Can two people fit in a walk-in bathtub, and how big is it?

Yes, two people can fit in a bathtub when it is built with two separate seats, and Ella's Bubbles makes four two-seat walk-in tubs for exactly that: the Escape, the Companion, the Tub4Two and the Big4Two. The biggest of them, the Escape, measures 36 inches wide by 72 inches long by 40 inches tall and seats two bathers facing each other, as What is the Ella Escape 36x72 two-seat walk-in tub like? describes in detail. This page explains what makes a tub a true two-person tub, how big the two-seat models are, and what a tub that size asks of your bathroom.

A True Two-Person Tub Has Two Seats, Not Just Extra Room

Ella's two-seat video tour, embedded on this page, draws a line that matters when you shop: do not confuse an extra-large bathtub with a two-seat bathtub. A true two-seat walk-in tub has two independent bathing spaces, one for each person. In Ella's two-seaters, each seat has its own jets and its own independent systems, so nobody shares a massage and both bathers get the same back massage from their own seat. The video describes these tubs as ideal for a couple who want to spend quality time together, get in the bath, relax and socialize.

The video also makes the case for a two-seat tub even if you usually bathe alone. The presenter sits on one seat and kicks both feet up on the other, and compares it to sitting in a big recliner with your feet up on a sofa. That is the same reason What is the biggest walk-in bathtub size you can buy? lists the two-seat tubs as the most stretching-out room a single bather can get. You do not have to fill both seats every time you use the tub.

One note on the video: it mentions three two-seat models because it was filmed before the Escape joined the line. There are now four, and the family is offered with either door swing.

How Big a Two-Person Walk-In Tub Is

The Escape is the model with full published dimensions, and the seat widths of the other three show how the family compares. Where a figure is not published, the cell says so.

What the differences mean: the Escape's 27 inch and 29 inch seats are the widest in the two-seat family, so it is the tub to look at when either bather is broad through the hips or shoulders, or when you simply want the most room. The Companion's 23 and 25 inch seats and the Tub4Two's 20 and 22 inch seats suit average builds. The Escape and the Companion share the inward-swinging stainless steel door, which lifts out for easy cleaning and needs no floor space in front of the tub. The Tub4Two and the Big4Two use the outward-swinging U-shape door instead, which needs clear floor in front of the tub to open, so the Escape is the larger of the two inward-door choices when the room in front of the tub is tight.

Inside the Escape: Seats, Soaking Length and Water

• Seats: 27 inches wide on one side and 29 inches wide on the other, facing each other, with 60 inches of overall soaking length according to the product video.
• Water: 145 gallons unoccupied and 85 to 135 gallons occupied. The occupied range is what two bathers actually use, because each body displaces part of the water.
• Therapy: seat hydro massage, an independent foot and calf massage on its own pump, three-speed air massage and LED chromatherapy.
• Drains: two 2 inch four-port PVC drains.
• Deck: a removable front apron with two access panels and one reversible end panel, a chrome-finish stainless steel wall-mounted grab bar, a stainless steel towel bar, and Ella's patented 360 degree swivel tray in a white matte finish, which comes standard.
• Weight and crate: 286 pounds net and 398 pounds shipping, in a crate measuring 40 by 76 by 49 inches.

As with every Ella tub, there is a low threshold for easy entry and a textured floor for slip resistance. The product video introduces the Escape as the newest tub in the line and describes a tremendous amount of interior soaking space.

What a Tub This Size Needs from Your Bathroom

Most bathrooms were framed around a 60 inch bathtub, and that three-wall opening is what a walk-in tub usually fills. A 72 inch two-seat tub is a foot longer than that opening, so measure the space wall to wall at the back and at the front before you choose a model. Tubs that are 60 inches or longer fill their opening on their own and need no extension panel, which What Is an Alcove Installation for a Walk-In Tub? explains, and the same models can stand against one or two walls with an end panel closing the exposed side.

Two more checks follow from the size. First, the water: at 145 gallons unoccupied, the Escape holds a great deal of water, and the floor will carry the tub, the water and both bathers, so have your installer confirm it. Second, the door: if you choose the Tub4Two or the Big4Two, leave clear floor in front of the tub for the U-shape door to swing out, while the inward doors of the Escape and Companion suit a room where the space in front of the tub is limited. Finally, alcove placement puts the plumbing end against a wall, so ask your installer to add a wall access panel behind that end so pumps and drain connections can be reached later, and never let the space around the tub be packed with insulation. If you open a ticket about fit, have the wall-to-wall width of the opening, the model name and the actual size from the spec sheet ready.

Watch: Two Seat Walk-In Tub with Door: Best for Couples - Voted Best/Safest 2020 | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Choosing a Two-Seat Walk-In Tub: Companion, Escape, Tub4Two, and Big4Two Compared
• How many gallons does each Ella walk-in tub hold? Water capacity guide
• Will it fit through my doorway? How to measure your home for a walk-in tub

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