Can a walk-in tub hold two people at the same time?

Yes. Ella's Bubbles builds two-seat walk-in tubs meant for two bathers at once: the Escape, the Companion, the Tub4Two and the Big4Two. A true two-seat tub has two separate seats and two independent bathing spaces, so each seat has its own jets and its own systems and both bathers get the same back massage. Comparing Ella's Bubbles Walk-In Tub Models places the two-seaters inside the full lineup; this page is the two-person question on its own, with the sizes, seat widths, water figures and delivery points that decide whether one fits your bathroom.

What Makes a Tub a True Two-Seater

The video on this page explains the distinction Ella draws. An extra large single-seat tub is not a two-seat tub. A two-seat walk-in bathtub has two independent bathing spaces for you and your partner, and on an Ella two-seater everything is independent of the other seat: the hydro jets, the air jets, the heated seat and the high flow faucet. Nobody shares a massage, and both bathers get the same, equal back massage from their own seat. Ella's two-seat tubs come with either an outward swing or an inward swing door depending on the model.

You do not have to fill both seats every time. A single bather can sit on one seat and stretch out with their feet up on the other, which the video compares to sitting in a big recliner with your feet on a sofa. That makes the two-seat models the ones with the most stretching out room for a solo bather as well as the choice for couples who want to bathe together.

The Four Two-Seat Models Compared

The differences come down to floor space and water. The Tub4Two is the two-seater that drops into the common 60 inch tub alcove, while the Escape and Big4Two need 72 or 80 inches of length and 36 inches of width, so they belong in a bathroom that can give up more floor than a standard tub takes. The Big4Two and Escape also hold 45 more gallons unoccupied than the Tub4Two and Companion, which is why the water heater question below matters more for them. Doors differ by model too: the Tub4Two has an outward swinging acrylic-tub door with a tempered, frosted glass panel in a white composite frame on a 3-latch gear and shaft mechanism, while the Escape is a two-seat model with a stainless steel inward swing door. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm which two-seat model fits your bathroom and send the spec sheet.

How Much Water Two Bathers Actually Use

Every Ella spec sheet prints water capacity as two numbers: what the tub holds unoccupied and a range for what you draw once seated, because you sit down before the tub fills and your body displaces part of the water. On a two-seat tub the occupied range covers both cases. The low end is roughly what two bathers use, since two people displace more water, and the high end is what a single bather uses. Size your water heater from the high end of the range. The full table for every model, single and double, is in How many gallons does each Ella walk-in tub hold? Water capacity guide, and How many gallons of water does a walk-in tub hold? explains what the two numbers mean for your fill and drain. Quote gallons only; the litre conversions printed on some sheets are misprints.

• The average walk-in tub usually calls for a 75 gallon or larger water heater, and Ella recommends the maximum capacity heater available for your house.
• The largest tubs, including the Big4Two, may require a dedicated additional heater.
• Tankless water heaters should be rated at 11 GPM or more.
• Three quarter inch supply lines with accessible shut-off valves are recommended, and both Ella fast-fill faucet sets include two 5 foot braided supply lines.

House water pressure, pipe size, the distance from the heater to the tub and hot water use elsewhere in the home all affect the fill, so have your contractor assess the full picture before a two-seat tub is ordered.

Getting a Two-Seat Tub into the House

Two-seat models are heavier than Ella's single-seat tubs, so plan a larger crew to bring one into the home. Your tub travels by freight with a shipping company chosen for you, tracking arrives once the carrier picks the tub up, and residential delivery includes liftgate service. Because the tub is awkward to handle, Ella recommends a contractor with two or three people to carry it inside; Who Ships Your Walk-In Tub, Tracking, and Getting It Into Your Home covers delivery day in detail. Measure the doorways and the path to the bathroom against the shipping size on the spec sheet before you order.

Is the Ella Zen a Two-Person Tub?

No. The Zen is an acrylic walk-in tub in the 30 by 52 inch class designed for the average bather, with a seat 20 inches wide and 15 inches long, an inward-swing acrylic S-shape door, 17 hydro jets with an in-line heater, and a capacity of 65 gallons unoccupied and 30 to 50 gallons occupied. Its longer sibling, the Zen60, is the same platform at 29 1/2 by 59 1/2 inches with a 95 gallon capacity. The Zen is a comfortable single-bather tub, and its full profile is in What Are the Features and Specs of the Ella Zen Walk-In Tub?. If two people need to bathe together, look at the four two-seat models above instead.

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

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