Walk-In Tub Versus a Regular Bathtub: Seven Practical Differences in Entry, Seating, Fill and Drain, Water Use, Electrical, Installation and Cleaning
Updated September 2026
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?.
Chapters in this video
- 0:00 Staying Warm While Filling The video addresses concerns about getting cold while filling and draining a walk-in tub.
- 0:37 Heated Seats for Added Warmth The video explains how to use the optional heated seats for extra comfort.
- 0:54 Fastest Gravity-Driven Drains The video highlights the quick draining capabilities of Ella Tubs with dual oversized drains.
This is the fill-and-drain difference in two minutes. The 5-piece and 2-piece fast-fill faucets fill the tub quickly, the glossy acrylic shell acts like an insulator while the in-line heater holds the temperature during hydro massage, and the optional heated seat warms up in a few minutes and switches itself off after 20 minutes. At the end, the dual oversized 2 inch T-type drains empty an average tub in about 80 seconds under ideal conditions. Watch: Answering Your Most Common Question about Walk-In Tubs with chapters and a full transcript.
Chapters in this video
- 0:00 Dual Drain System Overview The video introduces the independently operated two-inch drains with large dial openers and adjustable floor drain covers.
- 0:23 How Dual Drain Technology Works Ella's dual drain technology uses gravity-driven T-type 4-port dual 2-inch drains with overflow protection and a vent system.
- 0:47 Drainage Speed And Factors Field tests show drainage completes in 52 seconds, but actual drainage time depends on home drain conditions and piping.
- 1:36 Contact Ella's Bubbles Customers can call Ella's Bubbles or visit the website for more information.
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?. Watch: Walk-In Tubs with Dual Drain Technology - Easy & Fast Drainage with chapters and a full transcript.
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.
Related Guides
- Can Ella Cut a Walk-Through Opening or Add a Door to My Existing Bathtub?
- Can you lie down in a walk-in tub?
- Do they make a bathtub that is only 15 inches high?
- Should I choose a walk-in tub or a roll-in shower?
- Who can install a walk-in tub with built-in seating and grab bars?
- How Do You Use a Walk-In Bathtub Step by Step?
Common Questions
What is the difference between a walk-in tub and a regular tub?
Is a walk-in tub safer than a regular bathtub?
Does a walk-in tub use more water?
Do I need electrical work for a walk-in tub?
Can I lie down in a walk-in tub?
Does a walk-in tub fit where my old tub was?
Will I be cold while the tub fills?
Does a walk-in tub take more cleaning?
Still deciding? Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your room size and how you bathe today, and we will point you to the models worth comparing.
About this guide. Answers in the Ella’s Bubbles Support Center are compiled from real conversations with tub owners, our technicians’ notes and the product documentation, then reviewed by our team. Tub models and options have evolved over the years, so a detail here may differ slightly from your exact tub. If something looks different on yours, send us your serial number and a specialist will confirm it for your model.
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