Factors to Consider When Buying A Walk-In Tub

A walk-in tub is an excellent addition to a home for those who experience difficulty getting into a traditional bathtub. The best of these tubs features a door that will allow you to easily walk into and out of the bathing space. It also includes key safety features, ensuring you don’t get injured while bathing.

With so many different walk-in tubs and safety features to choose from, it can be tough to determine which one is the best fit for you. Here are some tips to help you find the right walk-in tub for your home.

Sizing and Dimensions

Walk-in tubs come in a variety of sizes and shapes. While they may appear bigger than your traditional tub, as they typically have a higher wall, many will still fit into the space that previously held your old bathtub.

When shopping for the right-size walk-in tub, look for a tub that closely matches the dimensions of your original bathtub (so don’t forget to measure!). This will help avoid any costly reconfigurations of the room. If the tub you desire doesn’t quite fit your space, there are extension kits available to ensure you get the right tub that fits your bathroom.

Cost of a Walk-In Tub and Your Budget

Costs vary depending on the brand, style, size and number of features you add to your walk-in tub design. Because of the sheer range of options, there’s no one-size-fits-all price tag, making many online price guides only so reliable.

While a walk-in tub may come with high upfront costs, investing in your bathroom space safeguards your health long-term by reducing fall risks and helping seniors age comfortably at home. Some of this cost is offset by saving money that might otherwise be spent on assisted living facilities.

Your Daily Needs

Whether you’re looking for a safer way to bathe or seek therapeutic benefits to aid in injury recovery, pain relief and movement support, there’s a walk-in tub that’s right for you. Walk-in tubs increase independence for seniors and make safe bathing accessible for those with disabilities, injuries, arthritis and limited mobility and coordination. They also provide ease-of-use convenience for caregivers and family members assisting with bathing.

If you’re very active and want to relieve sore muscles, a bath with jets will be ideal. For a more luxurious soak, look for features like aromatherapy and chromotherapy. And if you need a tub simply for safety without all of the bells and whistles, a basic soaker walk-in tub is best.

Safety Considerations

Every walk-in tub offers a notable improvement in safety compared to a traditional tub. Look for these key design features to make your bathing routine stress-free:

• Anti-slip floor and seat: Move confidently and avoid slips and falls when you enter, exit and move around in the tub.
• Low threshold: Easily enter and exit the bath without leg strain. The low threshold is specially designed for people with limited mobility, with the exact height depending on your bathroom’s design.
• Built-in door: Depending on the tub, the door will swing inward or outward. Outward-swinging doors give you more room in the tub, helpful for people in wheelchairs, while inward-swinging doors are beneficial in a smaller bathroom and for easy operation while inside the tub.
• Grab bars: Keep steady as you move around with the support of sturdy, conveniently placed built-in grab bars.
• Anti-scald technology: Stay comfortable and protect sensitive skin with technology that keeps water from reaching dangerous temperatures.
• Sanitary gel coat: Resistant to bacteria and mold, this germ-blocking gel coat enhances safety while making cleaning your tub a breeze.

Therapeutic Benefits

Discover a new way to make your bath rejuvenating and restorative. For people who need relief from sore muscles, joints, arthritis and other ailments, look for therapeutic features in a walk-in tub such as:

• Hydro massage jets: Boost circulation, relax tense muscles and get full-body relief with hydrotherapy. Adjustable jets provide restorative comfort in only ten minutes per day.
• Heated seat and backrest: Stay cozy while you bathe, ease tension and keep warm while your tub fills and drains.
• Chromotherapy: Color-changing lights do more than just set the mood—color light therapy soothes aches and encourages healing in tandem with the warm water and jets.
• Aromatherapy: Some walk-in tubs include aromatherapy features, such as a built-in essential oil diffuser that disperses the oil of your choice into the bathwater, helpful for relieving stress, restful sleep, pain relief and more.

Comfort and Convenience Features

Don’t sacrifice comfort for a safe bathing experience. Common walk-in tub convenience features include a handheld shower wand, rapid-fill faucet, quick drain system, no-strength locking handle and water-resistant remote.

Which Tub Is Right for You?

Most companies that manufacture walk-in tubs offer a variety of types and models, available with different heights, widths and features. The most basic walk-in tub is a soaker tub. This is similar to a traditional bathtub, except you can walk into it.

More advanced styles include features like hydro massage jets, heated backrests, wheelchair accessibility and a range of other design elements that will enhance your safety and relaxation. Do you need soothing relief from muscle pain or achy joints? Aromatherapy and all of the bells and whistles of a more therapeutic soak?

Before shopping for a walk-in tub, determine your bathing needs and make a feature “wishlist” to decide between the different options.

Walk-In Tub

Walk-in tubs make independent bathing a reality by placing safety and comfort at the forefront. As the name suggests, you can step right into your bath over a low threshold without the risks of climbing over a traditional tub’s slippery ledge.

A walk-in tub offers more than convenience for people with limited mobility—they include many therapeutic features that provide total-body relief, along with built-in grab bars, anti-slip surfaces and technology designed for stress-free, accessible bathing.

Tub-Shower Combo

Enjoy the best of both worlds with a tub-shower hybrid, the most popular safe bathing option among Safe Step customers. The rainfall shower head adjusts to match your height, while the handheld shower wand makes it easier to get clean in hard-to-reach places. One key advantage to the Hybrid Tub is that it combines the safety of a sit-down bath with the convenience of a traditional shower.

Trust the Safe Step Difference

Safe Step’s Walk-In Tubs provide the security of a safety-first design with the comfort of an at-home spa. We work within your budget by offering a lowest price guarantee, custom pricing, a diversity of accessories and features that give you the flexibility to choose exactly what fits your needs. We also offer a lifetime warranty for unmatched coverage and guaranteed protection.

As you consider which tub is the right solution for you, learn more about what sets Safe Step apart and why we’re the #1 selling walk-in tub brand in North America.