How to Take a Bath in Your Walk-In Tub: The Sequence From Stepping In to Stepping Out

How do you take a bath in a walk-in tub? You sit inside your Ella's Bubbles walk-in tub with the door closed and locked while it fills, while you bathe and while it drains. The order never changes: step in, sit, close and lock the door, close the drain or drains, fill until the water is above the jets, run your therapies, turn them off, open the drains, wait until the tub is completely empty, then open the door and step out. This page walks through that sequence step by step, with the safety notes Ella publishes alongside it.

The Sequence

1. Step in and sit. Step over the low threshold, turn and sit on the molded seat, keeping your feet and knees clear of the door as it closes.
2. Close and lock the door. Secure it with the locking handle. Never enter a tub that already has water in it; Ella considers that dangerous.
3. Close the drains. Most Ella tubs have dual 2 inch drains, and both must be closed completely; the Standard, Zen, Flow, Front Entry and LayDown tubs have a single drain. Do not fill above the center of the drain handle.
4. Turn on the water and set the temperature. On the five-piece fast-fill faucet, hot is on the left, cold on the right and the selector in the middle; point the selector to the right for the spout. Adjust carefully so you are never scalded. Ella's manuals warn that water above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit may be harmful, and our warm-water bathing guidelines cover temperature and soak time. Fill time is typically 7 to 15 minutes, as explained in fast-fill faucet expectations.
5. Fill past the jets. For a full-body soak, the water must be 2 inches above the highest jets before the hydro pump goes on, and every air jet must be covered before the air massage starts. For a foot massage only, on tubs with the independent foot option, fill the footwell to just below the seat and just above the calf jets. Our article on water level before running the jets has the levels for every system.
6. Run your therapies. Touch the water button for hydro massage and set the strength with the intensity dial. Touch the air button once for high speed, again for medium, again for low. You can run every pump at once for a full hydro and air massage. If your tub has the heated seat, it will already be warm if you pressed it 10 to 15 minutes before getting in.
7. Turn the systems off. Touch each button again; a fourth touch of the air button shuts the air system off.
8. Open the drains completely and stay seated. Turn every drain handle fully open. An average dual-drain tub empties in about 80 seconds under ideal conditions.
9. Open the door only when the tub is empty. The door is designed to stay shut until the tub is completely drained. Unlock, open, and step out over the threshold. If the door seems stuck after a bath, our article on why the door will not open until the tub drains explains what is happening.

Watch: Ultimate Walk-In Tub Guide: Ella's Bubbles Explained with chapters and a full transcript.

The video follows an Ella Ultimate from start to finish. You step in over the low threshold, have a seat while keeping feet and knees clear of the door, and close and secure the door with the chrome locking handle. Moving front to back along the deck, the buttons are the LED chromatherapy light, the three-speed air massage, the hydro massage for the back and hips, the hydro intensity dial, the independent foot massage button and the foot massage intensity dial. With the door secure you turn on the water, set the selector to the right and close both dual 2 inch drains. For a foot massage only you fill the footwell to just below the seat and just above the calf jets and touch the foot button; for a full soak the water goes 2 inches above the highest jets before the hydro pump starts. Once full, the air massage activates the lower and upper air jets and the two water pumps run the seat jets and the foot jets together. The video reminds you not to push the buttons too hard, shows the hand shower and swivel tray, and notes that Auto Purge will run for two minutes on its own after the air pump is shut off, even if you are still in the tub. One caption: this video quotes 15 to 30 minutes for the purge delay; Ella's published figure is 20 minutes, as explained in our Auto-Purge article.

Watch: Walk-In Tub with Push Controls & Digital Touchpad for Easy, Effortless Bathing with chapters and a full transcript.

This shorter clip covers the same controls on both panel styles. Push controls: air once for high, twice for medium, three times for low, four times off; one touch of the water button for hydro, with the dial setting the intensity. Digital touchpad: touch the air bubble icon to start, plus and minus for intensity, hold two seconds to stop; hydro button once to start and once to stop. The light on either panel cycles with one press, pauses on a color with repeated presses, and turns off with a two second hold.

Safety Notes from Ella's Site

• A walk-in tub's water depth is comparable to a shallow pool or hot tub, so it can be too deep for small children.
• A bather with extremely limited mobility who needs assistance should not bathe alone; there is a risk of slipping under the water without help to get up.
• Seniors who bathe alone should keep a phone within reach in case the tub cannot drain for any reason and they cannot get out.
• Walk-in tubs are for seated bathing. Lying down is not recommended and could be hazardous; the reclined seat immerses the upper body comfortably.
• Do not climb into a tub that is already filled.
• Keep a non-slip mat at the entry, keep phones and electronics away from the water, and have your towel and robe within reach.

Comfort Tips

• Press the heated seat button 10 to 15 minutes before you get in; it turns off after 20 minutes and restarts with one press.
• Set the temperature you want at the faucet; the in-line heater holds it during the hydro massage but does not raise it.
• Use a soft palm push on the buttons if your hands are stiff.
• Use the swivel tray, where fitted, for a drink or a book, and swing it out of the way to enter and exit.
• Before your very first bath, run the vinegar flush described in before your first bath.

Related Guides

• Are walk-in tubs safe for seniors and people with limited mobility?
• What Is a Mobility or Accessible Tub, and Who Needs One?
• What is a walk-in bath and how does it work?
• Do You Have to Sit in a Walk-In Tub While It Fills?
• What is a mobility tub and who is it designed for?
• Can one person bathe alone in an Ella two-seat walk-in tub?

Common Questions

For anything model-specific, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and the team will be glad to help.