How Do I Choose the Right Bathtub for My Needs?

Choosing the right bathtub starts with how the bather gets in and out, not with the shape of the alcove or the list of jets. Ella's Bubbles builds 27 walk-in tub models along with laid-down soaking tubs and shower bases, so the first decision is the type of entry that suits the person, then the size that fits the room and the route into it, and only then the faucet and the therapy. How Do I Choose the Right Walk-In Tub for My Home? covers the three decisions that are locked in once you know you want a seated walk-in tub, and this page begins one step earlier, with which kind of bath to choose at all.

Start with the Bather, Not the Bathroom

Ella's guidance for aging in place puts the decisions in a fixed order. Mobility, comfort and safety come first. Next comes whether the tub will fit through the house and into the space, then the door side and swing, and only then the therapy and comfort features. The short video on this page walks through the same sequence: consider your specific needs, measure the bathroom so the tub fits, select features such as hydrotherapy or heated seats, and arrange professional installation.

The order matters because comfort options do not change the entry. A heated seat and easy-touch controls make the bath warmer and easier to operate, and grab bars and a hand shower add safety to a tub or a shower alike, but none of them replaces the entry decision. Begin with how the person bathes today and how they are likely to bathe in a few years, then answer four questions.

• Can the bather step over a low threshold and sit down? A seated walk-in tub is the usual answer. Every Ella walk-in tub replaces the tall wall of a regular bathtub with a watertight door, a low threshold, a textured slip-resistant floor and a molded seat.
• Does the bather transfer from a wheelchair? The Transfer family has no sidewall beside the seat, so the person sits first and swings their feet in afterward, or slides straight across from the chair.
• Does the bather stay in a wheelchair or shower chair, or bathe with a caregiver's help? A curbless roll-in shower base has no threshold at all.
• Does the bather want to lie back full length rather than sit upright? Ella's laid-down soaking tubs are the alternative to a seated model.

Two people who bathe together have their own answer, because Ella makes true two-seat models with jets included. What Are the Best Walk-In Tubs and Accessible Bath Options? matches each entry style to the way a bather moves in more depth.

The Types of Bath Side by Side

The differences come down to what the bather does at the door and how much floor the room gives up. An inward-swing door closes past your feet once you are seated, so it suits someone who can tuck their legs aside for a moment. An outward-swing door opens into the room instead, which spares the knees but needs clear floor space in front of the tub. The Transfer door removes the sidewall beside the seat and leaves room for the chair, and a shower base removes the step entirely. On size, the 30 by 52 inch footprint fits many standard tub alcoves, the Deluxe and the transfer and laid-down tubs need more length, and the Mobile's 26 by 45 inch size is the choice when the doorways and hallway are the problem rather than the alcove.

Fit the Size to the Bather, Then to the Room

Ella's method for sizing a tub to a person is simple. The bather sits in a chair facing a wall, in a relaxed position, and you take three measurements: hip width while seated, shoulder width while seated, and length from head to feet while seated. The tub seat must be wider than the hip figure, the shoulder figure tells you whether the tub has proper shoulder room, and the seated length gauges the tub length that fits. Seat width runs from 19 inches on the Petite and Transfer26 to 29 inches on the TransferXXL, so the hip measurement narrows the field quickly. Seat height is 17 inches on most models, similar to a standard chair, and the depth from the top of the seat to the overflow drains runs roughly 15 to 18 inches across the mid-size models, with the Ultra at 17 1/2 inches. A bather around six feet or taller is better served by the long seats of the Big4One and the ShaK, but bigger is not automatically better, because those long seats can be uncomfortable for an average or shorter person. There is no single published weight limit, because every shell sits on a rustproof stainless steel frame that carries the load to the floor. How do I choose the best walk-in tub for a senior? turns these figures into a complete method.

Then measure the room and the route. Record the width, length and height of the space where the current tub or shower sits, and the narrowest doorway and hallway the new tub has to pass through. Ella offers tubs in 30x52, 32x52, 38x52, 30x60, 30x55, 28x52, 27x60 and 26x45 inch sizes, the Monaco in 32 by 53 or 32 by 52 inches, laid-down soaking tubs at 32 by 72 inches, and a transfer-style tub at 60 by 30 inches. If the alcove is a little larger than the tub, cut-to-size extension panels close the gap cleanly, so a standard size usually works without a custom unit. Always check the actual dimensions rather than the nominal size. The Petite, for example, is sold as a 28 inch tub, and its actual exterior width is 27 1/2 inches. Left-hand and right-hand versions share the same measurements mirrored, so the footprint does not change with the door side.

Door Side, Door Swing and the Faucet

Every Ella walk-in tub except the Front Entry comes in a left-hand and a right-hand version, marked with an L or an R at the end of the SKU, and the door and seat always sit at the opposite end from the drains and the factory-drilled faucet deck. Stand where you will approach the tub. If the house drain is on the left side of the alcove, choose the tub with the right-side drain, which puts the door and seat on the left. A right-side door means left-side drains, and a left-side door means right-side drains, with left and right always taken as you face the tub. The hand is set at the factory and cannot be reversed after delivery.

The swing is the second door decision. The Elite has a brushed stainless steel in-swing door, the Deluxe has an in-swing door, and the Zen uses an inward-swinging acrylic door; with each of these you keep your feet and knees clear of the door as it closes. The Monaco has an out-swing door and the Big4One features a U-shape door, and because the door opens into the room, you never close it past your feet and knees once you are seated. The Transfer models use an oversized L-shaped outward swing door made of durable, lightweight aluminum with two latches on Ella's gear and shaft mechanism, and the opening allows toilet clearance of up to 21 inches in height.

The faucet is chosen at the same time, because the deck is drilled to order. Every seated Ella tub is normally ordered with its fast-fill faucet set, and both the 2-piece and the 5-piece set include the extendable multi-function hand shower, two 3/4 inch braided supply lines and the diverter. The LayDown60 is the exception: it has no faucet option at all and always needs a customer-supplied faucet, usually wall-mounted. The LayDown72 lets you choose No Faucet, 2-piece or 5-piece at order time. A no-faucet order on another seated model still arrives drilled for the Ella set, so you need a matching deck-mount faucet or cover plates. Our guide to using your own faucet works through each case, including the shipping detail that the faucet is assembled on the deck but not hooked up to the supply lines, so your installer connects them on site.

Add the Comfort Features Last

Once the entry, the size and the door are settled, the luxury layers on without changing anything above. Ella builds each tub to the order, so the massage systems, the heated seat, the faucet and the accessories are chosen for the bather rather than fixed by the model. A pull-out hand shower comes with the 2-piece and 5-piece faucets, a 24 inch slide bar lifts it to standing height, and the shower column adds a 10 inch rain head for a seated or standing shower without moving the bather. Grab bars complete the picture. Which Walk-In Bath Remodel Options Balance Accessibility and Luxury for Aging in Place? shows where each of these fits around the entry you chose. Work through the steps with your licensed installer and with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, and confirm every figure on the current spec sheet for the model before the order is placed.

Watch: How to Choose the Perfect 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
• How Do I Choose the Right Walk-In Tub for My Needs?
• Walk-in tub dimensions by model: exterior sizes, seat widths, and door types

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