What Are the Best Bathtub Packages That Include Everything You Need?
The best bathtub package is a walk-in tub built to order as one complete unit: the shell with its door and seat, one therapy package, the faucet you select, and the drains and panels that finish the alcove. Which one is best depends on how you bathe, because the tub shell stays the same whichever package you choose and only the pumps, heater, light and controls underneath change. The decision guide for the therapy side is Which Ella walk-in tub package is best for you and what does it include?, and this page shows how the whole package fits together.
What "everything You Need" Means on an Ella Walk-In Tub
A complete package has four layers: the tub itself, the therapy equipment, the faucet, and the finishing pieces. The Ella Petite is a good example of what arrives as part of the tub before any therapy choice is made:
- A gloss white acrylic shell reinforced with fiberglass gelcoat, on a stainless steel frame with adjustable leveling legs.
- An inward-swinging brushed stainless steel door with frosted tempered glass, removable for cleaning.
- A removable front apron with two access panels and one stainless steel chrome deck-mount grab bar.
- Ella's dual drain layout: two 2 inch four-port drains with end caps, two overflows and two stainless steel operated openers with extended chrome handles.
- One reversible end panel and one 7 inch extension panel, so the tub still finishes a standard 60 inch alcove.
Included items vary by model. The Petite, for instance, does not include the swivel tray or towel bar found on other stainless-door models. Its size and options are in What are the features and size of the Ella Petite walk-in tub?.
One thing no package includes is the installation itself. Ella's Bubbles does not perform installation, so a licensed, experienced local contractor does that work.
The Therapy Packages Compared
Every tub is built with one of these packages. The table shows what each one puts under the tub and who it suits.
| Package | Equipment under the tub | Controls and extras | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soaking | No jets, no pumps and no electrical equipment | No therapy controls. The optional heated seat and backrest is the only electrical item it can have | Bathers who want the door, the seat and the soak with nothing to switch on |
| Hydro Massage | One water pump, the in-line water heater and the ozone sterilization generator | One push button plus one intensity dial, no LED light | A water-jet massage with the bath temperature maintained |
| Air Massage | One three-speed air blower with Auto Purge | One push button that cycles high, medium, low and off, no heater and no ozone | A gentler bubbling massage |
| Hydro plus Air | Water pump with heater and ozone, plus the three-speed blower with Auto Purge | LED chromatherapy light, push buttons and a dial, or the digital controller | Both massage types in one tub |
| Hydro plus Independent Foot Massage | Two water pumps, one for the seat jets and one for the foot and calf jets, heater on the foot loop, ozone | Two push buttons and two intensity dials, LED light | Foot and calf jets that run on their own |
| Hydro plus Microbubble | Water pump with heater and ozone, plus a dedicated 1 HP microbubble pump, pressure vessel and agitator valve feeding one microbubble jet | LED light, push buttons and a dial | Microbubble bathing |
| Triple packages | Everything from the two packages combined, each system on its own pump | LED light, push buttons or the digital controller by model | Bathers who want it all, on the models that offer it |
What the differences mean for you: the Soaking package is the simplest to own, with no electrical equipment at all unless you add the heated seat and backrest. Hydro Massage is the package that brings the in-line heater, which maintains the bath temperature. The LED chromatherapy light arrives with the dual packages and is not part of Hydro Massage alone. The independent foot massage package gives you a second pump, not extra jets. On the Petite, for example, the same 16 jets, 10 in the seat and 6 in the foot well, are used with either one pump or two. Hydro plus Microbubble needs a second dedicated electrical line, so tell your electrician before the rough-in.
The Faucet Completes the Package
A tub is not ready to use until it has a way to fill, and here Ella gives you a choice. The first video shows why that matters: when your order is placed, the tub is pulled for you and drilled for whichever faucet you select, then built with the features you chose.
- The deck-mounted 2-piece and 5-piece fast-fill faucets both include a pull-out hand shower. The 2-piece cartridge is certified with an ADA lever.
- An optional shower column adds a 10 inch rain head for seated or standing showers.
- The Waterfall faucet is a wall-mounted brass faucet with a 24 inch slider bar and a hand-held shower with four spray settings. It comes in matte black, chrome and brushed nickel, with maximum water flow rated at about 10.5 gallons per minute. On the demonstration tub it filled the bath in under 5 minutes.
The deck-mounted faucets are part of the tub. The Waterfall is wall work, roughed into the wall by a licensed plumber before the walls close, so it has to be planned earlier. The overview is in The Waterfall Wall-Mount Faucet: Installation Overview, Slider Bar, Finishes and Fill Expectations.
Comfort Options and Two-Seat Tubs
Beyond the therapy package, comfort options round out the tub: a heated seat and backrest, easy-touch or digital controls, and on models that accept them a 24 inch hand shower slide bar or a 10 by 7.5 inch head pillow. Grab bars and textured, slip-resistant floors are on all walk-in models, and most models have a 17 inch seat height, similar to a standard chair. How those features serve older bathers is covered in Which accessible bathtub options work best for elderly users?.
For couples, the second video explains the two-seat walk-in tubs. They have two separate seats, and each seat has its own jets and its own independent systems. An extra large tub is not the same thing as a two-seat tub, and the two-seat models are also comfortable for one bather.
When a Tub Package Is Not the Right Package
If the person bathing stays in a wheelchair or shower chair, a roll-in shower is the better fit. Shower products are sold per item, so a complete roll-in shower is put together from the base, a wall system sized to it, and accessories such as grab bars or a door. The comparison is in Should I choose a walk-in tub or a roll-in shower?.
Settle the model, the therapy package, the faucet and the comfort options with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before your tub goes into production.
Watch: Two Seat Walk-In Tub with Door: Best for Couples - Voted Best/Safest 2020 | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.
Related Guides
- What Comes With Each Therapy Package: Pumps, In-Line Heater, Ozone, Auto Purge, LED, Dials, Pressure Tank and Controls at a Glance
- Electrical requirements by model: dedicated GFCI circuits for your walk-in tub
- What Installation Involves, How Long It Takes, and What Drives the Cost
Related Videos
Questions fréquentes
Does the tub shell change with the therapy package?
Which therapy package has no electrical equipment?
Do the fast-fill faucets include a hand shower?
Does the foot massage package add more jets?
Is installation included with an Ella bathtub package?
About this guide. Answers in the Ella’s Bubbles Support Center are compiled from real conversations with tub owners, our technicians’ notes and the product documentation, then reviewed by our team. Tub models and options have evolved over the years, so a detail here may differ slightly from your exact tub. If something looks different on yours, send us your serial number and a specialist will confirm it for your model.
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