What features should I look for in a home hydrotherapy tub?

In a home hydrotherapy tub, look for a hydro massage system with an in-line heater and an intensity dial, a fast-fill faucet set with a hand shower, an oversized gravity drain with an overflow and emergency pull chain, and a low threshold, textured floor and grab bars around a seat that fits the bather. On an Ella walk-in tub these features belong to the therapy package and the faucet set rather than to one model, as Which Ella walk-in tubs offer quick fill, auto heat and programmable cycles? explains, so the real decision is which package, which faucet and which shell size suit your bathroom and your bather.

The Hydro Massage System: Jets, Pump, Heater and Intensity Control

The hydro system is the heart of a hydrotherapy tub, and four parts decide how it feels. The jets come first: the Standard and Standard60 carry 18 hydro jets, the Flow has 16 with foot and calf jets, and the Front Entry has 13, with 11 at the seat and 2 at the calves. The pump is second; the Standard, Standard60 and Flow use an 8.1A 900W pump, and the Front Entry a 7A pump. The third is the intensity control dial, which changes the strength of the stream so a bather can turn it down for a gentle soak or up for a firm massage. The fourth is the in-line water heater, a 6A 650W unit that comes with every hydro package.

The heater is the feature most people mean when they ask about auto heat, so it pays to know exactly what it does. It maintains the temperature of the hot water you filled with while the hydro pump runs. It does not heat a cold fill and it cannot raise a lukewarm one. It has no switch of its own and comes on automatically whenever the pump starts, so a hydro massage holds steady from start to finish. With the pump off, the water cools like any other bath. Because the heater comes only with a hydro package, a soaking or air-only tub cannot have it added later. Two details worth asking about: the Front Entry hydro package includes an ozone generator, and the Standard60 adds diverter switches that run the foot and leg jets only, the back jets only, or both.

Air Massage, Microbubbles and Hydrogen: The Other Therapy Options

Some tubs pair the hydro system with a second therapy. The Front Entry shows the range of choices, because it is offered as Air + Hydro, Hydro + Microbubble, Hydro or Soaking. Its air massage runs 16 jets, 10 in the seat and 6 in the foot area, from a 4.5A 500W pump. The push control is three speed: the first press is high, the second medium, the third low, and a fourth press turns the system off. Air systems have one fully automatic cycle, Auto Purge, which starts about 20 minutes after the air pump is turned off and runs 120 seconds to blow residual water out of the air lines. It cannot be stopped and is normal even if it begins while you are still in the tub. The Front Entry microbubble option uses a 1 HP 7.3A pump.

The Standard60 is the only Ella tub offered with the H2 hydrogen and microbubble system, and it cannot be combined with Infusion microbubbles. Not every extra is available on every shell, and the Standard and Standard60 profile makes the point plainly: those two tubs and the Flow are hydro-only, with no air massage, no microbubble package and no soaker version, and the heated seat is their only add-on. The LED chromatherapy light is not included with any Front Entry package. If a particular therapy matters to you, confirm it is offered on the shell that fits your room before you plan the room around the tub.

Filling and Draining: The Faucet Set and the Drain

A walk-in tub fills fresh for every bath and drains completely afterward, so there is nothing to sanitize, balance or test between baths. The speed of that routine is set by the faucet and the drain, not by the therapy package. Ella fast-fill faucet sets come as a 5-piece set, which the Standard and Standard60 ship with, or a 2-piece set, which the Flow and Front Entry ship with, in chrome or brushed nickel. The 2-piece set flows up to 16 GPM and comes with two 3/4 inch by 5 foot supply lines and a pull-out hand shower, so the bather can rinse while seated. Because the water comes from your home water heater, the starting temperature and the pace of the fill depend on that heater's capacity and recovery, which is why water heater sizing matters far more with a walk-in tub than with a hot tub.

On the drain side, the Flow, Standard and Standard60 use one 2 inch gravity drain with an overflow and an emergency pull chain on a T-type body with multiple ports, so the installer can connect from either side and unused ports stay capped. The Front Entry uses one 2 inch 2-port PVC drain with two overflows and a pull chain, and the Transfer family uses Dual Drain Technology with dual 4-port 2-inch drains. All of them connect directly to the home drain and empty by gravity. The emergency pull chain is worth insisting on, because it opens the drain from inside the tub without reaching for the controls.

Comfort and Safety Features Around the Seat

Hydrotherapy is only relaxing if getting in and sitting down are easy. Every Ella walk-in tub has a low threshold, a textured slip-resistant floor and grab bars, and the video on this page shows those features on the Standard along with its intensity dial, in-line heater, 5-piece fast-fill faucet and dual port drain with pull chain. Seat size and soaking depth are the figures to compare. The Standard has a 22 inch wide seat that is 18 inches long, 43 inches of interior length and a 15 inch soaking depth, measured from the top of the seat to the center of the overflow drains. The Flow seat is 20 inches wide and 13 inches long, and the Front Entry seat is 25 inches wide and 13.5 inches long. The guide to accessibility upgrades a bathroom remodel can add lists a 17 inch seat height on most models and a 3.5 inch threshold on the Capri as the figures that matter for a bather who steps in and sits.

The door is a comfort feature too. The Flow, Standard and Standard60 use an inward-swing acrylic S-shape door with the handle inside, held shut by water pressure. The Front Entry uses a white composite and tempered glass U-door with a 3-latch lock that swings outward from the end of the tub, so it needs swing room in front of the tub rather than inside it. An optional heated seat and backrest, a 4A radiant system, warms the surfaces you sit and lean against while the tub fills. The Flow also offers a removable head and neck support, and the Front Entry offers a digital controller and seat cushions.

How the Compact Hydro Tubs Compare

Read the table by starting with the room. If the tub must pass a 28 inch doorway, the Flow is the one built for it, and it is also the only Ella tub whose spec sheet calls for a 15 amp outlet rather than 20. If you have a 60 inch alcove and want the most jets, the Standard and Standard60 give you 18 and the choice between an extension panel and a shell that spans the whole opening. If the space is short rather than narrow, the Front Entry trades a few hydro jets for an end door, air and microbubble packages and a 25 inch seat. Whichever you choose, ask your electrician to confirm the dedicated GFCI circuit and local code, and have your plumber check that the home water heater can keep up with the fill, because those two items shape the daily experience more than any extra jet.

Watch: The Ella Standard: Perfect for a Comfortable Deep Soak with Hydrotherapy | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• What Comes With Each Therapy Package: Pumps, In-Line Heater, Ozone, Auto Purge, LED, Dials, Pressure Tank and Controls at a Glance
• Hydro Massage vs Air Massage vs Microbubble: What Each System Does and How They Combine
• Common Questions About Choosing Therapies: Hydro or Air for Muscle Tension, Foot Massage Versus Microbubble, Fewer Jets, and Whether Ozone Is a Therapy

Related Videos

Common Questions