a seated model, your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 will gladly talk it through. You can also open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support.

Watch: The 3060 Walk-In Laydown Tub: A Solution for Cool & Stylish Accessibility | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• The LayDown Walk-In Tubs: 30x60 vs 32x72 Sizes, Faucet Options, and Features
• LayDown Tubs on Video: 30x60 and 32x72 Walkthroughs, the Glass Door, the Drain and Where the Controls Are

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