Which walk-in tub fits a 6 foot 5 bather with a long torso?

For a bather of 6 feet 5 inches with a long torso, the tub to compare first is the Ella ShaK 36x72, the largest single-seat walk-in tub Ella's Bubbles makes, with a 27 1/2 inch seat length and a 62 inch interior length, and the second choice is the Big4One 33x66 with its 24 inch seat. Both are built with long seats and long interiors for bathers around 6 feet and taller, and Ella's video shows the ShaK fitting bathers from 6 feet 4 inches up to 6 feet 10 inches. What size walk-in tub fits a six-foot-tall person? introduces both tubs; this page is about the very tall bather, and about the one figure a long torso changes, the height from the seat to the overflow.

Why a Long Torso Changes the Fit

Ella's ShaK video explains that the overall soaking depth of a walk-in tub is determined by three factors: the interior length of the tub, the length of the seat, and the depth from the top of the seat to the center of the overflow drains. A bather's particular size then determines the soaking depth they actually get. That third factor is the one a long torso pushes on. Two bathers of the same height can sit very differently in the same tub: the one with the longer torso sits higher in the water, because more of their height is above the seat, so the water line falls lower on the chest even though the interior length is identical.

Across Ella's mid-size models the seat-to-overflow figure runs roughly 15 to 18 inches, so the depth of a soak depends on how your seated torso compares with that figure for the model you are considering. For the two long-seat tubs the figure is not published in the guides used here, so ask for the specification drawing for the ShaK or the Big4One and read the seat-to-overflow height from it. The video on this page shows the three factors and bathers of 6 feet 4, 6 feet 7 and 6 feet 10 inches using the ShaK.

Five Measurements to Take Before You Look at Drawings

Ella's measuring method never asks how tall you are. Sit in a chair facing a wall in a relaxed position and take these measurements, then compare them with the drawings for each model. Be exact, because different body sizes require different size tubs.

1. Hips while seated. The tub seat must be wider than this number. Ella seat widths run from 19 inches on the Petite and Transfer26 to 29 inches on the TransferXXL.
2. Shoulder width while seated. The tub needs the proper shoulder room for your body size.
3. Head to feet while seated. This gauges the tub length that fits you.
4. Bottom of the backrest to the bottom of the knee, in a straight line. This is the seat-length check. For the ShaK it should match or exceed the 27 1/2 inch seat length, otherwise the seat is longer than your upper leg and your feet are not supported.
5. Seat surface to shoulders. This is the torso check. Compare it with the seat-to-overflow height on the drawing to see where the water line will fall on you.

The full measuring method, with the seat width of every model, is in Seat sizes and soaking depth: how to measure yourself for a comfortable fit.

The Tubs a 6 Foot 5 Bather Should Compare

What the table means at 6 feet 5 inches: the ShaK is the only seated tub whose demonstrated range starts above your height, and its 27 1/2 inch seat and 62 inch interior are the longest Ella publishes. The Big4One is built for the same group of tall bathers with a 24 inch seat, which matters if your seated hip measurement sits comfortably under 24 inches and the extra width of the ShaK would be unused. The Ultimate and Deluxe are the long-interior choices when the bathroom cannot take a 66 or 72 inch tub, but neither carries a long seat. The LayDown and the two-seat tubs solve the length problem a different way, by letting you recline or put your feet on a second seat rather than by lengthening one seat.

ShaK or Big4One at 6 Feet 5

Both tubs suit bathers around 6 feet and taller because both the seat and the interior are long. Between them, three things decide it.

• Your seated hips. The ShaK seat is 28 inches wide on the spec sheet and the Big4One seat is 24 inches, and the seat must be wider than your hip measurement. A broad bather needs the ShaK; a tall slim bather fits either.
• Your torso. With a long torso, the seat-to-overflow height decides how deep the soak feels. Read it from the drawing for each tub and compare it with your seat-to-shoulder measurement before choosing.
• Your house. The ShaK video asks you to make sure your home can accommodate its overall size and to consult the website for specific measurements. The ShaK is 36 inches wide by 72 inches long and holds 145 gallons unoccupied, so the doorway, the alcove and the water heater all come into the decision.

The ShaK video shows a 6 foot 4 inch, 390 pound bather using the independent foot massage and fitting easily for a full body soak, alongside the 6 foot 7 and 6 foot 10 inch bathers, so a 6 foot 5 inch bather sits in the middle of its demonstrated range. The team can walk the drawings through with you if you send your seated hip, shoulder, knee and torso measurements through a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support.

If a Shorter Partner Shares the Tub

The same length that suits you makes these tubs uncomfortable for an average or shorter person, because a seat longer than the upper leg leaves a shorter bather without support at the feet. Bigger is not automatically better. If a partner around five feet will use the same tub, take both sets of seated measurements before you decide, and read What Size Walk-In Tub Is Best for a Five Foot Person? for the compact end of the line. What size walk-in tub fits a five foot or six foot person? puts both heights side by side for a household with one of each.

Watch: The ShaK: Largest & Most Luxurious Walk-In Tub: Customer Testimonial | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Ella ShaK 36x72: The Largest Single-Seat Walk-In Tub
• Ella Big4One 33x66: Large Single-Seat Tub for Tall and Broad Bathers

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