Which Bathtubs Come With a Built-In Seat for Comfortable Bathing?

Walk-in bathtubs are the bathtubs that come with a built-in seat. On an Ella's Bubbles walk-in tub you step in through a door in the side of the tub, sit down on a seat that is part of the tub itself, and bathe with the door closed, and models such as the Elite, Deluxe, Longer, Monaco, Capri and TransferXXL each shape that seat for a different kind of bather. The basics of the design are covered in What is a walk-in tub and who is it designed for?, and this page stays with the seat: which models offer which seat, what the published figures are, and how to confirm the comfort options before you order.

What a Built-In Seat Changes About Your Bath

A standard bathtub asks you to step over the rim and lower yourself to the tub floor. A walk-in tub replaces that climb with a door in the side of the tub and a low threshold, so you step in, sit down on the seat, and bathe with the door closed. Ella's guides list a 17 inch seat height on most models, which means you sit down and stand up from a raised seat instead of from the bottom of the tub.

The seat does not work alone. Ella builds several features around it so that everything you need is within reach while you are sitting:

• A low threshold and a textured slip-resistant floor. The Capri, for example, has a 3.5 inch threshold.
• Grab bars. Most seated tubs have one or two deck-mount bars, and more can be added to the walls around the tub for support at entry, at exit and while seated.
• A deck-mounted faucet with a pull-out hand shower, so the tub fills and rinses while you stay seated.
• A door that swings inward into the tub or outward into the room, depending on the model.

If you are planning the whole room and not only the tub, What accessibility upgrades can a bathroom remodel add? shows where a seated walk-in tub fits beside roll-in shower bases, grab bars and hand showers.

Ella Walk-In Tubs with a Built-In Seat, Side by Side

The table uses only the figures published in Ella's guides and videos. Where a figure does not appear in those sources, the cell says not listed, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm it from the current spec sheet.

What the differences mean for you: start with the way you like to sit. The Deluxe and the Longer are built around opposite ideas, since the Deluxe keeps you upright and lower in the water while the Longer is narrower and longer so that you can slide forward and recline. The Elite is the one model here with a published seat width, a spacious 22 inches inside a tub that is 52 inches long. The Monaco and the Capri open outward into the room instead of inward into the tub. The TransferXXL is the choice when the bather arrives in a wheelchair or needs the extra width of a 36 inch tub.

Upright, Stretch-Out or Transfer: Three Seat Styles

Not every built-in seat is meant for the same posture, and knowing the three styles makes the model list much easier to read.

• Upright soaking seats. The Deluxe is designed as a deeper soaking tub, so bathers sit more upright and sink lower into the water.
• Stretch-out seats. The Longer has an extended seat area so a bather can scoot down and stretch their legs out. It tends to suit someone of smaller stature, such as a person around 5 feet 6 inches and 125 pounds, who wants more room to lie back.
• Transfer seats. Transfer-style tubs are built so a bather can move in from a wheelchair through a wide L-shape door. The TransferXXL is the wheelchair accessible, bariatric model for bathers who need extra width.

Two more models serve bathers who need help. The HoistAssist pairs a transfer tub with its own battery hoist for a bather who cannot bear weight or slide across, and the HomeCare is designed exclusively for assisted bathing with a caregiver present. The model-by-model descriptions are in Walk-in Tub Model Highlights: Longer, Deluxe, Monaco, and Transfer XXL.

Comfort Features Built Around the Seat

The Elite video on this page shows what a well-equipped seat looks like. It walks through the low threshold for easy access, the spacious 22 inch seat, the patented removable swivel tray, the removable backrest for comfort and easy cleaning, the wall mount grab bars and the textured floor.

The optional heated seat and backrest adds warmth to the seat itself. It is a 4A radiant surface heating system built into the seat and backrest, completely separate from the in-line water heater that works with the hydro jets, and it warms the acrylic surfaces you sit and lean against so you are not sitting on cold acrylic while the tub fills. For maximum comfort, turn it on 10 to 15 minutes before you enter the tub. It switches itself off automatically after 20 minutes, which is by design, and one press of the button restarts it. The details are in How the optional heated seat and backrest works, and why it turns off after 20 minutes.

Most Ella models can be ordered as a soaker with no jets for bathers who simply want a safe, comfortable soak. Where therapy is added, the options across the lineup include hydro jets, air jets, microbubbles and hydrofoot therapy. Depending on the model, you can also add a 10 by 7.5 inch head pillow and a 24 inch hand shower slide bar.

How to Confirm the Seat and Comfort Options Before You Order

Ella walk-in tubs are built to order, and the same base model is offered in many configurations: door side, therapy package, faucet package and comfort options. A few careful checks make sure the tub that arrives has the seat features you expect.

1. Decide on the seat style first: upright, stretch-out or transfer.
2. Read the feature list for the exact configuration, not the general model description.
3. If the heated seat and backrest is not listed as included, assume it is not. Do not rely on the letters at the end of a model number, because on some listings the letters HB refer to the faucet package and not to the heated seat.
4. Choose your therapies at the same time, such as hydro, air, foot massage or chromatherapy, because these are factory-built and the choices are made together.
5. Ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 to confirm the configuration, and make sure the heated seat and backrest appears on your order confirmation.

Two exceptions are worth knowing. The heated seat and backrest is an optional accessory on most seated Ella models, but it is not offered on the LayDown tubs, and on Standard and Zen platform tubs the manual page for it is stamped Optional, not included. The full checklist is in Does This Tub Include the Heated Seat and Backrest? Confirming the Configuration Before You Order. For help matching a seat to the bather and the bathroom, reach your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or visit ellasbubbles.com/support.

Watch: The Ella Elite: Luxury Walk-In Tub Built for Comfort, Safety & Independent Bathing | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Heated Seat and Back: How It Works, Which Tubs Offer It, and How to Add It to Your Order
• Seat sizes and soaking depth: how to measure yourself for a comfortable fit
• Wheelchair Transfer Tubs Compared: Transfer26, Transfer30, Transfer32, Transfer60, and TransferXXL

Related Videos

Common Questions