What is the interior basin width of the Ella Elite and Petite tubs?

The current Ella spec sheets do not print a separate interior basin width for the Elite or the Petite. The interior width figure they do publish is the seat width, which is 22 inches on the Elite and 19 inches on the Petite, inside actual exterior widths of 30 inches and 27.5 inches. For a wider look at the compact tubs, see Ella Petite vs Elite vs Flow: which compact walk-in tub fits you?, while this page stays on one question: how much room there is inside these two tubs and which published numbers tell you.

What Ella Publishes for the Inside of Each Tub

Ella walk-in tubs are published with three outside dimensions: width, length and height. The inside of the tub is described by a different set of figures, and the seat width is the one printed for every model. Here is everything the current sources list for the interior of these two tubs.

• Elite seat width: 22 inches, printed on the current Elite spec sheet. This is the same seat width as the Standard, Ultra, Transfer30 and Transfer60.
• Elite seat length and interior length: Ella's Elite video describes a 14 inch seat length and a 42 inch interior length, along with the 22 inch wide seat.
• Elite water capacity: 75 gallons unoccupied and 35 to 55 gallons occupied on the spec sheet.
• Petite seat width: 19 inches, the narrowest seat Ella offers, shared only with the Transfer26.
• Petite seat length and interior length: a 13 1/2 inch seat and over 42 inches of interior length.
• Interior basin width, wall to wall: not listed for either tub.

So if you came looking for a single wall to wall basin number, the honest answer is that there is not one to quote. The seat width is the interior width you can rely on, because it is the part of the basin you actually sit in.

Elite and Petite Interior Figures Side by Side

The table uses only figures that appear on the current spec sheets, in the published Ella size guides and in Ella's own model video. Where a figure is not published, the cell says not listed. The Flow and the Deluxe are included so you can see where the Elite and the Petite sit among their closest neighbors.

What the differences mean for you: the Elite and the Petite are the same 52 inch length and the same 35 inch height, and their interior lengths are close, so the real choice between them is width. The Elite gives you a 22 inch seat where the Petite gives you 19 inches, and it does so with 2.5 more inches of exterior width. If your seated hips fit comfortably under 19 inches, the Petite's compact seat holds you in place and leaves more room to spare in a tight doorway. If they do not, the Elite's 22 inch seat is the safer choice on the same lower platform.

How to Check the Seat Width Against Your Own Body

Ella's measuring guidance never asks how tall you are. It asks you to sit in a chair facing a wall, in a relaxed position, and take three measurements.

1. Your hips while seated. The tub seat must be wider than this number, so compare it with 19 inches for the Petite and 22 inches for the Elite.
2. Your shoulder width while seated. The tub must have proper shoulder room for your body size. Check this figure against the drawing for the model you are considering.
3. Your length from head to feet while seated. This tells you which tub length fits, and it is the figure to hold against the interior lengths in the table.

Be exact with all three, because different body sizes require different size tubs. Bigger is not automatically better. Ella's extra-large tubs with very long seats are designed for taller bathers and can be uncomfortable for an average or shorter person, which is why a shorter bather usually starts with the lower 35 inch platform that the Petite and Elite share. What Size Walk-In Tub Is Best for a Five Foot Person? explains that reasoning in detail, and What size walk-in tub fits a five foot or six foot person? is helpful when two bathers of different heights will share the tub.

What the Elite Video Adds About Soaking Depth

The Ella Elite video on this page presents the tub as generously sized, with good hip and leg room for an average size bather. It states the 14 inch seat length, the 22 inch wide seat and the 42 inch interior length, then shows the actual external dimensions on screen so you can check the tub against your home. It also explains that the overall soaking depth of an Ella walk-in tub is determined by three factors:

• the interior length of the tub,
• the length of the seat, and
• the depth from the top of the seat to the center of the overflow.

The video is clear that a bather's particular size ultimately determines the overall soaking depth. That is one more reason a single basin width would not tell you much on its own. Seat width decides whether you fit, and the three factors above decide how the water covers you once you are seated.

Exterior Width Still Matters for Your Bathroom

Even though the interior is what you feel, the exterior is what has to fit. The Petite's actual width is 27.5 inches, and 28 inch is the nominal size used in its name. The Elite's actual size is 30 x 52 x 35 inches on the current spec sheet, so plan around 30 inches for the Elite. Both tubs ship crated, and the shipping sizes are 31 x 57 x 47 inches for the Petite and 32 x 54 x 50 inches for the Elite.

The actual inch figures on the current spec sheet are always the ones to measure against, and What are the standard dimensions of a walk-in tub? shows how these two tubs compare with the rest of the line. If the height of the tub wall is part of your planning, How tall are bathtubs and walk-in tubs, and why does it matter? covers what the 35 inch figure means next to a conventional bathtub.

If you need a specific interior figure that is not published, such as the shoulder room on the model drawing, your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 will be glad to help you read the current drawing for the exact tub you are considering.

Watch: Ella Elite: Dual Massage Walk In tub with Door & Seat: Ideal for Disabled & Elderly | Ellas Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Interior Length, Seat-to-Overflow and Seat-to-Footwell by Model: The Soaking Depth Table
• Seat sizes and soaking depth: how to measure yourself for a comfortable fit
• How many gallons of water does a walk-in tub hold?

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