How to choose a walk in tub?

This is an after thought advice when it comes time for your Mom to sell her house. If she lives in a 55+ community, no problem, enjoy. If she lives in a regular subdivision or city, the next buyer of said house [young couple with small children] may not want a walk-in tub, so there would be a cost of removing and replacing with a regular tub/shower, or lowering the price of the house by that cost. Just food for thought.

Bath fitters and those companies really seem to over charge. I would consider looking into a one or 2 man small contractor

One of my friends had one of those tubs installed about 10 years ago. She immediately regretted it - said the jets made her sore muscles even more sore - and said it was a lot of upkeep. She misses her shower.

Given a choice I would go for a Zero Entrance or Roll in Shower and not a Walk in tub.
At some point even a walk in tub may not be possible.
A roll in shower can be used at any time and it can be used by anyone at any stage.
Appropriate Grab Bars for when a person is still walking and the shower is large enough for a Shower Wheelchair or a Hoyer Lift. And it is large enough for helpers to aid in giving a shower.

As to the walk in tub...not sure how I feel sitting in a tub as the water empties getting cold until I can get a towel around me. And the ones I have seen the "door" opening is rather confining so if there are mobility problems it is not easy getting in and out.

I HATE walk in tubs.
You have to sit there and wait to fill up the tub. When you are done, you have to sit and wait for it to empty. You have to shore up underneath because they weigh more than normal tubs and put the weight at an awkward concentration.

My folks wanted one in their bathroom, so we did it. They just used it as a shower with a seat instead of a tub...waste of money.
Crazy story... one time my Mom was sitting on the seat area and slipped into the lower area. Luckily it wasn't full of water, but she got stuck, and I had to call rescue services to help me lift her out of that area because the door opens inwards.

I did some research on these about 2 years ago. My conclusion was that it uses a ton of water (expensive), the senior has to sit in the tub and shiver waiting for it to fill up, then has to wait in the tub and shiver while it drains completely before you can exit it. Takes a long time to complete the bathing process. So, unless the designs have improved, I wouldn't go this route.

I vote for a zero-clearance roll-in shower stall if at all possible. This will not be an unwanted feature when selling the house like a walk-in tub would be.

And I agree, at some point the tub may not be able to be used by the senior if they can only get around in a wheelchair.

Geeeeez! How deep are these tubs? I have never seen one in person, just the ads on television.

I love soaking in my whirlpool tub. I don’t find that I get cold waiting for it to fill up. I have a large oversized tub in my bathroom.

I guess everything has it’s advantages and disadvantages. I suppose some people like these tubs and others don’t.

Manufacturers should have a private showroom for customers to try them out first! LOL 😆

My dad had a number of fellow senior friends who put these in their homes. All ended up hating home in a short time afterwards. They sat cold and shivering waiting for it to fill and then again after a bath waiting for it to drain. It took a lot of water and took so long it wasn’t worth the time or expense.

We haven't had a lot of talk on the forum about this for a long time,🤔 From what I can remember the people who loved their walk-in tubs made sure to get extra large drains so they emptied faster, another bit of advice is to look for models that allow a caregiver to easily reach inside to assist. And of course these appeal most to the people hate showers, and especially love soaking and using jets.

One other thought - for much less than the price of a walk-in tub and installation you can get a very nice bath lift for your regular tub

What a hassle to find an installer. Especially for elderly. Makes no sense.

Find my own installer? Whdt a hassle.

Different perspective... my dad had been disabled by a stroke. He preferred baths, so my parents got a walk in tub. My dad used it every day for 15 years, included the jet massage feature. Both my parents preferred baths, so my mom used it also (sans jet massage). She has mobility issues from a large lymphodema in her right leg from cancer surgery way back in the day. For my parents, it was a great choice because of their preferences and mobility issues. I didn't care how it affected the house sale... they had upgraded 0 items from when they built it, so it wasn't an issue to me. It all is added to what goes for mom's care now, and that is what's important.

If it feels cold while waiting for the walk-in tub to fill or empty while sitting in it, have a heater nearby.

Wish bathtubs/showers would come with a "self-cleaning" option.

My friend had one of these installed for her parents. They had a home with one bathroom, so there were not a lot of options--(It has been some years since they did this--I'm sure I'm not up to date.)

The DH of the couple LOVED the tub, although they had to install a new water heater AND the tub used every drop of hot water to fill. The wife hated it--it took so long to get bathed! So I know they went back and installed a shower head, for her, and also for him to use to be rinsed.

After the death of the parents, the kids couldn't sell the house--the bugaboo? That tub! With only ONE bath, it was actually a pain for any young family, and that's who was looking for a house. The family ended up tearing out the step in tub and replacing it with a 'regular' one. I know my friend said in the end it ran them close to $20K. And they did most of the work themselves.

I'd opt for a 'jetted' over-size tub and put in plenty of rails, etc. The home we bought has a very deep tub and my DH LOVES a long soak. I am a shower person, only, can't remember the last time I took a bath.

CarolKessi: The requirements that would be at the top of the list for me (age 77) would be as follows:
- Low step in
- Grab bars
- Seat

We installed a shower. Bathfitters has a handicap accessible style. We went with that instead of a walk in tub. It has a seat and grab bars. I am using it and like it.

We live in a 55+ community and we considered buying a condo that had a walk-in tub. I'm not sure, but I think there was a second bathroom. I was excited at first but then after more thought decided against it. Here were my reasons.
1. My biggest issue... cleaning it! It would be cumbersome, trying to reach all the corners, with the small entry and depth. I even googled it and realized if you do not keep the jets clean, you may be dealing with related bacteria issues. I am not the greatest at cleaning our current bathrooms as often as I would like so I envisioned major stress added.
2. The issue of needing to get out in an emergency and having a delay while waiting for it to drain. I am also concerned that even without an emergency, claustrophobia may set in knowing I can't quickly get out.

Before I clicked post, I decided to check out the website for Ella's Bubbles OP included. IF I ever seriously considered purchasing I would definitely consider this company. I am sure I won't ever purchase unless money becomes no object to buy the tub and a maid to clean it! A lot of the objections seem to be addressed quite well under the FAQ section but sometimes it can look good on paper but not necessarily in real life. As far as installation there was this: we have a network of qualified installers that can help you.

My Chiropractor got one for her house. The cost was mind boggling. She doesn't like it for all the reasons already given. I think it cost her $12,000. or $13,000. That is a lot of money. I have a shower chair and a handheld shower head. I make sure the room is very warm before I get in the shower. When I dry off I put a towel on my body while I towel dry my hair. I also sit on the toilet when I dress, because I have a tendency to fall over backwards a lot. Of course I have bars in the shower and a rubber mat for the floor.

I installed a walkin tub with full shower head for my mother with osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis. My family is in construction so we installed a 3" drain. I already had a large water heater to support my 80 gal soaker tub.

My mom was NEVER cold while the tub filled or drained. First step at bath time was to heat the bathroom. Second step was a thick robe. Mom got into the tub and we started filling with the robe across her body and tpok it off as the tub filled. The tub had air jets for the whirlpool and a built in heater to maintain the temperature. Mom LOVED it - so much less pain. When she became unable to enter the tub by herself, my nephew would lift her (in her robe) into the tub and lift her back out after she enjoyed her bath.

I haven't tried to sell my home but I have a teenager and a 10 year old that usually take a shower everyday and occasionally use the whirlpool bath - preferring to use this bath over the stand up shower bath about 40' away.

I believe a walk-in tub is somewhat higher than a regular tub and thus more difficult to step into or out of.