What is a walk-in tub, and how is it different from a regular bathtub?

A walk-in tub is a bathtub with a door built into its side and a low threshold, so you open the door, step across the threshold and sit down instead of climbing over the wall of a conventional bathtub. Ella's Bubbles builds walk-in tubs with a textured slip resistant floor, a built-in seat on most models, dual 2-inch drains and optional massage jets, and every tub is assembled in Chicago and shipped nationwide, as Ella's Bubbles Walk-In Tubs: A General Overview explains. This page covers what defines the category, how it differs from an ordinary tub, and how the Ella models differ from one another.

What Makes a Tub a Walk-In Tub

The defining feature is the door. Rather than risk a slip and fall accident entering or exiting your bathtub, you open the door in the tub wall, step across a low threshold onto a textured slip resistant floor, and sit down on the built-in seat. The video on this page shows that low threshold, easy entry design and describes it as safe, easy and convenient even from a wheelchair. Ella's purpose in building the tub this way is peace of mind and an in-home spa experience for people who no longer want to step over a high tub wall.

• A door in the tub wall. The door is what lets you walk in rather than climb in. Ella offers several door styles across the line, and the style is one of the biggest differences between models.
• A low threshold. The step into the tub is low, which is the safety point of the whole design.
• A built-in seat. Most Ella models are seated tubs. The Laydown is the exception: it does not include a seat, it is taller than a standard seated model, and it comes with a bifold door.
• A textured slip resistant floor. The floor is textured so that standing up and sitting down inside the tub is more secure.

Ella's Bubbles is the manufacturer, and it offers a line of luxury walk-in tubs designed for a safer, more comfortable bathing experience. The company also offers walk-in showers, so a household that prefers a shower-based bathing option has that choice as well.

How a Walk-In Tub Differs from a Conventional Bathtub

Beyond the door and the seat, three things separate an Ella walk-in tub from the ordinary tub it usually replaces.

1. Drains and fill rate are part of the design. Every Ella walk-in tub is built with two 2-inch gravity-driven drains rather than a single drain. There is no drain pump; water flows straight down through the two openings, and once the tub is connected to a proper 2-inch drain line it typically empties in two minutes or less. The faucet system is capable of a fill rate of about 16 gallons per minute, so a tub with a capacity of around 60 gallons fills quickly. Drainage and Fill Time has the details.
2. Many models are equipped with jets. A conventional bathtub simply holds water. Every Ella two-seater model comes equipped with jets, and models such as the Elite offer a range of therapy options, which is why the tub can double as an in-home spa.
3. A jetted tub is an electrical appliance. Because the jets and other therapy components run on electricity, grounding matters. Ella tubs ship with ground wires on all electrical components and on the tub frame, and the installer must secure a proper ground connection while following all local and state electrical codes.

What this means for your bathroom is that a walk-in tub is a plumbing and, on jetted models, an electrical project rather than a drop-in replacement. Your installer needs a 2-inch drain line for the drains to perform as designed, a supply that can keep up with the fast-fill faucet, and a code-compliant ground for any tub with electrical components.

How the Ella Models Differ from Each Other

Ella's Bubbles offers 27 different walk-in tub models, all in white, and the differences between them are size, door style, seating and available therapies. Comparing Ella's Bubbles Walk-In Tub Models walks through the full lineup; the table below pulls out the figures that appear there.

The practical takeaway is that the footprint decides whether the tub fits your alcove, the door style decides how you enter and how much clearance the door needs, and seating decides whether the tub is for one bather, two bathers, a wheelchair user or someone who prefers to lie down. Because every model comes only in white, color is not a deciding factor. If you are choosing between the Elite and the Zen, the door and the therapy menu are the differences to weigh; if you need more room than the Elite offers, the Royal adds width and the Old Dominion adds length.

Planning a Walk-In Tub or Shower

Ella ships its walk-in tubs and walk-in showers nationwide, so customers across the country can receive an Ella product regardless of where they live. Before you order, Ella's online Shower Builder Tool lets you scroll through the shower options and put together a custom design, and a walk-in tub builder tool is also available online; ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 for the link. After you build a design, a contractor visits your home to measure the space in person and finalize the installation details. For questions about a specific order, your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 is the best resource.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles Walk-In Tub's Low Threshold, Easy Entry Makes Bathing Safer with chapters and a full transcript.

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