A walk-in tub is a bathtub you enter through a sealed door, sit in on a built-in seat, and leave after the water has drained. A regular bathtub is an open basin you climb into over a high wall and lie down in. That single difference in how you get in changes almost everything else: the seating, the fill and drain sequence, how much water you use, whether you need an electrician, how the tub fits the alcove, and how you clean it. Here are seven practical differences, drawing on our published comparison page and the specs of the Ella line, with a fair word about what a regular tub still does better.

1. Entry: A Low Threshold Instead of a High Wall

The primary difference is accessibility. A walk-in tub has a low-threshold door, so you step in and out without lifting your legs over a high tub wall, which is where many bathroom falls happen. On models like the Capri the step-in is roughly 3 1/2 to 4 inches. Every Ella model's threshold is listed in Step-In Threshold Heights by Model. A regular tub asks you to balance on one foot over a wet edge every time.

2. Seating, Grab Bars and a Textured Floor

A walk-in tub is built around a molded seat at chair height, with a non-slip textured floor and, on nearly every Ella model, a built-in grab bar as standard equipment. Ella seats are sized by model, from 19 inches on the Petite to 29 inches on the TransferXXL. Regular tubs rarely include any of these, and add-on suction bars are not a substitute.

3. You Enter Before Filling and Leave After Draining

Because the door is part of the tub wall, it has to stay closed while there is water inside. That means you get in first, close the door, then fill; and after the bath you open the drain, wait, then open the door. This is the reason Ella pairs its seated tubs with a fast-fill faucet (16 GPM on the 2-piece set, 18 GPM on the 5-piece, at ideal home plumbing) and, on most models, gravity-driven dual 2 inch drains. It is also the most common question we get, and it has a good answer in Will I Get Cold While the Tub Fills or Drains?.

The drain test: two independently operated 2 inch drains with large dial openers, height-adjustable floor drain covers, and a stainless cable to each stopper. In Ella's field test the tub emptied in 52 seconds; your own drain time depends on the drain conditions and piping in your house, which is why a plumber should check the house drain first. More in How Fast Does a Walk-In Tub Drain?.

4. Water Use: Occupied Capacity Is What Counts

A walk-in tub is deeper than a regular tub, so its empty capacity is higher, and the larger models do use more water than a standard bathtub. But you sit in it, and your body displaces water, so the figure that matters is the occupied capacity: 30 to 50 gallons on the Standard, Zen, Petite and Flow, 35 to 55 gallons on the Elite and Ultra, and higher on the large and two-seat models. That is the number that sizes your water heater. Every model is listed in How many gallons does each Ella walk-in tub hold?.

5. Electrical: Jets Need a Circuit, Soakers Do Not

A regular tub has no wiring. A jetted walk-in tub has pumps and an in-line heater, so it needs one or more dedicated 20 amp, 120 volt GFCI protected circuits installed by a licensed electrician; the count depends on the therapy package. A soaking-only Ella tub has no pumps and needs no electrical work at all, and a soaker with only the heated seat needs a single 15 amp, 120 volt line. Circuit counts by package are in Electrical requirements by model.

6. Installation: It Usually Fits Where the Old Tub Was

A standard alcove in most American homes is 60 inches long by 30 to 32 inches wide. Most of Ella's 52 and 55 inch tubs ship with an extension panel to fill a 60 inch alcove, and the 60 inch models drop straight in, so most installations reuse the existing space. Plumbing is different: the drains connect to the house drain through 2 inch fittings, and you should check that the crated tub clears your doorways. Details are in Will it fit my alcove?.

7. Cleaning: One Extra Monthly Step

The acrylic surface cleans like any tub with the approved non-abrasive cleaners. Jetted walk-in tubs add one routine: a monthly flush of 2 cups white vinegar and 2 cups water, filled 1 inch above the highest jets and run for 10 minutes, plus a wipe of the pump inlet cover. Ozone sterilization runs with the hydro pump and the air system purges itself after use. The monthly routine is in How to clean and maintain your Ella walk-in tub.

What a Regular Tub Still Does Better

You can lie flat in it, and there is no wait to fill before you get in or to drain before you get out. If lying down is the point, Ella offers two answers: the LayDown tubs (30x60 and 32x72) with a glass side door and no seat, covered in The LayDown Walk-In Tubs, and the Lounger, a seated walk-in tub with nearly 51 inches of interior length for taller bathers who want to stretch out.

Common Questions

Still deciding? Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support/new with your room size and how you bathe today, and we will point you to the models worth comparing.