The short answer is no: a walk-in tub door cannot be changed to swing the other way once the tub is built. Swing direction is a factory build choice built into the shell, the door frame and the latch mechanism, so an installer cannot reverse it in the field and a new door or panel does not change it. What you can choose is the model and the hand. Every Ella walk-in tub except the Front Entry is built in a left-hand and a right-hand version, and each door family has its own swing: inward on the stainless steel, aluminum and acrylic S-shape doors, outward on the U-shape and the wheelchair-transfer L-shape doors. If a family member cannot get in with the door swinging inward, the answer is an outward-swing model in the size you need.

Likely Causes

• The bather has to close an inward door past their knees and feet, which takes some flexibility.
• The tub was ordered in the wrong hand, so the door and seat sit away from the grab bars or the open floor.
• A two-seat model such as the Escape was chosen, and that model is only made with an inward-swing door.

What to Check, in Order

1. Confirm the door family. Inward only: Royal, Elite, Petite, Deluxe, Ultimate, Ultra, Companion, Escape, Standard, Zen, Flow and LayDown. Outward U-shape: Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, ShaK, Big4One, Tub4Two and Big4Two. The Transfer family carries the outward L-shape door. See choosing between inward and outward doors.
2. If the swing is the problem, find the outward counterpart. The Monaco is the Royal's outward counterpart at the same size, and the Tub4Two is the outward two-seater.
3. Measure the floor in front of the tub. A U-shape door swings 165 degrees and needs about 21 inches of clear floor; the L-shape Transfer door needs about 36.5 inches.
4. Decide the hand as you face the tub. The door and seat sit on one side and the drains and faucet on the opposite side, so a right-side door means left-side drains and a left-side door means right-side drains. The left-hand or right-hand guide walks through this.
5. Do not let the house drain decide for you. Plumbing can run under the tub in either direction, with roughly 3 inches of clearance beneath the frame for a 2 inch line, and the four-port drain bodies connect from the left or the right with the unused ports capped. See plumbing and drain configurations and confirm the plan with your licensed installer.
6. Talk it through before ordering with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, measurements in hand.

The video walks through the five door styles, from the outward U-shape and L-shape doors with their gear-and-shaft locks to the removable stainless and aluminum inward doors and the acrylic S-shape door.

When to Open a Ticket

If you already own the tub and the swing or the hand is not working for the bather, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or contact your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850. Include your model and serial number, where you purchased, a photo of the bathroom from the doorway, and a note on what makes entry difficult. The team can confirm which outward-swing model matches your size and therapy setup.

Common Questions