Is there a whirlpool walk-in tub small enough to fit a shower space?

Yes. Ella's two smallest walk-in tubs both carry jetted hydro massage, and both have a footprint smaller than Ella's own 32 by 60 inch roll-in shower base: the Mobile measures 26 by 45 inches and the Flow measures 28 by 48 inches. Hydro massage is Ella's name for the jetted water massage most people mean by whirlpool, so a tub with the therapy you want can sit where a standard shower stall now stands, provided the opening, the doorway path and the door swing all check out. The full list of tub and base sizes is in Walk-In Tub and Shower Base Sizes and How to Measure for Fit.

The Compact Jetted Tubs and What They Carry

The first video on this page tours the Mobile. It is 45 inches long and nearly 26 inches wide, with a generous 19 inch wide seat, an easy-open outward-swing U-shaped door with a three-latch gear and shaft locking mechanism, a low threshold and a textured floor. Its therapy options are the same ones larger Ella tubs get: a three-speed air massage with 14 air jets and auto purge, a hydro massage with 15 jets and an intensity control dial, strategically placed foot massage jets, and LED chromatherapy with the dual massage package. An inline water heater, ozone sterilization, a two-piece fast-fill faucet with an extendable hand shower, an oversized 2 inch drain with an easy-turn opener and an emergency pull chain round it out.

The second video tours the Flow, designed as a space saver for small to average size bathers. It fits through a 28 inch doorway, gives 38 inches of interior length, and its seat is 20 inches wide and 13 inches long. Its hydrotherapy system has an intensity control dial and an inline heater, with foot and calf jets for the lower legs, a two-piece fast-fill faucet with hand shower, a dual-port oversized drain with an emergency pull chain, and a single dedicated GFCI connection. It can come with an extension panel so it fits neatly into a 60 inch tub alcove, and it has an end panel on the faucet side.

What the differences mean for you: only the Mobile and the Flow are shorter than 52 inches, so they are the two to measure against a shower stall rather than a tub alcove. The Mobile is the smaller footprint and the one with both air and hydro packages shown in its video, while the Flow trades 2 inches of width and 3 inches of length for a slightly wider seat and an extension panel that lets it fill a 60 inch alcove later. The Petite, Capri and Monaco are the 52 inch models to consider when the opening is already tub sized.

Compare the Footprint to Your Shower Opening

The width by length figure for any Ella tub is the exterior footprint on the floor, not the bathing space inside, and it is the number to compare to your opening. Are Walk-In Tub Dimensions the Floor Footprint or the Inside Bathing Space? explains the difference and shows where the spec sheet download sits on the website. Measure the width, length and height of the shower opening wall to wall, at the back and at the front, and use the actual size from the spec sheet rather than the nominal model name. Ella's barrier-free roll-in base is 32 by 60 inches, so a stall built around that footprint has room for the Mobile or the Flow with space to spare in both directions. A corner stall is a different story. Custom shower bases are ordered in sizes such as 36 by 36 inches, and the Mobile is 45 inches long, so a square corner space of that size is too short for it whichever way it is turned.

What a Shower Stall Has That a Tub Alcove Has to Add

• A three-wall opening. If the stall is enclosed on the back and both ends, you are planning an alcove installation. The Flow closes the gap in a 60 inch opening with its extension panel. The Mobile has no extension panel, so the installer frames and finishes any remaining space instead. What Is an Alcove Installation for a Walk-In Tub? covers how the finished wall above the deck is handled.
• Drain, supply and power. The tub needs a working drain and water supply and dedicated GFCI-protected power. Both videos show the tub filling from a two-piece fast-fill faucet and draining through an oversized 2 inch drain, so the supply and drain lines that served the shower are the ones a licensed plumber and electrician will evaluate.
• A level, supported floor. A shower base sits on the floor differently from a filled tub with a bather inside, so the floor has to be level and adequately supported.
• Service access. Ask your installer for a wall access panel behind the plumbing end so pumps and drain connections can be reached later, and never let the space around the tub be packed with insulation.

Preserving Space and Flow in a Small Bathroom

The Mobile's door swings outward, and an outward-swing door needs clearance in front of the tub, which is exactly what a compact bathroom may not have. Sketch the door's arc on the floor and make sure it clears the toilet, vanity and the room's own door before you commit to a position. The route into the bathroom matters as much as the opening: you need a door opening larger than 26 inches to fit the narrowest tub, the Flow is built to pass a 28 inch doorway, and you should walk the whole path, including corners and turns, comparing each doorway and hallway to the shipping size and actual width on the spec sheet. Installing in Mobile Homes, Condos, Upper Floors, and on Concrete Slabs lists the models the team recommends most often for tight homes, including the Mobile and the Flow, and notes that the 32 inch wide Monaco needs a wider passage. If your clearance is tight, send your measurements to the team at (800) 480-6850 before ordering.

If you are still weighing a tub against a new shower in the same space, the online shower builder tool lets you scroll through shower options and build a design, and a separate walk-in tub builder tool is available; ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 for the link. Either way, a contractor measures the space in person before installation details are final, so the footprint you calculate at home is a starting point rather than the last word.

Watch: The Ella Flow: Best Compact Walk-In Tub for Seniors | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Walk-in tub dimensions by model: exterior sizes, seat widths, and door types
• How Do I Choose the Right Walk-In Tub for My Bathroom?
• Will it fit through my doorway? How to measure your home for a walk-in tub

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