Walk-In Bathtubs

The beauty of sanctuaries. When 2020 is all said and done, it will likely be the year in which the typical human being logged the most amount of hours in his/her home in over 100 years. In fact, let’s extend that to 300, 500, 1,000 or 5,000 years. Unless you were worried about saber-tooth tigers and holed up in your cave for an entire winter, you might have 2020 beat. But this has been a home-body year and one we hope never repeats itself again.

Many of us have been (or still are) at home with other folks. Folks we love, those whom we chose to spend the rest of our lives with. But we never considered being on top of each other all day, every day, for weeks on end. For times like this, we thank the heavens for sanctuaries. Sanctuaries are those places in your home where you can go, and nobody can follow. And while some homes might have a number of these, all homes have at a minimum, one – the bathroom.

The bathroom is that spot where it is culturally inappropriate to interrupt or barge in on someone. They also have lovely areas to relax – the shower or bathtub. The latter is the better relaxation apparatus, mainly because you sit (as opposed to standing in a shower). And while there are all sorts of tubs out there, the king/queen of them all is the walk-in bathtub.

The advantages of a walk-in bathtub are numerous (and frankly way too many to list here). At the top of the list are the whirlpool jets. Walk-in tubs have jets surrounding the tub, blasting out hot water at varying speeds and creating the most serene, relaxing setting you could conjure up. Second, many also feature a heated backrest. Combined with the jets, there is nothing more soothing. Third, the hand shower allows you to wash your hair, for example, while you sit, and every walk-in tub has an extra-wide seat, much wider than you’ll find in a standard tub.

Walk-in tubs, on top of being exceptional at what they’re designed to do, are also extraordinarily safe. There is a low step-in (hence, the “walk-in” part of all this) accessible through a tiny door that opens and then shuts, sealing the water in. A good tub is slip-resistant, and all have handrails and a door to depart from. Perhaps the only downside to a walk-in tub is the installation and the price. Installation can be tricky, depending on the space in your bathroom. Walk-in tubs take up more space than your regular tub. Many bathrooms were constructed with the typical tub in mind, and said tub usually extends from one wall to another. This can be difficult in terms of finding a walk-in tub with similar measurements.

The price of walk-in tubs can also create some “sticker shock.” Kohler and Safe Step are two leading walk-in tub manufacturers, and their top of line tubs run $10,000 and $20,000 respectively. There are some more affordable options from Bathing Solutions, Ameriglide, Hydro Dimensions, or Spirit Walk-in Tubs. But, like anything, you pay for what you get.

The bottom line, putting aside at least $8,000 (including installation) for a walk-in tub is advised. Anything less, and you might as well just hit the YMCA Jacuzzi on the weekends.