How wide are walk-in tubs, and do bathtubs come 34 inches wide?

In Ella's published figures, walk-in tub widths run from 27.5 inches on the Petite, through 30 inches on the Elite and the LayDown 30x60, to 32 inches on the LayDown72 and the two-seat tubs. None of those published widths is 34 inches, because the printed sizes step from 32 inches straight to the 36 inch Fiji, which is a step-over alcove tub and not a walk-in. The narrow end of the range, and why a tub named 28 inches measures 27.5 inches, is covered in Are there walk-in bathtubs only 28 inches wide for small bathrooms?.

Published Widths Side by Side

Ella's Bubbles offers 27 walk-in tub models, and width is one of the first figures that separates them. The table below gathers the widths printed in the current spec sheets and the published Ella articles, with the length and height beside each one, because a tub has to fit your bathroom in all three directions. Where a figure is not published in those sources, the cell says not listed. Models that are not in the table have their own spec sheets, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can send the one you need.

Here is what the differences mean for you. Among seated walk-in tubs the steps are small. The Elite is 2.5 inches wider than the Petite on the same 52 inch length and 35 inch height, so choosing between them comes down to whether your space can spare those 2.5 inches. The Old Dominion is also 30 inches wide and stretches to 60 inches long. At 32 inches, the published walk-in figures belong to tubs that bathe differently. The LayDown72 is a full-length lie-down soak, and the two-seat tubs are built for two people and always come with jets. So going wider in these figures usually means choosing a different style of bath, not simply a roomier version of the same tub. The 36 inch figure belongs to the Fiji, which you step over to enter, so it answers a different need from a walk-in tub with a door.

Do Bathtubs Come 34 Inches Wide?

A 34 inch width does not appear anywhere in the published figures used for this page. The walk-in widths printed there are 27.5, 29 1/2, 30 and 32 inches. The next printed figure after 32 inches is the 36 inch Fiji 36x66, a conventional step-over microbubble tub for an alcove. If you searched for a 34 inch bathtub, Ella's documents offer 32 inches on one side of that number and 36 inches on the other.

Two notes help here. First, the Royal is described in Comparing Ella's Bubbles Walk-In Tub Models as wider than the Elite, but that article prints no width figure for it. It is therefore not listed here, and the Royal spec sheet is the place to confirm its width. Second, if the space you are working with measures 34 inches, the 32 inch models are the ones that fit inside it. Those are the LayDown72 and the two-seat tubs among walk-in tubs, and the Solo 32x60 among step-over tubs. Have your installer confirm the finished dimensions of the alcove before you settle on a model, since tile, wallboard and trim all change the number you started with.

Nominal Width and Actual Width Are Two Different Numbers

Tub names use round numbers, and spec sheets print the measured ones. The Petite is the clearest example. It is labeled 28 inches on the product page and in the brochure, and its actual size on the current spec sheet is 27.5 inches wide by 52 inches long by 35 inches tall. The Elite's actual size is 30 inches by 52 inches by 35 inches, so its actual exterior width is a true 30 inches. The same pattern shows up in length. The LayDown72 is 72 inches long by name, and its spec drawing prints the overall length as 71 3/4 inches.

The video on this page, How to Choose Your Walk-In Tub, makes the same point. It explains that the listed size and the actual size of a tub can differ, and it uses the Petite as its example, listed at 28 inches wide with an actual exterior width of 27 1/2 inches. It also stresses that correct measurements of all doorways and hallways must be taken so the tub can actually reach the bathroom. One caution applies. The video quotes an older width for the Elite. The current spec sheet supersedes it, and the Elite's actual exterior width is 30 inches. The imperial figures printed on the current spec sheets are the authoritative specifications, so use those for your measuring notes.

Exterior Width Is Not Seat Width

Exterior width tells you whether the tub fits the room. Seat width tells you whether the tub fits you. They are separate figures on every spec sheet and dimension chart, as explained in What Are Seat Width and Seat Height on a Walk-In Tub?. Ella's molded seats range from 19 to 29 inches wide:

• The Petite has a 19 inch seat inside its 27.5 inch exterior.
• The Big4One and the Transfer32 offer 24 inch seats.
• The ShaK seat is 28 inches wide.
• The widest single seat is the TransferXXL at 29 inches.
• Two-seat tubs list one width per seat. The Escape, for example, has 27 and 29 inch seats.

The seat is molded into the shell as one piece, so it cannot be moved or adjusted after the tub is built. That is why you measure yourself before you choose. Sit in a straight chair, measure your hips and shoulders at their widest, and compare those figures with the seat width on the drawing for each tub you are considering. The seat has to be wider than your seated hip measurement to be comfortable. If a narrow bathroom is steering you toward a narrow tub, check the seat figure before anything else.

Measure Length and Height Along with Width

Width is only one side of the fit. Most bathtubs, walk-in or conventional, are built around the same three-wall alcove that a standard 60 inch bathtub occupies. Ella's 52 and 55 inch models use an extension panel to fill the leftover gap at one end of that opening, and the 60 inch models fill it outright. The LayDown72 runs a full foot beyond the standard 60 inch alcove and is 32 inches wide where the LayDown 30x60 is 30 inches wide, so its alcove has to be measured carefully in both directions. What is an oversized bathtub and who actually needs one? walks through that larger footprint.

Height changes the look of the room too. The seated Petite and Elite stand 35 inches tall, well above the 24 inch Solo and Fiji step-over tubs. The LayDown 30x60 is only 21 inches high, yet it soaks 15 inches deep, compared with about 11 inches in a standard bathtub. Those figures are compared in How tall are bathtubs and walk-in tubs, and why does it matter?. Finally, plan the path into the house along with the alcove. The Petite's published shipping weight is 305 pounds, so every doorway and hallway between the curb and the bathroom deserves the same tape measure you used on the alcove.

Watch: How to Choose Your Walk-In Tub | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Walk-In Tub Dimensions Explained: Which Figure Is the Width, the Length and the Height, and Where to Find the Spec Drawing
• Will it fit through my doorway? How to measure your home for a walk-in tub

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