Ella Lounger 27x59 vs Ultimate 30x60: which suits a tall bather?

For a bather around 6 feet tall, the Ella Lounger 27x59 and the Ella Ultimate 30x60 are the two tubs the team recommends, and both give you about 51 inches of interior length to stretch into. The Lounger is the narrow answer, 27 inches wide with a reclined 20 inch seat behind an outward-swing U-shape door, while the Ultimate is 29 5/8 inches wide with a deeper 18 1/2 inch seat-to-overflow height behind a removable inward-swing stainless steel door. Ella Lounger 27x59: Narrow Tub for Taller Bathers covers the Lounger on its own, and this page sets the two side by side so you can choose by your body and your bathroom.

Two Different Ways to Fit a Tall Bather

Both tubs solve the same problem, a long body in a 60 inch nominal footprint, but they solve it differently. The Lounger adds length instead of width: nearly 51 inches of interior, a seat about 20 inches long, 21.5 inches of shoulder width and a 15.5 inch soaking depth, all inside a shell only 27 inches wide. The seat is reclined, so a tall bather leans back and extends the legs down a long footwell rather than sitting upright. The shell stands 40 inches high, the tallest exterior height in the Ella line.

The Ultimate takes the more conventional route. Its comparison chart figures are a 21 inch seat width, a 16 inch seat length, 51 1/4 inches of interior length, 18 1/2 inches from seat to overflow, 15 inches from seat to footwell and a 19 by 21 inch footwell, in a shell 29 5/8 inches wide and 35 3/4 inches high. The upright seat and the taller seat-to-overflow figure mean the water rises higher on the torso when you sit. The Ultimate video on this page presents the tub for taller bathers and rounds some of the figures, quoting 47 inches of interior and a 15.5 inch seat length. Where the video and the chart differ, the spec sheet and the comparison chart govern.

Side-By-Side Figures

Every figure below appears on the current spec sheets, the Ella comparison chart or the model guides. Where a figure is not published, the cell says not listed.

Read the rows together. The two tubs are almost identical on interior length, so a tall bather gets the same legroom in either one. The differences are in the seat and the water. The Lounger's long reclined seat cradles the thighs, and its 15.5 inch depth suits a bather who wants to lean back. The Ultimate's 16 inch upright seat and 18 1/2 inch seat-to-overflow height put more water over the chest and shoulders. Soaking depth is always the product of interior length, seat length and seat-to-overflow height, and the full model-by-model figures are in Interior Length, Seat-to-Overflow and Seat-to-Footwell by Model: The Soaking Depth Table.

Doors, Doorways and Alcoves

Width is the first thing to check, because a tall bather often has a bathroom that was built around a narrow standard tub. The Lounger's 27 inch shell ships in a 30 by 62 by 49 inch crate and is the narrowest 60 inch tub Ella offers, so it is the one to look at when the doorway or the alcove is tight. Its U-shape door swings outward through 165 degrees and needs 21 inches of clearance in front of the tub, and the team notes the door begins about 28 3/4 inches from the wall, which helps when a toilet sits beside the tub. An extension panel is available for 60 inch alcoves, and a reversible end panel and a wall grab bar are included.

The Ultimate passes a 30 inch doorway and ships in a 33 by 63 by 47 inch crate. Its stainless steel door swings inward, so the door itself needs no floor space in front, and two access panels on the door side allow front service in an alcove. No extension panel is offered or needed, and one reversible end panel is included. The exterior figures for every Ella model are collected in What are the standard dimensions of a walk-in tub?, and the Lounger's 40 inch height and the Ultimate's 35 3/4 inch height are compared with the rest of the seated line in How Tall Are Walk-In Tubs Compared to Standard Tubs?.

Therapy Packages and Power

The Ultimate is always fully jetted. Hydro seat massage, independent hydro foot and calf massage on its own pump and three-speed air massage are all standard, for 34 jets in total: 11 seat jets on a 5A pump with an intensity dial and ozone, 4 foot and 2 calf jets on a separate 5A pump with its own dial and the 9A 1000W in-line heater, and 17 air jets (9 seat, 8 foot) on a 4.5A 500W pump with Auto Purge. LED chromatherapy at 0.5A is included, a heated seat and backrest and a digital touchpad are optional, and Infusion microbubble is a special order. The Ultimate is never sold as a soaker and hydrogen therapy is not offered on it. The published schematic for the full package with microbubbles and heated seat calls for two dedicated 20A 120V GFCI lines. Fill only to the seat for a foot spa. A 6 inch seat riser is available, but it covers the seat jets and carries a longer lead time. The Ella Ultimate 30x60: Independent Foot Massage Standard profile lists the package in full.

The Lounger is offered from a plain soaker up through several jetted packages, so you choose how much therapy you want. Hydro massage brings 17 jets (11 seat, 4 foot, 2 calf) on a 7A 900W pump with ozone and a 6A 800W in-line heater. Hydro plus independent foot massage runs 5A and 7A pumps with two dials. Air massage has 16 jets (8 seat, 8 foot) on a 4.5A 500W pump with Auto Purge, which starts about 20 minutes after the air pump is turned off and runs for 120 seconds. Air plus hydro comes with the digital controller only, hydro plus microbubble is offered, and the 0.5A LED light is included with the dual packages. A heated seat is optional, and hydro plus air plus independent foot together is a special order the team confirms. Because the packages differ, the number of dedicated GFCI circuits on a Lounger depends on the package you order.

Faucets and drains differ slightly. The Lounger uses the 2-piece fast-fill faucet, up to 16 GPM, in chrome or brushed nickel with 5 foot supply lines. The Ultimate offers a choice of the 5-piece or the 2-piece faucet and includes deck and wall grab bars and the swivel tray. Both tubs use dual 2 inch 4-port drains, so the plumber can use two or four ports and cap the rest.

Which One Suits You

• Choose the Lounger when width is the constraint. A 27 inch shell, a door that clears a nearby toilet and a reclined seat make it the tub for a tall bather in a narrow bathroom, or for anyone who prefers to lean back rather than sit upright.
• Choose the Ultimate when you want the deepest seated soak and every therapy on the tub from day one. Its 18 1/2 inch seat-to-overflow height and 34 standard jets make it the fully loaded 60 inch tub, and its inward door needs no floor space in front.
• Measure yourself first. Sit in a chair and measure across your hips and shoulders and from head to feet. The seat must be wider than your hips, and on these two tubs the seats are 20 inches and 21 inches wide.
• Check the hot water. The Ultimate holds 95 gallons unoccupied against 85 for the Lounger, so the water heater question is worth asking before you order.

If the choice is still close, share your seated measurements, your doorway width and your alcove length with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support, and they will match the numbers to the right tub.

Watch: Ella's Ultimate Walk-In Tub: The Luxury Walk-In Tub | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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