What is the lowest height walk-in tub, step-in and overall?

The lowest height walk-in tub depends on which height you mean. If you mean the step-in, the lip you cross at the door, the lowest published Ella figures are the Monaco at 3 5/8 inches and the Mobile at about 3 3/4 inches, and most models can be set to roughly 3 to 3.5 inches by recessing the drain at installation. If you mean overall height from the floor to the rim, the lowest Ella tub is the reclining LayDown 30x60 at 21 inches, while most seated models stand 35 inches. What Is the Step-In Threshold on a Walk-In Tub? explains how the lip is measured, and this page puts both heights side by side so you can tell which one you are actually shopping for.

Two Different Heights Hide Behind One Question

People who search for the lowest walk-in tub are usually asking one of two things, and the numbers are very different.

• Step-in threshold. This is the lip at the bottom of the door opening, measured from the finished floor. In practice it is the height of the tub floor above the bathroom floor. On Ella tubs it runs roughly 3.5 to 7 inches depending on the model and how the drain is set up, compared with the 18 to 22 inch wall you would swing a leg over on a standard bathtub. This is the number that decides how easy the tub is to enter.
• Overall height, floor to rim. This is the third of the three outside dimensions printed on every Ella spec drawing, after width and length. Across the line it runs from 21 inches on the LayDown to 40 inches on the Lounger. This number sets where the deck sits, how high the wall finish and any window above the tub start, and how far you reach to anything mounted on the wall.
• Seat height. A third figure gets mixed in. The seat is 17 inches on most models, similar to a standard chair, and it is molded and not adjustable. A lower seat is why the Petite, Elite and Royal stand 35 inches, shorter than the other seated tubs.

One more wrinkle for wheelchair users: on a Transfer model you usually slide across the seat rather than step over the lip, so the extra-wide L-shaped door opening, which swings outward a full 172 degrees and is designed to fit over a toilet, matters as much as the threshold figure.

Step-In and Overall Height by Model

The table pulls the published drawing values and team figures from the current model pages. Where a figure has not been published in those sources the cell says not listed, and the spec sheet for that model is the place to confirm it.

Read the two columns separately. The Mobile shows why the question needs splitting: its step-in is among the lowest in the line, yet at 39 1/4 inches its rim is one of the tallest. The Elite is the reverse, with a 35 inch rim that is the low end for a seated tub but a step-in near the top of the range. The LayDown at 21 inches sits closest to the height of the conventional bathtub most people are replacing, while the Lounger at 40 inches will be the highest surface in the room apart from the walls. The Ultimate, at about 6 to 6.5 inches of step-in, and the Front Entry and Transfer26, both 40 inches tall, follow the same pattern. The full list of low step-in choices is in Which Ella Walk-In Tubs Offer the Lowest Step-In for Seniors?, and the rim heights are gathered in How tall is an Ella walk-in tub from floor to rim?.

Getting the Step-In Lower Than the Drawing

The threshold figure on a spec drawing is the factory starting point, not the final answer. Ella tubs leave the factory with the frame preset on adjustable leveling legs so the 2 inch drain piping runs under the tub and above the floor, with approximately 3 inches of clearance for it. That is what lets a tub go onto a concrete slab or an upper floor without opening the floor, and it is the installation the manuals assume.

Your installer can bring the tub down by putting the drain below the subfloor. As the tub is lowered the apron, the end panel and the drain assembly meet the floor, so on most models the installer cuts subfloor access for the drain and trims the bottom of the apron and, in a corner installation, the end panel, using masking tape and appropriate tools to protect the acrylic. With the drain below the subfloor, thresholds can be reduced to roughly 3 to 3.5 inches. The trade-off is that the warranty does not cover the parts that are cut or altered. The rest of the tub stays covered, but a trimmed apron or end panel is on you from then on, and the shell and frame must never be cut. Lowering the Tub: Below-Subfloor Drains, 3 Inch Thresholds, and What It Does to the Warranty covers the full procedure and the coverage effect. Ella does not offer a lift-up or drop-down door; the low threshold itself is the accessibility feature. For reference, the legacy S-Class came in 6 inch standard and 3 inch low-threshold versions.

After any installation, keep every leveling leg touching the floor. A leg that loses contact can warp the frame and throw the door out of alignment.

Picking the Lowest Tub for Your Situation

• Lowest step to climb over: the Monaco or the Mobile, both with an outward-swinging U-shape door of PVC composite and tempered glass, which leaves nothing to step around inside the tub.
• Lowest overall tub: the LayDown 30x60 at 21 inches, for a bather who wants to recline at full length and step in through a low glass side door.
• Small bathroom: the Mobile has the smallest footprint Ella makes, while the Petite and Elite stand 35 inches with the lower seat many shorter bathers find easiest to settle into. Which Ella walk-in tub is easiest to step into for a small bathroom? compares the compact models.
• Wheelchair transfer: the Transfer32 at about 4 to 4.5 inches, where the L-shape door opening over the toilet does the real work.

If you contact the team about height, have your model name, your serial number and a tape measurement from the finished floor to the top of the lip or the rim ready. If your model is not in the table, ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 for the current spec drawing and read the height straight from it rather than estimating from a similar model.

Related Guides

• How Tall Are Walk-In Tubs Compared to Standard Tubs?
• How tall are bathtubs and walk-in tubs, and why does it matter?
• Which Ella Walk-In Tubs Are Under 36 Inches Tall?

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