How Do I Choose the Right Walk-In Tub for My Needs?

Choose a walk-in tub in this order: the bather first, then the bathroom and the route into it, then the door style and door side, then the therapy features, and finally the installer who will do the work. Each step narrows the lineup, so by the end only a few models are left to compare. Once you have a model in mind, How Ordering a Walk-In Tub Works When Your Contractor Is Involved shows how the spec sheet, the fit check and the door side come together before your order is placed.

Start with the Bather: Mobility, Comfort and Safety

Ella's How to Choose the Perfect Walk-In Tub video opens with the advice this whole page follows: begin by considering your specific needs, which it names as mobility, comfort and safety. In practice, that means describing who will be bathing and any mobility concerns before looking at a single dimension. Entry is the first question. An outward-swing door eases entry. With an inward-swing door, the bather steps in, stands, and closes the door past the knees, so some room inside the tub is needed.

Seat height is the second. The molded seat on Ella tubs is about 17 inches high and is not adjustable. If the bather needs to sit higher to stand up comfortably, the answer is an accessory, not a different tub. A seat pillow riser is a moderately soft foam cushion, about 20 1/2 inches long by 13 inches wide by 3 1/2 inches high, that holds to the seat with suction cups. It comes as a standard rectangle or as a U-shape with a bidet cutout, so the bidet air jets at the base of the seat still flow freely. A 6 inch riser is available for the Ultimate, but it covers the seat jets and is made to order. What Is a Seat Pillow Riser on a Walk-In Tub? has the details, and risers can be added after your original purchase, so this choice does not have to be final on day one.

Measure the Bathroom and the Route into It

The second step from the video is to measure your bathroom so the tub fits comfortably. The most common walk-in tub size is 30 inches wide by 52 inches long, a footprint that fits many standard tub alcoves. The range runs from compact 26x45 inch tubs to full 32x72 inch laid-down models, with sizes such as 28x52, 30x55, 30x60, 32x52 and 38x52 in between. Measure the width, length and height of the alcove where your old tub or shower sits. If the tub is a little shorter than the opening, extension panels can be cut down to size to close the gap cleanly, so a standard size can suit an alcove that is slightly larger. Walk-In Tub and Shower Base Sizes and How to Measure for Fit lists the sizes and the measuring basics.

Then measure the way in. Ella's How to Choose Your Walk-In Tub video makes the point that it is vitally important to know whether the tub will actually fit into your home. It says correct measurements of all doorways and hallways must be taken, and it shows that each tub's specific dimensions are published for download. The video also shows why the published dimensions matter: a tub's listed size and its actual exterior width can differ. The Petite is listed as 28 inches wide, and its actual exterior width is 27 1/2 inches. One note on the video: it gives an older width for the Elite. The current spec sheet lists the Elite at 30 inches wide, so plan your route around 30 inches for that model.

Pick the Door Style Your Floor Space Allows

Doors are not interchangeable, so you choose the swing direction by choosing the tub. Check the clear floor in front of where the door will be, and note where the toilet and the vanity sit, then compare with the published clearances.

What this means in your bathroom: if the clear floor in front of the door side is under 21 inches, an inward-swing model is the safer fit. If you have the space and want the easiest entry, look at the outward families. Some pairs make the decision simple. The Monaco is the Royal's outward counterpart at the same size, and the Tub4Two is the outward two-seater. The LayDown tubs come only with the glass side door. A nearby toilet does not automatically rule out an outward door. A U-shape door that begins 28 3/4 inches from the wall, as on the Lounger, may still clear it, so measure before you rule anything out.

Settle the Door Side from Your Drain

Every current Ella walk-in tub except the Front Entry comes in a left-hand and a right-hand version, and the Front Entry is the exception because its door faces you from the front. The door and the drains sit on opposite sides of the tub. A right-side door puts the drains on the left, and a left-side door puts the drains on the right, with sides taken as you face the tub. The practical way to choose is to look at where your house drain sits, as Should My Walk-In Tub Door Be on the Left or Right Side? explains.

The drain does not have to dictate everything. There is roughly 3 inches of clearance beneath the frame, enough for a 2 inch PVC line, and the drain body has ports on both sides. If the seat really belongs on a particular side for the bather, talk the connection plan through with your licensed installer. What cannot change is the decision itself. The hand is set at the factory and cannot be reversed after delivery, and left and right tubs share the same measurements, mirrored, so only the side changes and the footprint never does. What Is Door Side (Left-Hand vs Right-Hand) on a Walk-In Tub? shows how the L or R appears at the end of the SKU.

Choose the Features, Then Line Up Installation and Support

With the size, door and side settled, the enjoyable part is left. The video's third step is to select features that enhance your bathing experience, like hydrotherapy or heated seats. Therapy packages vary by model. The Ella Standard, for example, ships as a hydro massage configuration with 18 hydro jets, an in-line heater and a push control with an intensity dial. On the Transfer family, the jet count is determined by the therapy package chosen, not by the model. Confirm the exact package for your order with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850.

The video's last step is to ensure professional installation and reliable customer support. Ella's Bubbles is the manufacturer and does not install tubs, so a licensed local contractor, plumber or electrician does the measuring and the installation. You may use your own licensed professionals, or ask the team to check its installer network for one near you, which requires the full installation address. Share the spec sheet with your contractor before anything is ordered, because it lists the exterior dimensions, the door swing and the technical requirements your plumber and electrician need. Ella tubs are assembled and tested to order, and the team can confirm current timing for your specific order. After installation, replacement parts ship under the warranty and a local licensed plumber or electrician does the labor, so an installer you trust is part of choosing well.

Watch: How to Choose Your Walk-In Tub | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Which Ella walk-in tub is right for me? Choosing between the tub families
• Walk-in tub dimensions by model: exterior sizes, seat widths, and door types
• How to Read an Ella Spec Sheet: Actual Versus Nominal Size, Shipping Size, Occupied Versus Unoccupied Capacity, Package Jet Tables, Amp Disclaimers and Known Misprints

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