Which Ella walk-in tub is right for me comes down to four questions: who is bathing, how much space you have, which door style suits your bathroom, and which therapies you want. The quick answer: able-bodied bathers in standard bathrooms usually choose an inward-swing model, wheelchair users choose the Transfer family with its L-shape outward door, couples choose a two-seat model, tall or broad bathers choose the Big4One or ShaK, and anyone who wants to bathe lying down chooses a LayDown. This guide walks through each family, the door and side decision, and the therapy choices, with the full choosing video embedded first.

Start with Your Needs, as the Video Does

The full choosing guide video starts exactly where you should: take stock of your personal needs. Is aging in place a concern? Are you able-bodied, or do you have limited mobility and need wheelchair access? What about your personal size, do you need extra width and length, or a lay-down tub? Then take hip and shoulder measurements seated in a chair, measure head to feet while seated for length, and compare against the detailed measurements on each product page. Next, confirm your home can accommodate the tub: check all exterior and interior door widths and hallways. Finally, verify your hot water supply, the video recommends the maximum capacity water heater available for your house, with anything under 75 gallons not recommended, plus 3/4 inch supply lines with accessible shut-off valves. One line in this video is superseded: it says a right-side door puts the drains on the right, and the current published pairing is the opposite, as explained below. Its Elite width is also older; the current spec sheet gives 30 inches.

The Families at a Glance

Within a family, size follows the bather: seat widths run from 19 inches on the Petite through 22 to 24 inches on the Elite, Ultimate, Monaco, Royal and Transfer32, up to 29 inches on the TransferXXL and ShaK. The Big4One suits bathers around 6 feet and taller, the ShaK is built for the tallest bathers, and the TransferXXL and Transfer32 are favorites for larger bathers who are not tall; there is no set weight limit, so if a bather fits comfortably the tub will support them. Every model except the Front Entry is ordered left-hand or right-hand. Model-by-model exterior sizes are in walk-in tub dimensions by model, and the wheelchair models are compared in the Transfer family guide.

Door Type and Door Side

Inward-swing doors (acrylic, stainless steel with frosted glass, or the Ultra's aluminum frame) suit smaller bathrooms and are removable for cleaning on the stainless models. Outward-swing doors need more room in front of the tub but make entry easier and are the choice for wheelchair transfer; check the distance to your toilet and vanity. Each model is built for one door style, so the door type is chosen by choosing the model; inward or outward swing door weighs the trade-offs. Door side is driven by your plumbing: the door and seat are on one side of the tub and the drains are on the opposite side, so a right-side door means left-side drains and a left-side door means right-side drains, left and right as you face the tub. Choose your door side based on where your house drain is located, or use the dual 4-port T-type drains and connect on whichever side is most convenient, capping the unused ports, and confirm the plan with your licensed installer before ordering. A 2 inch house drain gets the most out of the gravity-driven dual-drain system, which empties an average tub in about 80 seconds under ideal conditions. The faucet position is fixed by the factory-drilled deck and cannot be swapped after the fact.

Then Pick Your Therapies and Extras

Depending on the model, you can configure air massage (three speeds with automatic purge), hydro massage with an in-line heater that maintains your bath temperature and an intensity control dial, Infusion microbubble therapy, independent foot massage on many models, LED chromatherapy, and ozone sterilization that runs with the hydro system. Compact tubs such as the Capri and Petite carry two systems, mid-size tubs such as the Royal, Monaco, Transfer32 and Transfer60 can combine three, and the large-frame and two-seat tubs can carry all four; therapies are built in at the factory and cannot be added later, so which therapy combinations fit which tub is worth a look before you decide. Popular extras include the heated seat and backrest, digital or easy-touch controls, headrests and seat cushions, the four-fold glass screen as a shower-curtain alternative, a rain-head shower column, and aromatherapy.

The video above shows How to Choose Our Best Walk-In Tub. All of the choosing videos are summarized in choosing a walk-in tub on video.

Common Questions

Still deciding? Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support and the team will be glad to confirm the exact numbers for your model, or call (800) 480-6850.