Walk-in tub vs roll-in shower: which is better for my needs?

Neither one is better for everyone, because the right choice follows the person who will bathe. A roll-in shower is the better fit when the bather stays seated in a wheelchair or shower chair and needs to roll straight in with nothing to cross, and a walk-in tub is the better fit when the bather can step through a low door, sit at chair height and wants to soak. What is a roll-in shower and who should get one? covers the shower in detail, and this page sets the two side by side so you can match the entry to the person who will use the room.

Start with One Question: How Does the Bather Get into the Water?

Every other feature in an accessible bathroom is an addition to the entry. Ella's guide to the accessibility upgrades that deliver the most value puts it plainly: the upgrade that matters most is the one that changes how the bather gets into the water, because it decides whether the room works at all. Grab bars, a hand shower and comfort options such as a heated seat add safety and ease to either choice, but none of them replaces the entry decision.

That gives you three clear paths:

• The bather stays in a wheelchair or shower chair. Choose the roll-in shower. Its curb-less base is the only entry with no lip to lift a wheel over, and Ella's guides describe it as the foundation for wheelchair and walker users and for caregiver-assisted bathing.
• The bather can step through a door and sit. A seated walk-in tub is usually the best fit. The bather steps through a sealed door and sits, rather than climbing over a tub wall and lowering down to the floor of the tub.
• The bather uses a wheelchair but wants a tub rather than a shower. A Transfer walk-in tub has a wide L-shape door made for a seated transfer from the wheelchair into the tub.

Walk-In Tub and Roll-In Shower Figures Side by Side

The table gathers the entry figures from Ella's current guides. Where a guide gives no figure, the cell says not listed.

The figures that separate these options are small, and they all describe the same thing: what the bather's feet or wheels must cross. A roll-in base has a beveled entry in place of a curb, so wheels roll in. A 3 inch step-in base or a 4 inch stall threshold has to be stepped over, which suits a bather who walks and rules out rolling in. A seated walk-in tub also asks for a step, 3.5 inches on the Capri with the figure varying by model, and then offers a 17 inch seat on most models. That height is similar to a standard chair, so sitting down and standing up use the same motion as rising from a dining chair.

What a Roll-In Shower Does Well

A roll-in shower is built around its floor. Ella's standard roll-in bases are curb-less pans with a finished acrylic surface, so they need no tile and are ready to use once installed. The three standard bases share a 60 inch length and come 30, 32 or 36 inches wide, each with a left or right drain, and the 32 by 60 inch barrier-free base is offered in left and right configurations and is ready to ship. Shower Bases, Walls, and Filler Pieces shows how those bases pair with three-piece acrylic wall systems and the 8 inch wide L-shaped filler piece that closes a gap beside the base.

With no curb, the water is held in by a collapsible shower dam. Roll-in and barrier-free bases ship with this self-adhesive rubber dam, and the first video on this page shows how it goes on: the surfaces are cleaned with denatured alcohol, a tape line is laid as a guide, the dam is measured and cut, the end caps are fitted, and silicone seals the lower edge and both end caps. The video then shows wheels rolling over the compressible material and the dam returning to its original shape to keep the water in the stall.

The shower is also the easier room for a helper to work in. Caregiver options include a weighted anti-bacterial nylon curtain, a stainless curtain rod and a slide bar with a hand shower. A seat is optional rather than built in: folding benches and seats are rated from 300 to 600 pounds, or a 36 by 60 base can be ordered with a molded seat.

What a Walk-In Tub Does Well

A walk-in tub is the choice when you want to sit and soak and add therapies. Ella's Bubbles builds every walk-in model around the same accessibility elements, described in Which accessible bathtub options work best for elderly users?: a low step-in threshold, a built-in seat, grab bars and textured, slip-resistant floors on all walk-in models, and a watertight door that closes on an integrated gasket with a multi-latch gear and shaft mechanism. Most seated tubs include one or two deck-mount grab bars, and more can be added to the surrounding walls. Comfort options such as a heated seat and backrest and easy-touch or digital controls are available as well.

Choosing a tub does not mean giving up a shower. The 2-piece and 5-piece fast-fill faucets include a pull-out hand shower, and an optional shower column adds a 10 inch rain head for seated or standing showers. The second video on this page shows how the shower column kit is added to the tub deck: the existing hand shower is removed, the column base attachment goes into the vacant receptacle, the water supply line is replaced, and the new one-half inch supply line attaches to the diverter on the 2-piece or 5-piece fast-fill faucet set.

ADA, Inspections and What Applies to a Home Bathroom

Accessibility standards matter to this decision mostly when a project will be inspected. The ADA accessibility standards apply to public accommodations and commercial facilities, and for a shower they cover the compartment dimensions, the threshold height, the seat, the placement and strength of the grab bars and the reach range for the controls. ADA generally limits a roll-in threshold to 1/2 inch. Ella describes its standard roll-in bases as curb-less pans, yet a complete Ella shower stall is not ADA compliant, because a shower only complies when the full configuration satisfies every applicable requirement. Are Ella Shower Stalls ADA Compliant? explains what that means for home and commercial projects.

On the tub side, there is no ADA certification for any bathtub, because the U.S. Access Board does not evaluate or certify products. Private homes are not covered by the ADA, and for a private residence ADA certification is generally not a building code requirement. Ella tubs are residential tubs that carry many ADA-compatible elements, which is what matters in a home bathroom. For a commercial building, a rental unit that falls under accessibility rules, or any project that will be inspected against the standard, confirm the requirement with your local code official before you order.

What to Check in Your Bathroom Before You Decide

• The drain line. Each standard roll-in base comes with a left or right drain. Tell your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 where your existing drain line sits in the floor so the matching drain position can be confirmed for your size.
• The floor space. Compare the room with the 30, 32 and 36 inch widths of the 60 inch long standard bases. When none of them fits, a custom rectangular base can be made up to 44 inches wide by 80 inches long.
• Room for a tub door. The right walk-in tub depends partly on how much room the bathroom has for the door to open, so look at the clear floor in front of the tub location.
• How the bather sits and moves. Note whether the bather walks in or transfers from a wheelchair, and whether they prefer to stretch out or sit upright, because those answers point to the tub style.
• Who helps at bath time. If a caregiver assists, the open roll-in base with a curtain and a slide bar hand shower gives that person room to work.

Watch: Easy Shower Column Installation for Your Walk-In Tub | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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• What is a walk-in tub and who is it designed for?

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