How do I choose the best walk-in tub for my space and budget?

Choose a walk-in tub in three passes: first the person who will bathe, then the room the tub has to fit, and only then the therapy package and options that set what your order includes. Ella's Bubbles offers 27 walk-in tub models, all in white, so the right footprint usually exists once you know whether the bather steps in and sits, transfers from a wheelchair, stays in a wheelchair, or wants to stretch out. What Are the Best Accessible Tub and Shower Options for Retrofitting a Home? sorts the complete tub and shower choices by bather, and this page turns that into a buying checklist with the figures you need at each step.

Step 1: Measure the Bather Before You Measure the Bathroom

The second video on this page is Ella's own guide to body measurements, and it is the place to start. Take a hip measurement first, because the seat of the tub you choose must be wider than your hips. Then check your shoulder width against the tub, since different body sizes call for different size tubs. For length, sit in a chair facing a wall in a relaxed position and measure from your head to your feet, then compare that figure with the tub drawings and specifications. The video also notes that Ella has two extra-large tubs with very long seats built for taller bathers, and that those would be uncomfortable for a person of normal or shorter height, so bigger is not automatically better.

Soaking depth is set by three things: the interior length of the tub, the length of the seat, and the depth from the top of the seat to the overflow drains. The Ultra's product video puts real numbers on that: an ADA compliant 17 inch seat height, a 19 inch seat length for leg support, a 17 1/2 inch soaking depth measured from the top of the seat to the center of the overflow, 42 inches of interior length and 24 inches of shoulder width, and the current spec sheet adds a 22 inch seat width. Ultra, Standard, Flow and S-Class on Video pairs the on-screen figures with the spec sheets for the inward-door models. Every Ella walk-in tub also has a large foot well, which makes showering while standing or seated easier.

Step 2: Match the Entry to How the Bather Gets in

• The bather walks in and can sit down. A seated walk-in tub is usually the best fit. The bather steps through a sealed door over a low threshold, about 3.5 inches on the Capri, and sits at roughly chair height, 17 inches on most models, with no tub wall to climb over.
• The bather transfers from a wheelchair. The Transfer family has a wide L-shape door built for seated transfers, and the Transfer 60 is the model named as wheelchair accessible in the lineup comparison.
• The bather stays in a wheelchair or shower chair. A curbless roll-in shower base is the better choice because there is no lip to lift a wheel over. Ella's bases come in 30 x 60, 32 x 60 and 36 x 60 inches, and the beveled roll-in entry on the acrylic bases is 3/4 inch to 1 1/8 inch depending on size. Should I choose a walk-in tub or a roll-in shower? weighs the two in detail.
• The bather wants to stretch out. A lay-down walk-in tub such as the LayDown 30x60 keeps a low step-in while giving a full-length soak.

Step 3: Fit the Room You Already Have

Once you know the type of tub, the room decides the size. Measure the length and width of the opening and note where the existing drain and the door swing fall. The table lists the figures Ella's current guides publish for the main choices; a cell says not listed where a guide does not give the number.

The differences matter in two ways. Length decides whether the tub drops into the space a standard tub left behind or needs a panel or framing: the Ultra is shorter than 60 inches and ships with its 7 inch extension panel for that reason, while the Front Entry is short enough for a space that only runs 40 inches and includes two removable side panels for corner or single-wall placement but no back panel and no extension panel. Seat length and soaking depth decide comfort: a long seat suits a tall bather and a short one does not, which is why the body measurements in Step 1 come before the room measurements.

Every Ella model except the Front Entry is also ordered as left-hand or right-hand. The side is named as you face the tub: the door and seat sit on one side and the drains, water supply and faucet sit at the opposite end, so a right-side door means left-side drains. Your existing house drain need not dictate the choice, because there is roughly 3 inches of clearance beneath the frame, enough for a 2 inch PVC line to cross under the tub. Think instead about grab-bar reach for someone who uses one arm, and check the swing of an outward door against your toilet and vanity. Left-Hand or Right-Hand? Choosing Door, Drain, and Faucet Side walks through that decision, and the Front Entry profile explains the one model that skips it.

Step 4: Choose Therapies and Options with Your Budget in Mind

The tub model sets the footprint, but the therapy package, faucet and accessories are the lines that change from one order to the next, so this is where a budget conversation belongs. Packages differ by model. The Ultra offers Air plus Hydro, Hydro plus Hydro Foot, Hydro plus Micro, and Hydro. The Front Entry offers Air plus Hydro, Hydro plus Microbubble, Hydro and a Soaking version with no jets, has no Hydro plus Foot option, and does not include the LED chromatherapy light with any package. Options shown across the product videos include the heated seat and backrest, digital or push-button controls, chromatherapy, the four-fold glass screen, and the rain-head shower column, plus the 2-piece fast-fill faucet rated up to 16 GPM or the 5-piece set.

Each therapy choice has a knock-on effect for your electrician. The Front Entry, for example, needs one dedicated GFCI 110/120V line for Hydro or Air plus Hydro and two lines for Hydro plus Microbubble or the heated seat, and the first video on this page closes with the same advice: pick the features that improve your bath, then make sure of professional installation and reliable support. Ella's Bubbles ships the tub and backs it with parts and technical support, and a local licensed plumber and electrician do the installation. Settle the model, package, faucet, door side and accessories together with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, because the tub is built to that order.

Related Guides

• How do I measure my bathroom and myself for a walk-in tub?
• Which Ella walk-in tub is right for me? Choosing between the tub families
• Which Therapy Combinations Fit Which Tub: Hydro, Air, Microbubble, and Foot Massage by Model

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