After a hip or knee replacement, the surgeon sets the rules for bathing: when the incision may be submerged, which hip precautions apply, how far the person may bend, and when jets against the joint are welcome. What an Ella walk-in tub offers within those rules is concrete: a step-in threshold that runs from about 3 1/2 to 7 inches instead of the 18 to 22 inch wall of a standard bathtub, a chair-height molded seat, a backrest that stays close to upright, back jets that are recessed and hip jets set low, grab bars for standing and stepping, and a water temperature ceiling of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the manuals.

The Surgeon Sets the Rules

Whether a healing incision may go under water, whether it may be exposed to a jet stream, whether the person may bend the hip past a certain angle, cross their legs or twist to reach the door, and how long they may sit in warm water are questions this page cannot answer, because they depend on the surgery, the person and the stage of recovery. Bring the tub's numbers below to the surgeon or physical therapist so the answer can be specific, and remember that a bather who needs assistance should not bathe alone.

Step-Over Heights by Model and Why a Lower Threshold Can Matter

Published drawings and figures given by the team place the Monaco at 3 5/8 inches, the Mobile at about 3 3/4 inches, the Transfer family and Capri around 3 1/2 to 4 inches, the Big4One and ShaK at about 5 inches, the Ultra at about 6 inches and the Elite at about 6 1/2 inches. A lower threshold means less hip flexion and less knee lift to clear the lip, which is often exactly what a post-surgical precaution list limits. Recessing the drain below the subfloor can bring a model down to about 3 to 3 1/2 inches, but the apron or end panel is trimmed and that voids warranty coverage on the altered panels. Full figures are in step-in threshold heights by model.

Seat Height, Seat Length and Backrest Angle Against Hip Precautions

Hip precautions often limit how far the hip may bend, so seat height and backrest angle are the two numbers to bring to the therapist. Seat height is about 17 inches on many Ella models, including the Ultra, most outward-door tubs and the Transfer family, and about 15 inches on the stainless-door family, the Mobile and the Escape and about 16 inches on the Front Entry; the Ultra's 17 inch seat height is called out as ADA-compliant in Ella's published material, and a seat pillow riser can add a few inches on models that take it. Backrest angles are printed on four drawings: the Ultra at 88 degrees, the Flow at 96, and the Monaco and Mobile at 101, where 90 is straight up and a higher number means more lean. Every Ella seat keeps the person close to upright, and the team can read the angle from the drawing for any other model. Seat widths run from 19 inches on the Petite and Transfer26 to 29 inches on the TransferXXL, and the seat must be wider than the person's seated hip measurement. See backrest recline angles and seat sizes and soaking depth.

Where the Jets Sit: Recessed Back Jets, Low Hip Jets

Ella places the water jets in the back recessed so the bather can lean against them comfortably, and sets the hip jets low so the stream reaches the hip and runs down the leg. Whether a jet stream should touch a healing incision or a new joint at all is the surgeon's decision; until they say yes, the intensity dial turns the hydro flow down, the adjustable lower jets can be redirected, and every therapy can simply stay off for a plain warm soak. On tubs with the independent foot massage option, a footwell-only fill runs just the foot and calf jets on their own pump, which keeps the water well below a hip incision. How to soften or redirect a jet is in jet and intensity dial adjustment.

Never Use the Door as a Support

A person protecting a new joint reaches for whatever is nearest, and that must be the grab bar, never the door. The door is designed to hold its own weight only, and the door and seal warranty is valid only if the alignment is not changed by applying the bather's weight to the door, which can cause misalignment and a leak. Most models include at least one grab bar, and many include both a deck bar and a wall bar placed for standing from the seat and crossing the threshold; extra bars can be added to the surrounding walls. If the door ever weeps after a bath, door leaks: what to check starts with leveling and alignment.

Water Temperature and Soak Length

Ella's article on injury recovery cites studies of warm water between 92 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 20 minutes, and the owner's manuals warn that water above 100.4 degrees may be harmful to health and ask you to check and adjust the temperature before use; a thermostatic control valve, where fitted, arrives set at that 100.4 degree ceiling. These are general published figures, not a prescription. The manuals also caution about hyperthermia and ask anyone taking medications to consult a physician before hydrotherapy. Ella's warm-water bathing guidelines gather the published figures; the surgeon decides what applies to this person and this incision.

Talk to the Care Team

This page describes the tub's features; it is not medical advice. Whether the incision may be submerged, whether jets may run against the joint, how far the person may bend to enter, how warm and how long the bath may be, and how they should be steadied are all decisions for the surgeon or physical therapist. Ella supplies the dimensions. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can read any threshold, seat or backrest figure from the drawings, or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your model and the question.

Common Questions