What Does a Walk-In Tub With a Shower Look Like in a Real Bathroom?

In a real bathroom, an Ella walk-in tub with a shower looks like a walk-in tub sitting in the footprint a regular bathtub already uses, with the shower above it. The tub fills the opening where the old bathtub stood, a chrome shower column or a hand shower rises from the deck, and a folding tempered glass screen or a curtain keeps the spray inside the tub. The screen on its own is described in What Does a Walk-In Tub With a Glass Shower Screen Look Like?, and this page puts the whole picture together: the tub in its space, the shower hardware above it, the walls around it, and where to find photos taken in customers' homes.

The Layout: A Walk-In Tub in a Standard Bathtub Space

Most bathrooms were framed around a standard bathtub, and the walk-in tub goes into that same opening. Many walk-in tubs are compact enough for the space a typical bathtub takes, so the layout of the room usually does not change at all. The tub sits against the back wall and between the two end walls, with only its front apron facing the room. Any Ella walk-in tub that is less than 60 inches long comes with an extension panel so it fits a standard 60 inch tub alcove. The panel can go on the right or the left side, it can be trimmed when the alcove is out of square, and once it is in place it becomes a shelf for towels, shampoo and soap, resting on adjustable stainless steel brackets that are part of the tub frame.

From the doorway, then, the view is a tub with a door in its side, a front apron with removable panels for service access, a ledge or extension panel at one end holding bath items, and the shower hardware rising above the deck. The tub stays open to the ceiling. Ella does not offer a dome, a ceiling panel or a glass box around a walk-in tub, so the room's walls and ceiling finish the space above the tub exactly as they did before. If one end of the tub faces the room instead of a wall, the reversible end panel that ships with every tub covers the plumbing and the frame on that side, so the exposed end looks finished rather than open.

The Shower Hardware You See Above the Deck

Air plus hydro jet tubs include a 5-piece Ella fast-fill faucet with a handheld shower, two stainless steel grab bars in a chrome finish, and a 2-inch dual drain, so even before any add-on there is a hand shower on the deck for a seated shower. For a full standing shower, the Ella shower column kit attaches to that 5-piece faucet. It is a stainless chrome column that adjusts up to 7 feet tall, with a movable 5 mode hand shower and an oversized rain head that can be aimed at the seat for a seated shower or at the footwell for a standing shower. The video on this page shows the column going together on the 5-piece fast-fill faucet: the base seated in the pre-drilled hole on the tub deck, the riser tube, the elbow joint that feeds the hand shower hose, and the oversized rain shower head on the upper angle arm, secured to the wall with a mounting collar. That assembled column, standing at the faucet end of the deck, is what you see in a finished bathroom.

Smaller pieces of hardware change the look in smaller ways:

• A 24-inch hand shower slide bar mounts on the wall and holds the handheld shower at a comfortable height for standing or seated use.
• A 5-foot stainless steel shower hose with a coupling kit gives the hand shower reach across the tub.
• A 10-inch rain shower is available as an accessory option.

Which of these suits your model, and what is already part of your order, is something your Ella dealer can confirm. The full list of add-ons is in Showers, Shower Screens, and Accessories for Your Ella Walk-in Tub.

Glass Screen or Curtain: What Closes the Open Side

The screen is the piece that most changes how the combination looks. It is a run of tempered glass panels joined by hinges and fixed to the wall at the end of the tub where you stand to shower. It covers part of the length of the tub by design, and when the panels fold back the top of the tub is as open as it was without a screen. It is also an alcove screen: it sits between the walls of a three-wall alcove and cannot close off an open end of the tub, which is why a tub with only two walls around it is usually finished with a curtain instead.

What the table means for your bathroom: with a shower column and a glass screen, the combination reads as a bright, open splash guard rather than a cabin. Light from the room passes through the glass, part of the tub top stays open, and the hand shower or rain head does the work of a shower from above. With a curtain, the look is closer to a conventional tub and shower, and that is the usual choice when the tub stands against only two walls.

The Walls and Finishes Around the Tub

Ella wall panels are white based. The acrylic 6-piece kit comes in Carrara White with 1/8 inch thick panels, sized for a 36 by 60 inch alcove with a 92 inch finished height, and gives a white marble look with storage shelves on the left side. The acrylic 3-piece surround is a solid white gloss, 40 inches deep by 60 inches wide. Tile plans are also offered so the tub can be tiled in, and custom acrylic shower pans come finished rather than tile-ready. None of these include a ceiling panel, because Ella does not make one. How the white finishes relate to the tub itself is covered in What Color Are Ella Wall Panels, and Do They Match the Tub?.

Where to See Real Photos and Layouts

The installation gallery on ellasbubbles.com is an album of photos taken in customers' homes after their walk-in tubs were installed, and it is the closest thing to a tour of finished bathrooms. The walk-in tub shower combo page covers how the tub and shower work together. Each model page lets you magnify the images and view the tub from many angles along with the shower column, glass screen and other options. Most customer experiences are shared as video, including owner testimonials and a live showroom call.

For photos of the specific models you are weighing, ask for them. The team sends photos, key specifications and diagrams by email, or by text if you do not have an email address handy, and printed brochures are not mailed out. Name the model, the door style or the feature you want to see, because Ella manufactures over 28 walk-in tub models and the pictures are tailored to what you ask about. Where Can I See Pictures of Ella's Bubbles Tubs and Showers? walks through the request. You can also ask the team at (800) 480-6850 about a live video tour of the Chicago showroom, where the tubs can be shown on the floor, including a live tub with water in it. If you have your bathroom measurements and the model you like, the team can talk through the layout with you.

Watch: Ellas Bubbles - Walk In Bathtub Shower Column Kit Install With Five Piece Faucet with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Common Questions About Showering Add-Ons and Accessories: 4-Fold Screen Fit, Full-Length Screens, Rain Heads, Two-Seat Shower Heads, Slide Bars, Samples, Windows and Swivel Tray Fit
• Installing the Shower Column Kit on Your Walk-in Tub
• Do You Sell Folding Glass Shower Screens for a 60 Inch Walk-In Tub?

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