What Is the Ella Ultimate 30x60 Walk-In Tub With Air, Hydro and Foot Massage?

The Ella Ultimate is a seated walk-in tub built to the standard bathtub footprint of 30 inches by 60 inches, with a brushed stainless steel inward-swing door and three therapy systems fitted together: hydro massage at the seat, an independent hydro foot and calf massage on its own pump, and three-speed air massage. Ella's team describes it as the most popular tub in the line by a wide margin, and it is one of only two Ella tubs built at the full 60 inch length, as explained in Which Ella Walk-In Tubs Are 60 Inches Long?. This page gathers the Ultimate's published figures and features in one place so you can see what the fully loaded description actually includes.

Size, Weight and Capacity

The current spec sheet for the Ultimate gives the figures below. The 30 by 60 label is the nominal footprint used on the product page, and the actual shell sits a touch under it, which is normal across the line.

• Actual size: 29.625 inches wide, 59.50 inches long and 35.75 inches tall.
• Shipping size: 33 by 63 by 47 inches, with a shipping weight of 350 pounds and a net weight of 220 pounds.
• Seat width: 21 inches.
• Water capacity: 95 gallons unoccupied and 55 to 85 gallons occupied. The occupied figure depends on the size of the bather.

At 35 3/4 inches the Ultimate stands a little taller than the 35 inch Petite and Elite and well below the 39 inch Deluxe, as laid out in How Tall Are Walk-In Tubs Compared to Standard Tubs?. Height on a walk-in tub is not a wall to climb, because you step through the door over a low threshold, so the height goes into soaking depth instead. The depth you feel in a seated tub comes from the interior length, the seat length and the distance from the top of the seat to the overflow drains, a figure that runs roughly 15 to 18 inches across the mid-size models. The full 60 inch length is the reason Ella's video presents the Ultimate for taller bathers, who gain legroom that the 52 inch models cannot offer. A shorter bather may be just as comfortable in a 52 inch tub with the extension panel filling the alcove, so the team's advice is to choose by the bather rather than by the opening.

Three Therapy Systems on One Deck

The Ultimate's name comes from carrying every therapy system Ella offers in a single tub. The spec sheet lists them this way:

• Hydro massage: a 5 amp hydro pump feeding 11 seat jets, with an intensity dial air control, ozone sterilization rated 0.04 amps and an on/off push control.
• Hydro foot and calf massage: its own 5 amp pump feeding 2 calf jets and 4 foot jets, with its own intensity dial, ozone sterilization and push control, plus the in-line water heater rated 9 amps and 1000 watts.
• Air massage: a 4.5 amp, 500 watt three-speed air pump feeding 17 air jets, 9 around the seat and 8 at the feet, with auto purge and an on/off push control.
• LED chromatherapy light: a 0.5 amp LED with a transformer and a push control.

The independent foot massage is what separates the Ultimate from an ordinary hydro tub. Because the foot and calf jets run on a separate pump, you can fill the tub only up to the seat, switch that pump on and massage just your feet and calves without filling the whole tub, which is what the Ultimate video shows. Fill the tub fully and switch on the seat pump as well for a full body massage. Each pump has its own chrome dial on the deck, so the Ultimate carries two intensity dials. What Is the Intensity Control Dial on a Walk-In Tub? explains that the dial works by adding or removing air in the jet stream and never changes the speed of the pump. The hydro massage control video shows it in use: turn the dial up for a stronger flow and down for a gentler one.

On push controls the air massage starts on high at the first press, drops to medium on the second and low on the third, and a fourth press turns it off. About 20 minutes after the air pump is switched off, auto purge starts on its own and runs for 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines. It cannot be stopped, and it is normal even if you are still in the tub. The optional digital controller replaces the push buttons with a touchpad, and the therapy systems behind it are the same.

Every pump runs on 110/120 volt power and must connect to a dedicated GFCI protected outlet or GFCI protected circuit breaker. The spec sheet adds that the amp value for each pump may change based on availability and asks you to verify before purchase. The one-page component diagram for your exact therapy package, and the number of dedicated lines it prints, is indexed in the Therapy System Schematics Index. Match the package on your order paperwork first, then confirm that your model appears in the diagram's list before electrical planning.

What Comes with the Tub and What Is Optional

The spec sheet's included feature list for the Ultimate reads as follows:

• Acrylic shell in gloss white, reinforced with fiberglass gelcoat, on a stainless steel frame with adjustable leveling legs.
• Inward swinging brushed stainless steel door with frosted tempered glass.
• Removable front apron with two access panels, plus one reversible end panel.
• Stainless steel, chrome finish deck-mounted and wall-mounted grab bar.
• Removable swivel tray in white matte finish, which the Ultimate video describes as a 360 degree tray for a book or a beverage.
• Two 2 inch 4-port PVC drains with 2 end caps, 2 overflows and 2 stainless steel operated openers with extended chrome handles. This is Ella's dual drain technology, and the T-type ports let the drain pipe leave in either direction, with caps on the unused ports. PVC pipe connections are not included.
• The 5 piece single lever fast-fill faucet, rated up to 18 gallons per minute at 60 PSI under ideal in-home plumbing conditions, with a pull-out chrome hand shower on a 5 foot retractable braided hose limited to 1.9 gallons per minute. Two 3/4 inch by 5 foot braided stainless steel supply lines are included. Shut-off valves are not, so your plumber supplies them. The Ultimate video notes a two piece fast-fill set as the alternative, and each set carries the multi-function hand shower.

Two options are listed for the Ultimate: the heated seat and backrest, and the digital controller. Ella's team also confirms that the Ultimate accepts the rain shower and the shower screen, so a tub-and-shower layout is open to you.

How the Ultimate Sits Among Ella's 30 by 60 Tubs

If you have settled on a 30 by 60 inward-swing tub, there are two live choices, and Ultimate, Zen, Standard or Deluxe: Comparing Ella's 30 by 60 Inch Inward-Swing Tubs walks through them. The Ultimate carries the stainless steel door, the larger hydro jet package and air massage. The Zen shares the footprint but uses the acrylic S-shape inward-swing door and offers hydro massage only, with no air massage, which is the main therapy difference between the two. The Standard is the earlier hydro-only 30 by 60 with 18 hydro jets that the Zen line has succeeded, so ask whether it is currently available before you plan around it. The Deluxe is a different footprint, 30 by 55 inches, that stands 39 inches tall and comes standard with hydro and air. The other 60 inch tub, the LayDown 30 by 60, is a reclined tub with a glass side door and room for only one therapy system, so it suits a bather who specifically wants to lie down rather than sit.

Before You Order

Confirm the door side first, because the drains sit on the opposite side from the door: a right-side door tub has its drains on the left, and a left-side door tub has its drains on the right, as you face the tub. Check that the therapy package on your paperwork matches the schematic you were given, and ask the team to verify the current amp values for each pump. Plan easily reached shut-off valves near the tub, since none ship with it. Measure the delivery path against the 33 by 63 by 47 inch shipping size. For anything model-specific, contact your Ella dealer or the team at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850 with the exact package you are considering.

Watch: Walk-In Tub With Hydro Massage Control Dial, Customize Your Comfort | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Air Massage, Hydro Massage and Heated Seat Options Explained
• Independent Foot Massage: A Foot Spa Without Filling the Whole Tub

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