What Are the Best Walk-In Tubs and Accessible Bath Options?

The best walk-in tub is the one whose entry style, size and therapy package match the way you move and the room you have, and Ella's Bubbles builds 27 walk-in tub models so that match exists for most bathrooms. If stepping over a rim is the problem, any Ella door and low threshold solves it; if you transfer from a wheelchair, the Transfer family's L-shaped door lets you slide straight across from the chair; if two of you bathe, there are true two-seat models with jets included. Comparing Ella's Bubbles Walk-In Tub Models lays out the lineup; this page turns it into a decision path and adds the shower and remodel options that go with it.

Start with How You Get in

Every Ella walk-in tub replaces the tall wall of a regular bathtub with a watertight door, a low threshold and a textured, slip-resistant floor, and every one has a molded seat, so you are one turn from sitting the moment you are through the door. You always step into an empty tub and step out only after it has completely drained. Beyond that, three entry styles suit different bodies:

• Inward-swing door. The Elite has a brushed stainless steel in-swing door, the Deluxe has an in-swing door, and the Zen uses an inward-swinging acrylic door. You step over the low threshold, turn and sit, then close the door while keeping your feet and knees clear of it. This suits a bather who can take one low step and tuck their legs aside for a moment.
• Outward-swing door. The Monaco has an out-swing door and the Big4One features a U-shape door. Because the door opens into the room rather than into the tub, you never close it past your feet and knees once you are seated.
• Transfer door. The Transfer models use an oversized L-shaped outward swing door made of durable, lightweight aluminum with two latches on Ella's gear and shaft mechanism. There is no sidewall beside the seat, so you sit first and swing your feet in afterward, or slide across from a wheelchair. The opening allows toilet clearance of up to 21 inches in height and leaves space for the chair.

Which Walk-In Tub Is Best If I Have Difficulty Stepping Over a Tub? matches each style to the way you move in more depth.

Then Match the Size to the Bather and the Room

Read the widths first, because that is the question most people are really asking. Among the models listed here a walk-in tub runs from 26 inches wide on the Transfer26 to 36 inches on the TransferXXL, with the Elite at 30 inches; the Royal is wider than the Elite and the Old Dominion, at 30 by 60 inches, is longer. The 52 inch Transfer models include an 8 inch extension panel so they finish neatly inside a standard 60 inch alcove. Plan the path into the home around the crate rather than the tub: the Transfer26 ships at 300 pounds in a 29 by 60 by 50 inch crate, and the Transfer32 at 373 pounds in a 35 by 55 by 50 inch crate. For water heater planning, the Transfer26 holds 75 gallons unoccupied and 35 to 55 occupied, and the Transfer32 holds 107 gallons unoccupied and 45 to 65 occupied. How do I choose a wheelchair accessible walk-in tub? takes the Transfer family through width, door and therapy in order.

Pick the Therapy Package, the Faucet and the Add-Ons

Most Ella models are available as a soaker, no-jets option for a bather who simply wants a safe, comfortable soak. Where therapy is included, the options across the lineup include heated seat and back, hydro jets, air jets, microbubbles and hydrofoot therapy; the Elite offers more therapy choices than the Zen, and every Transfer model can be ordered as a soaking tub or with therapy, the Transfer32 menu running from Soaking and Hydro Massage through Air plus Hydro. Walk-in Tub Model Highlights: Longer, Deluxe, Monaco, and Transfer XXL describes the soaker and therapy configurations model by model.

The first video on this page explains why the faucet matters when you compare tubs. An Ella tub is pulled with your name on it and drilled for the faucet you select, from the two-piece high-flow faucet to the thermostatic TCV faucet and the five-piece high-flow faucet, and drilled for every other feature you choose, so the tub is customized to the order rather than shipped one way. The second video lists the add-ons that round out the room: the 4-fold bath screen, a 10 inch rain shower head, a bathtub wall pillow and security grab bars, along with the outward swing door with 3 latches and the dual-drain technology. Depending on the model you can also add a 24-inch hand shower slide bar or a 10 by 7.5-inch head pillow. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm which add-ons a model accepts.

Accessible Bath Options Beyond the Tub

A walk-in tub is one accessible bath option, and a remodel can add others. Read them as a decision path. A person who stays in a wheelchair or shower chair needs a curbless roll-in shower base, because the entry has no lip to lift a wheel over: Ella's roll-in base comes in standard 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inch sizes with no threshold, ships with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam to keep water in, and suits projects that must meet an accessibility standard, where ADA generally limits a roll-in threshold to 1/2 inch. A person who prefers a slight lip has the low step-in base with a 3-inch threshold or the Accessible Caregiver Shower Base with a 3/4-inch threshold. A person who can step through a door and sit is usually best served by a seated walk-in tub, where the threshold and seat height are the figures that matter: 3.5 inches on the Capri and a 17 inch seat height on most models.

Grab bars, a hand shower and comfort options are added to either choice. Most seated tubs carry one or two deck-mount grab bars, more can be added to the walls, and shower bars fasten into reinforced backing. The pull-out hand shower on the 2-piece and 5-piece faucets, the 24 inch slide bar and the 10 inch rain head on the shower column let a bather shower seated or standing without being moved. What accessibility upgrades can a bathroom remodel add? has the full table and the compliance notes.

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