Which Door Does My Ella Tub Have? S-Shape, U-Shape, L-Shape, and Stainless Steel Doors by Model

Which door does my Ella tub have? Ella's Bubbles builds five distinct walk-in tub door styles, and the quickest way to identify yours is by model: the Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe, Ultimate, Companion, and Escape have the stainless steel inward-swing door; the Standard, Standard60, Zen, Zen60, and Flow have the S-shape inward acrylic door; the Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, Shak, Big4One, Tub4Two, and Big4Two have the U-shape outward-swing door; the five Transfer models have the L-shape outward transfer door; and the LayDown60 and LayDown72 have the inward-swing glass door. Knowing your style makes everything easier, from following the right opening and closing steps to ordering the correct seal, handle, or replacement part. You can also see photos of each style on our door types page at ellasbubbles.com/walk-in-tub/door-types/.

Watch: Pick the Perfect Walk-In Tub Door: 5 Elegant Door Options with chapters and a full transcript.

The video walks through all five styles. In short: the stainless steel inward-swing door is brushed stainless with a frosted tempered glass panel and an interior chrome locking handle, and it is removable for easy cleaning. The U-shape outward-swing door opens outward for easier entry and exit and carries a decorative glass panel. The L-shape outward-swing door has an extra wide opening for wheelchair users and fits over a standard toilet. The Ultra's inward-swing door is brushed aluminum and also removable. The S-shape inward-swing door is the acrylic door on our Standard platform. The outward-swing U-shape and L-shape doors both use our proprietary gear and shaft locking mechanism with three latches on the U-shape and two on the L-shape.

Stainless Steel Removable Inward-Swing Door

Models: Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe, Ultimate, and the two-seat Companion and Escape. This door is custom made from brushed stainless steel with a frosted tempered glass window and an interior chrome locking handle. Because it swings inward, it needs no floor space in front of the tub, and its detachable design lets you lift the door off to reach every corner when cleaning. Among the two-seat tubs, only the Companion and Escape use this door; the Tub4Two and Big4Two use the outward-swing U-shape door described below. Operation and handle adjustment are covered in our stainless steel inward-swing door guide.

S-Shape Inward-Swing Acrylic Door

Models: Standard, Standard60, Zen, Zen60, and Flow. This acrylic door swings inward and its S profile is designed to optimize space while sealing watertight. A quick note for Zen and Zen60 owners: if your spec sheet PDF says the door is a U-shape, that is a known misprint on the sheet. The Zen and Zen60 use the same S-shape inward acrylic door as the Standard, and the U-shape name belongs to our outward-swing composite door family, which the Zen is not part of. All door operation, sealing, and parts guidance for the Standard applies to the Zen and Zen60 unchanged; see how to open and close the inward-swing acrylic door.

The Ultra has its own related inward-swing door made of brushed aluminum with a frosted tempered glass panel, and like the stainless steel door it is removable for cleaning.

U-Shape Outward-Swing Door

Models: Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, Shak, and Big4One, plus the two-seat Tub4Two and Big4Two. This door is made of industrial-strength plastic composite with a decorative tempered glass front screen that conceals the locking system. It swings outward 165 degrees and is secured by our 3-latch gear and shaft mechanism, which is designed to withstand tremendous water pressure. Because it opens outward, plan for clear floor space in front of the tub; see our article on planning floor space for the outward-swing door, and the U-shape door operation guide for closing and locking.

If the printed owner's manual for one of these models describes a stainless steel inward-swing door in its entry section, you are reading the manual correctly; that page contains a printing carryover from our inward-swing tub manual. Your door is the outward-swing composite and tempered glass design, as shown on your model's spec sheet and product page. Likewise, a Tub4Two spec sheet line that mentions a removable stainless door is a carryover from the Companion and Escape sheets; the Tub4Two door swings outward.

L-Shape Outward-Swing Transfer Door

Models: Transfer26, Transfer30, Transfer32, Transfer60, and TransferXXL. This lightweight, durable aluminum door swings outward and uses a two-latch version of the same gear and shaft mechanism. Its L-shape opening clears a toilet up to 21 inches tall and creates a wide entry for a smooth transfer from a wheelchair onto the seat. One naming note: some older schematic PDFs print the largest model as XXXL. There is no XXXL model; that is a misprint of TransferXXL, and the diagram applies to the TransferXXL tub. Day-to-day use is covered in operating the L-shape Transfer door.

LayDown Inward-Swing Glass Door

Models: LayDown60 (30 inches by 60 inches) and LayDown72 (32 inches by 72 inches). These full-length lay-down tubs use an elegant tempered glass door in a brushed aluminum frame with a chrome locking handle. It swings inward, so no floor clearance is needed in front of the tub. See our article on operating and caring for the LayDown glass door for details.

Key points from this overview video: the stainless steel door's detachable feature makes hard-to-reach places easier to clean; the acrylic outward-swing door's three latches make it extra secure, with a gear and shaft mechanism ensuring a safe seal; and the L-shape door offers toilet clearance up to 21 inches in height with two latches using the same mechanism. Watch: What Makes Ellau2019s Walk-In Tub Doors Unique u2013 Voted Best Walk-In Tubs 2020 with chapters and a full transcript.

Door Style at a Glance

Next Steps for Your Door Style

Once you know your style, our operation guides cover the details for each design, and the door videos library collects every seal, handle, latch, and alignment video by door family. If you are still deciding between families, inward versus outward swing: choosing a door compares them.

Related Guides

• How Far Does the Open Door Stick Out in Front of the Tub?
• Ultimate, Zen, Standard or Deluxe: Comparing Ella's 30 by 60 Inch Inward-Swing Tubs
• Where Can I Find a Replacement Walk-In Tub Door Handle?
• How Do You Transfer From a Wheelchair Into an Ella Walk-In Tub?
• What are the features of the Ella Deluxe walk-in tub?
• How Much Floor Space Does the Tub4Two Outward Door Need?

Common Questions

Still not sure which door you have? Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with a photo of your tub along with your model and serial number, or call (800) 480-6850, and we will identify it for you.