What is the Ella Escape 36x72 two-seat walk-in tub like?

The Ella Escape is the largest two-seat walk-in tub Ella's Bubbles builds on the inward-swinging stainless steel door platform. It measures 36 inches wide by 72 inches long by 40 inches tall, seats two bathers facing each other on 27 inch and 29 inch seats, and comes with seat hydro massage, an independent foot and calf massage on its own pump, three-speed air massage and LED chromatherapy. To see how it lines up against the other three two-seaters, read Choosing a Two-Seat Walk-In Tub: Companion, Escape, Tub4Two, and Big4Two Compared.

Dimensions, Seats and Water

• Actual size: 36 inches wide by 72 inches long by 40 inches tall.
• Seats: 27 inches wide on one side and 29 inches wide on the other, facing each other, with 60 inches of overall soaking length according to the product video.
• Water: 145 gallons unoccupied and 85 to 135 gallons occupied. The occupied range is what two bathers actually use, since each body displaces part of the water.
• Weight and crate: 286 pounds net and 398 pounds shipping, in a crate measuring 40 by 76 by 49 inches.

Those seat widths are the widest in the two-seat family. The Companion seats measure 23 and 25 inches and the Tub4Two seats measure 20 and 22 inches, so the Escape is the two-seater to look at when either bather is broad through the hips or shoulders, or when you simply want the most room to stretch out. The product video introduces it as the newest tub in the line and describes a tremendous amount of interior soaking space. It joined the family after the two-seat overview video was filmed, which is why that older video mentions three models. As with every Ella tub, there is a low threshold for easy entry and a textured floor for slip resistance.

The Door, Deck and Drains

The Escape uses a custom-crafted brushed stainless steel door with a frosted tempered glass panel. It swings inward and lifts out for easy cleaning, the same door platform the Companion uses. The Tub4Two and Big4Two use the outward-swinging U-shape door instead, which needs clear floor space in front of the tub, so the Escape is the larger of the two inward-door choices when the room in front of the tub is tight. The two-seat video tour explains that the family is offered with either door swing.

The rest of the deck is listed on the spec sheet as follows:

• A removable front apron with two access panels and one reversible end panel.
• A chrome-finish stainless steel wall-mounted grab bar and a stainless steel towel bar.
• Ella's patented 360 degree swivel tray in a white matte finish, which the video notes comes standard.
• Two 2 inch four-port PVC drains with two end caps, two overflows, and two stainless steel cable-operated openers with extended chrome handles. This is the dual drain technology the video credits for fast, efficient draining. Each drain is a T-type that installs in either direction with a cap on the unused port, and shut-off valves are not included.

Therapy Systems Included on Every Escape

The Escape spec sheet lists all four of these systems as included rather than optional:

1. Seat hydro massage. A 7 amp, 1000 watt pump feeds 18 upper seat jets, 9 on each seat, with an intensity dial and a digital controller. Both bathers get the same back massage because each seat has its own jets rather than sharing.
2. Independent foot and calf massage. A second 7 amp, 1000 watt pump drives 4 foot jets and 4 calf jets on its own on/off push control, with its own intensity dial, a 5.5 amp, 650 watt in-line water heater and 0.04 amp ozone sterilization. Because it runs on its own pump, you can enjoy a foot massage without filling the whole tub, with a partner or alone.
3. Three-speed air massage. A 4.5 amp, 500 watt pump feeds 16 seat jets, 8 on each seat, plus 3 foot jets, from the digital controller. The first press is high speed, the second is medium, the third is low, and a fourth press turns the system off. Auto Purge starts on its own 20 minutes after the pump is turned off and runs for 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines. It cannot be stopped and is normal even if it starts while you are still in the tub.
4. LED chromatherapy. A multicolor 0.5 amp LED bulb on a transformer, run from the digital control pad.

The in-line heater on the hydro system maintains the bath temperature while the pump runs, and the ozone works with the hydro system to help keep the tub sanitary. The brochure callout diagram shows where these jets and controls sit on a two-seat deck, using the Big4Two as the illustration.

Faucet, Fill and Electrical

The Escape ships with a twin two-piece fast-fill faucet set, so there are two spouts and two pull-out hand showers, one for each end of the tub. Each faucet is rated up to 16 gallons per minute at 60 PSI with ideal in-home plumbing, comes with two 5 foot water supply lines with 3/4 inch connectors, and has a 5 setting pull-out chrome hand shower on a 5 foot retractable braided hose limited to 1.9 gallons per minute. The spec sheet notes that the faucet is designed to install through a 2 1/2 inch diameter hole for the faucet, a 1/3 inch diameter hole for the mounting rods and a 7/8 inch diagonal hole for the hand shower. Electrically, the sheet calls for dedicated GFCI protected 115 volt, 60 hertz lines, with every fixture on a dedicated GFCI outlet or GFCI breaker, and your licensed electrician should work from the diagram for the therapies on your order.

Options and How the Escape Compares

Two options are listed on the spec sheet: the MicroBubble therapy system, with a 1 HP, 7.3 amp pump, a pressure vessel, an agitator valve and an on/off push control, and a heated seat and backrest, which the video shows activating with the push of a button. Family-wide options covered in the comparison guide, such as aromatherapy, a four-fold glass screen and pillows, also apply.

The differences come down to room. The Companion and the Tub4Two fit inside a standard 60 inch bathtub opening, while the Escape is 72 inches long and 36 inches wide and needs a larger space, in exchange for wider seats, more soaking length and more water. The Companion shares the Escape's inward door and therapy list in the smaller footprint. One more point from the two-seat video: a two-seat tub is exceptionally comfortable for one person, who can sit on one seat and rest their feet on the other like a recliner, so the Escape is also a choice for a single bather who wants the most space Ella offers behind an inward-swinging door. Compare your own seated measurements with the drawing on the spec sheet before ordering, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm the fit for your bathroom.

Watch: Two Seat Walk-In Tub with Door: Best for Couples - Voted Best/Safest 2020 | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Ella Companion 32x60: Two Seats Behind a Removable Stainless Steel Door
• Ella Big4Two 36x80: The Largest Two-Seat Tub, on Video

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