Why Is the Ella Deluxe 39 Inches High and Does That Change the Step-In?

The Ella Deluxe stands 39 inches tall because it is designed as a deeper soaking tub, so the extra shell height becomes water around a seated bather rather than a taller step at the door. On a walk-in tub you enter through the door over a low threshold instead of climbing over the rim, which is why How Tall Are Walk-In Tubs Compared to Standard Tubs? treats exterior height as a depth figure, not an entry figure. The current Deluxe spec sheet does not list a threshold height in its tables, so ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 to confirm that number before you plan the entry.

Where the 39 Inches Comes from

The current Deluxe spec sheet gives an actual size of 55 inches long, 29.5 inches wide and 39 inches high, with a 21-inch seat width. Ella's model highlights describe the Deluxe as a deeper soaking tub rather than a stretch-out tub. Bathers sit more upright and sink lower into the water, which is a different bathing style from the Longer, where a bather scoots down to stretch the legs out. Walk-in Tub Model Highlights puts those two styles side by side.

The height shows up in the water figures. The Deluxe holds 107 gallons unoccupied and 60 to 75 gallons with a bather in it, and its interior length is 46.5 inches. In Ella's Deluxe product video the presenter calls it a well-sized tub for average to taller bathers who want a little extra legroom, with 46 1/2 inches of interior length, a 16-inch seat length and a large, spacious footwell, and points to its great soaking depth. The video on this page shows that walkthrough, from the low threshold and textured floor to the dual drains.

Height alone does not set how deep you sit. Ella's height guide explains that the soaking depth you feel in a seated tub comes from three things: the interior length of the tub, the length of the seat and the distance from the top of the seat to the overflow drains. That seat-to-overflow figure runs roughly 15 to 18 inches across the mid-size models, and a tall bather with a long torso sits higher in the water than a shorter bather on the same seat. The Deluxe's taller shell simply gives that seat-to-overflow distance room to work.

Height and Step-In Are Two Different Measurements

The number that decides how hard a walk-in tub is to enter is the threshold, the height you lift each foot over as you step through the door. The exterior height is the top of the deck, and on a walk-in tub you never climb over it. Ella Capri Versus Ella Elite makes the point with two models: the Elite, which shares the Deluxe's stainless steel inward-swing door platform, is 35 inches tall and has a 6-inch threshold, while the Capri has a 3.5-inch threshold. Neither threshold can be read from the shell height, and the same is true of the Deluxe.

What the Deluxe gives you at the door is what the product video shows: an easy-entry low threshold, a textured slip-resistant floor, sturdy grab bars for stability when entering and exiting, and a chrome locking handle on a leak-proof brushed stainless steel door. Ella's door overview video adds that the inward-swing stainless doors carry a tempered frosted glass panel and an interior chrome locking handle, and that they are removable for easy cleaning. Because the door swings inward into the tub, it needs no clear floor space in front of the tub, which the Capri versus Elite guide notes suits smaller bathrooms.

How the Deluxe Compares with the Rest of the Family

The table shows that the Deluxe is the tallest seated tub in this group by a few inches, and that its height buys water: it holds more unoccupied than the longer Ultimate while taking up 5 fewer inches of floor length. The Elite row also shows why height and threshold are separate figures, since a 35-inch shell carries a 6-inch step. If a low step is the deciding factor for the bather, compare threshold figures from each model's current spec sheet rather than shell heights, and if a deep, upright soak is the goal, the Deluxe's 39 inches is the reason to choose it.

What a 39-Inch Tub Means for Your Bathroom

• Doorways and hallways. The Deluxe is 29.5 inches wide, and the product video says it fits easily through a standard 30-inch doorway. Measure every doorway and hallway on the route before delivery.
• The crate is bigger than the tub. The spec sheet lists a shipping size of 58.5 by 33.5 by 46 inches, a net weight of 212 pounds and a shipping weight of 286 pounds. The owner's manual has you remove the apron, the end panel and all four access panels, then carry the tub by the frame only.
• A 60-inch alcove. The Deluxe is 55 inches long and ships with one reversible end panel and one 4-inch extension panel. The stainless steel door owner's manual walkthrough covers the reversible extension kit table that includes the Deluxe.
• Wall finishing starts higher. The manual describes a tile-flange strip about 5 inches tall glued with 100 percent silicone and overlapping the tub edge by 2 inches. On the Deluxe that flange sits on a 39-inch deck, so your surround or tile begins higher on the wall than it would over a 35-inch Elite.
• Leveling. Every leg must carry equal weight or the door seal leaks, so have your installer check level along the length and width of the deck before the walls are closed.
• Power. The Deluxe needs dedicated GFCI-protected 110/120V lines, and the manual's safety section keeps appliances at least 3 feet away from the tub.

Getting in, Bathing and Getting Out on the Deluxe

The bathing sequence is the same as on every Ella walk-in tub, and What is a walk-in bath and how does it work? walks through it: step in through the door, sit on the molded seat, close and lock the door, fill from the deck-mounted faucet while seated, then drain while still seated before you open the door and step out. On the Deluxe the fill comes from the 5-piece Fast-Fill faucet with a pull-out hand shower, and the two 2-inch four-port drains with extended chrome handles empty the tub so you are not sitting in cooling water waiting for the door.

The Deluxe ships with a fixed dual-massage package: a 3-speed air massage with 16 jets, 8 in the seat and 8 in the footwell, and a hydro massage with 14 jets, 8 in the seat and 6 in the footwell, driven by an intensity dial and an in-line water heater that keeps the water temperature consistent while you soak. LED chromatherapy and ozone sterilization are included, and a heated seat and backrest is the one optional feature. After the air pump is turned off, Auto Purge starts on its own about 20 minutes later and blows residual water out of the air lines, which is normal even if you are still in the tub. The manual asks you never to run the hydro jets below the waterline and to be cautious with water above 100.4 F.

Watch: Ella’s Deluxe Walk-In Tub - More Legroom, More Comfort, More Luxury | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• How Deep Is the Water Really in a Walk-In Tub?
• Interior Length, Seat-to-Overflow and Seat-to-Footwell by Model: The Soaking Depth Table
• Step-In Threshold Heights by Model and How Low It Can Go

Common Questions