Is There a Removable or Folding Seat for a LayDown Walk-In Tub?

Yes. Ella's Bubbles lists two seat accessories for its lay-down tubs, a Folded Bathtub Seat for LayDown Walk-In Tub and a Removable Bathtub Seat for LayDown Walk-In Tub, and both are offered for the LayDown 30x60 and the LayDown 32x72. The LayDown shell has no molded seat, so these seats are added to the tub rather than built into it, which lets one tub serve both a full-length reclined soak and a seated bath or standing shower. The two LayDown sizes, and why no other Ella tub is meant for lying down, are explained in Can you lie down in a walk-in tub?.

Why a LayDown Tub Has No Seat Built in

Every other Ella walk-in tub is built around a molded seat at chair height, about 17 inches high on most models, with a footwell in front of it and a door that stays closed while the tub fills and drains. The LayDown 30x60 and LayDown 32x72 are the two Ella models built for lying down instead. Both have a tempered glass side-entry door in a brushed aluminum frame with a low threshold, straight sidewalls, a textured slip-resistant floor and a single oversized 2 inch brass drain, and both soak 15 inches deep compared with about 11 inches in a standard bathtub. The LayDown 30x60 stands 21 inches high overall, which is why it comes up whenever someone searches for a low tub, and Do they make a bathtub that is only 15 inches high? sorts out the overall height from the soaking depth.

The product video on this page shows the 32x72 with its open interior, the glass door and the straight, narrow sidewalls that the tour singles out as a tripping safeguard compared with the curved walls of a standard tub. There is nothing to sit on in that shell. An owner who wants to sit upright for part of the bath, or a household where one person showers standing and another wants a seat, adds one of the two LayDown seats.

The Two Seat Options Compared

The practical difference is what happens to the seat when nobody needs it. Ella describes its folded bathtub seat as lying flat against the wall when not in use, so it is there every time without being carried in and out, and its removable bathtub seat as lifting off completely for full standing showers, which leaves the whole lay-down interior open for a reclined soak. The live support page describes those two designs for standard bathtubs, and the LayDown pages list LayDown-specific versions under the same two names. Neither is built into the shell, so neither changes the 15 inch soaking depth or the open floor the LayDown is designed around. The exact dimensions and weight rating of each LayDown seat are not listed on this page, so ask for them when you order.

Grab Bars, Shower Screens and the Rest of the LayDown Setup

A seat is only part of making a lay-down tub work for seated or standing use, and the LayDown differs from the seated models in two other ways. Because the LayDown deck has no room for hardware, grab bars are mounted on the wall beside the tub instead of on the tub, so plan the wall backing for them at the same time as the seat. A bi-fold shower screen is available for lay-down tubs, which Ella describes as tubs without a seat, and it pairs naturally with the removable seat when the tub doubles as a standing shower. Shower attachments such as a 24 inch hand shower slide bar, a 5 foot stainless steel shower hose with a coupling kit and a 10 inch rain shower are listed in Showers, Shower Screens, and Accessories for Your Ella Walk-in Tub.

Faucet rules differ by size, which matters if the seated bather wants a hand shower. The LayDown 30x60 has no factory faucet option and needs a customer-supplied faucet, typically wall mounted, while the LayDown 32x72 is faucet ready and can be ordered with an optional Ella deck-mount fast-fill faucet. The door side follows your plumbing on every Ella tub: a right-side door tub has its drains on the left and a left-side door tub has its drains on the right, as you face the tub.

Not the Same as Ella's Shower Seats

Ella also offers seats for its shower stalls, and they are a different family. The standard fold-down shower seat ships with Ella shower stalls that include a seat, a 16.5 by 16.5 inch fold-down seat is the next size available, there is a teak fold-up seat, and the left-hand or right-hand folding bench seat is the one the team confirms is rated for 600 pounds. All of those mount to a shower wall, and the usual advice is to put a bench on the side opposite the drain. They are not the LayDown seats, so when you ask for a seat, say that it is for a LayDown 30x60 or 32x72 so the right accessory is supplied. Shower Seat Sizes and Options: Is a Larger Fold-Down Seat Available? covers the shower family in full. Whatever seat you choose, have a licensed installer mount it and confirm the wall can carry it.

How to Choose and Order

1. Decide how the tub will be used. A bather who reclines at every bath and only occasionally sits is served by the folded seat, while a household that uses the tub as a standing shower and wants the floor completely clear leans toward the removable seat.
2. Confirm your size, LayDown 30x60 or LayDown 32x72, since both seats are listed for each.
3. Ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 for images of the seats, so you can see how each one sits in the tub, and for confirmation of which one suits your model.
4. Plan the wall grab bars, the bi-fold screen and any slide bar at the same time, so the installer mounts everything in one visit.
5. Have a licensed installer fit the seat and the wall hardware. If anything about the fit is unclear, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your model and serial number.

Watch: Lay Down Tub: 32x72 Walk-In Tub with Hydro Massage Jets - Your Own Home Spa | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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