Walk in baths are often regarded as a good choice for elderly people and those with limited mobility. The defining feature of a walk in bath is that it has a watertight door, through which the bather can enter without having to step up and over the side. This helps to minimise the risk of slips and falls.
The image above compares a walk in bath (left) with an undermounted soaking tub (right).
How Does a Walk In Bath Work?
In principle, a walk in bath is very simple; it’s essentially an ordinary bath but with a door and, in some cases, a seat. The door obviously needs to be dependably watertight. Without a strong seal, it would present a serious risk of flooding the bathroom.
A walk in bath with door and seat is often a better choice than one without a seat. This is particularly true for people who use wheelchairs because it enables an easier transfer with less change in terms of height or posture.
Another popular choice is to fit a shower (either wall-mounted or hand-held) over a walk in bath, to make it multi-functional. This is a practical option, provided that there is also a shower screen or curtain to provide adequate splash protection. Walk in shower baths allow more choice in day-to-day living, being suitable for anything from a quick wash to a lengthy soak.
The Walk In Bath Experience
Proper use of a walk in bath entails transferring into the bathtub, closing the door securely, and then filling it with water. Then, after bathing, the water must be allowed to drain away, at which point the user can open the bathtub door again and exit.
The process of sitting in a tub while it fills is not inherently unpleasant, although it is obviously very important to control the temperature of the incoming water in order to prevent any scalding risk. However, at the end of the bathing session, the experience is less pleasant, particularly in winter when the bathroom may be cooler. Sitting wet and cold, waiting for a bath to empty, can be frustrating and potentially uncomfortable.
To minimise such discomfort, some manufacturers make a feature of a second waste hole (i.e. an extra plughole). However, in many cases, this second hole will still run into the same drainage pipe as the first and, unless that pipe is made bigger, the bath may still take an inconveniently long time to empty. Pipe diameter is often is the limiting factor.
Drawbacks of Walk In Baths
The most obvious risk associated with walk in baths is that of leakage. Even a small bath will contain enough water to do serious damage to a bathroom floor and, if that bathroom is on an upper level, to anything that lies below it, too.
For those considering a walk in bath, quality and reliability are therefore essential considerations. And as with most things, buyers will tend to get what they pay for. A cheap walk in bath will often lack rigidity, which means it could flex with the weight of the bather and the water around them. That alone may be enough to put strain on the seal and, in time, give rise to damaging leaks.
When brand new, the seals on walk in baths are likely to be in good condition, but these will normally degrade over time. Hinges, catches and handles are all subject to wear, and flexible seals may slowly embrittle with repeated exposure to heat, moisture and sunlight. They all demand careful and regular inspection.
Another concern is depth. Very often, to promote easy access and to limit the pressure on seals, manufacturers will make their walk in baths relatively shallow. As a result, the user won’t always enjoy the benefits of a long soak and being buoyed up by a good depth of water. In some cases, bathing in a walk in tub can be a ‘functional’ experience rather than a relaxing one.
Alternatives to Walk in Baths
One popular alternative for people with limited mobility is a wet-room. Such rooms can be made wheelchair-accessible and they will often feature a seat situated underneath a shower. In a wet-room, spills and splashes are of no concern, since the whole room is made waterproof.
However, a shower alone is not always satisfactory, particularly if the user has previously enjoyed relaxing baths. Consequently, many people will choose to install a small bath inside a wet-room, or immediately outside of a large, wheelchair-accessible shower enclosure. Deep soaking tubs are a good choice for such installations because their small footprints free up more space in the rest of the bathroom.
Deep Soaking Tubs and Accessibility
On first sight, a deep soaking tub might not seem an obvious choice for someone with restricted mobility. “Deep bathing” suggests a high-sided bath and a consequent challenge to accessibility. However, a well-designed soaking tub can be an excellent choice. Indeed, many of our clients are people who have actively sought a ‘future-proof’ bath that they could continue to enjoy well into their later years.
Soaking tubs are well suited to such clients for a number of reasons.
First, they can be built into a raised bath surround, which puts their sides level with the height of a typical wheelchair. Then, the user only has to transfer from the chair onto the deck or bath-rim, and swing their legs across and into the bath. With the addition of one or two suitably positioned grab rails, the process can be made very safe and easy. At no time does the bather have to put all their weight on one leg and raise the other over the side of the bath.
Second, a well-designed soaking tub will incorporate a rigid seat, which effectively acts as an internal step. This not only aids entry and egress, it also makes the bath much more comfortable.
Finally, good soaking tubs will typically permit the bather to sit in a much greater depth of water than in an ordinary walk in bath. Deeper water means that the user will experience greater buoyancy because more of their body is submerged. This helps to produce a sense of weightlessness, taking pressure off joints and muscles, so the whole bathing experience feels more restorative.
Soaking Tubs – Other Benefits
In addition to their many accessibility benefits, deep soaking tubs typically have very compact dimensions and can often be fitted in or immediately outside a wet-room. They therefore make an excellent alternative to luxury walk in tubs, generally outperforming them in terms of both comfort and reliability.
That reliability stems from their shape. A deep soaking tub has no doors to present a risk of leaks or flooding.
The greater comfort is the result of good buoyancy, an ergonomically designed seat and the fact that a soaking tub does not require the bather to sit in it while the water fills up and subsequently empties. It may also feature arm rests, foot rests and a head-rest as further aids to comfort and stability.
Some customers tell us that they appreciate the benefits of bath salts and other additives to help relax muscles and alleviate pain. This may be an important consideration, and it’s another reason why baths with door seals could be a questionable choice. Chemical additives will do no harm to a bath made of our proprietary material Ficore, for example, but anyone considering a walk in bath should ask their intended supplier whether such additives could have a detrimental long-term effect on the seals.
Customisation
All Cabuchon soaking tubs are made from Ficore, which is extremely rigid, hard-wearing, and resistant to chemicals. It will keep water warm for much longer than conventional materials such as acrylic, so it can also help customers to save money on both water and energy.
In addition, every soaking tub in the Cabuchon range can optionally be fitted with a choice of bespoke hydrotherapy systems. We explain their therapeutic value and benefits in our Hydrotherapy section. Many customers testify to the added relaxation and enjoyment that our spa hydrotherapy systems deliver.
Other options include chromotherapy lighting, Bluetooth sound systems and other features to make the bathing ritual as rewarding and luxurious as possible.
Please note that our Imersa and Takara deep soaking tubs feature grab bars as standard. However, all our baths are custom-built to order, so grab bars may be fitted to other baths on request.
Find Out More
For expert advice about accessible bathing, grab-bar placement and customisation options, please get in touch.
