Does the Stainless Steel Walk-In Tub Door Only Swing Inward?

Yes. Every stainless steel door on an Ella walk-in tub swings inward, into the tub, and there is no outward-swinging version of it. The brushed stainless door with its frosted tempered glass panel is fitted to the Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe and Ultimate and to the two-seat Companion and Escape, as described in What Is the Stainless Steel Inward-Swing Door on a Walk-In Tub?. If you would like a door that opens outward, that is a different door platform on different models, covered below.

Why the Stainless Door Is Built to Swing in

The inward swing is part of how this door seals. You enter through the opening, stay standing, swing the door closed toward you and turn the interior chrome handle to lock. The handle pulls the door into its seal, and once the tub starts to fill, the weight of the water presses the door even more firmly into place. The water does part of the sealing work for you.

That design has two happy consequences for daily use. The door stays shut on its own during the bath and will not open until the tub has completely drained. And because the door travels into the tub and not into the room, it does not need clear floor space in front of the tub the way an outward door does.

The stainless door has one more feature that sets it apart: it is removable. Ella's door videos on this page point out that the inward-swing U-shaped doors, made of brushed stainless steel with a tempered frosted glass panel and an interior chrome locking handle, lift out for easy cleaning, so you can reach the seal and the tub wall behind it.

Ella's Five Door Styles and Which Way Each One Swings

The newer of the two videos on this page walks through five easy-entry, low-threshold door styles. Every Ella model belongs to one of them, so the model name settles the swing direction.

What the differences mean: the door material and the swing direction travel together. If the stainless steel look is the priority, the door swings inward, and you choose among the seven models in the first row. If an outward swing is the priority, for an easier entry and exit as the video puts it, you are choosing a composite and glass door on a U-shape or Transfer model. There is no model that combines the stainless door with an outward swing. What Are the Shell, Frame, Door and Towel Bar of an Ella Walk-In Tub Made Of? explains the two door constructions in more detail.

What an Inward-Only Door Means in Your Bathroom

• Check the opening against the bather. The door opening on the stainless family is the narrowest in the line, at roughly 16 1/4 to 16 1/2 inches. It is worth comparing that with the bather's needs before deciding.
• Plan to step in before closing the door. Since the door swings into the tub, you enter, stay standing, and swing it closed toward you before you sit down.
• Expect to wait for the drain. The door will not open until the tub has completely drained, because the water is holding it against the seal.
• Never lean on the door. Do not use the door to lower yourself into the seat. The door and seal warranty is valid only when the alignment is correct and has not been changed by a bather's weight.
• Enjoy the swivel tray. The swivel tray is made only for tubs with the inward-swing stainless steel door, and the single-seat models on this deck, except the Petite, include it. Fit by door type is covered in Is There a Cup Holder for My Walk-In Tub, and Which Tubs Fit the Swivel Tray?.

Care is simple. Wipe the frame and glass with a mild, non-abrasive cleaner, clean the seal with rubbing alcohol, remove the door from time to time to clean behind it, and leave the door open when the tub is not in use.

Why Some Documents Seem to Say Otherwise

A few printed pages have caused confusion on this exact question, and all of them are carryovers, not descriptions of a real outward stainless door.

• The outward-swing family owner manual describes a stainless steel inward door in its entry section and includes a diagram of it. That page was carried over from the inward-swing manual. The Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, ShaK and Big4One have the outward composite and glass door.
• The Tub4Two spec sheet lists a removable stainless steel door. That line was carried over from the Companion and Escape sheets. The Tub4Two door swings outward and is a frosted tempered glass panel in a white composite frame.

If a manual or spec sheet disagrees with what you see, trust the tub. Find the model name on your order paperwork, open the door, and see which way it travels. Is My Tub Door Inward or Outward Swing, and Which Door Do I Have? walks through the check for every model, and the team at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850 is glad to confirm your door style from your model name and a photo.

Watch: Walk-in Tubs With Stylish, High Quality Doors for Easy Access | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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