Updated: November 20, 2023
Ella’s Bubbles offers attractive and safe walk-in tubs designed to last a lifetime. All tubs are assembled and tested in Chicago. Ella’s Bubbles walk-in tubs are available in many sizes with inward- or outward-swinging leakproof doors. Models include double-seated and wheelchair transfer tubs, as well as therapeutic hydro and air jets.
Editorial Breakdown
Customer Service
Tub Features
Price
Ease of Purchase
Overall Rating
Bottom Line
Ella’s Bubbles offers safe and attractive walk-in tubs with options available for couples.
Retirement Living’s editorial team visited a showroom to evaluate walk-in tubs offered by Ella’s Bubbles. The brand stands out for its long list of luxury and safety features as well as the customization options available—20 different models offer many more design combinations than competitor brands.
For example, walk-in tubs from Ella’s Bubbles feature a fast dual-drain system, grab bars, a low threshold for safety, therapeutic air and hydro jets, and ozone sanitation. You have a choice of faucets and accessories like a convenient 360-degree swivel tray to hold a beverage, book or other items.
Pros
Cons
Retirement Living’s editor visited a local showroom to evaluate the Monaco walk-in tub from Ella’s Bubbles and found it more spacious than expected. The Monanco measures 32 inches wide and 52 inches long, and is roughly the same size as a standard alcove bathtub. Its 23-inch seat is also larger and deeper than some seats offered by other brands. While this standard-size tub had more than enough room for our editor’s five-foot, three-inch frame, we think it could easily accommodate larger bathers.
More importantly, this tub has an outward swinging door with a lever handle and a low four-inch threshold, which is key for creating a safer, easier entry and exit of the tub. Lever handles are easier to use than door knobs, however, we found the lever tough to operate. Still, we think this design is intentional, and helps ensure the door creates a tight, leakproof seal.
Ella’s Bubbles walk-in tubs offer some of the most robust sets of size and feature customizations, which the dealer told us helps ensure the tub can fit into almost any existing bathroom setup.
As for maintenance and repairs? The dealer we spoke to told us that they only sell Ella’s Bubble’s tub because most of its parts are made in the U.S., which in their experience, helps provide the customer with a better, longer-lasting product and cut down the warranty and maintenance costs for the dealer.
Lastly, our editor was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality and design of the piece. Walk-in tubs are perhaps incorrectly thought of as oversized eyesores, but Ella’s Bubbles’ stainless steel fixtures are attractive and modern and the tub looked intentional when surrounded by a tile wall. (Though we suspect installing a walk-in tub against a freshly painted wall would also do the trick!)
Ella’s Bubbles manufactures walk-in tubs with several features that those with mobility concerns would appreciate. For example, seated walk-in tubs with outward-swinging doors give the bather more room to ease getting into or out of the tub. The company also offers transfer tubs, more commonly known as wheel-chair accessible tubs.
Ella’s Bubbles offers the following walk-in tub types:
Ella’s walk-in tubs with U-shaped inward-swinging stainless steel, a tempered glass door, and lower thresholds come in five models.
Great for Couples
Ellas Bubbles
Ella’s Bubbles outward-swing door models have U-shaped or L-shaped entrances. Five tubs feature U-shaped doors. Ella’s Bubbles has one L-shaped model called the Transfer, available in multiple sizes.
Ella’s Bubbles U-shaped outward-swing doors are constructed with a unique gear and shaft-driven three-latch system. This system provides a more reliable watertight door seal compared with a standard single-latch door.
Ella’s Bubbles transfer models feature an L-shaped door designed for easily sliding into and out of the tub. The Transfer’s larger opening allows for ease of movement and is wheelchair-accessible. The doors are lightweight, durable aluminum with a two-latch lock mechanism, and leakproof seal. The Transfer is available in five sizes.
Feature | Ella’s Bubbles | Competition |
Frame | Stainless steel | Steel tubing |
Door | Leakproof seal | Torsion bar adjustment |
Leveling feet | Four corners plus center points | Four corners |
Drain | Two 2-inch independent drains | One drain, sometimes with a pump |
Shipping container | Reinforced cardboard or plywood box wrapped securely to a custom skid | Standard corrugated cardboard box |
Ella’s Bubbles walk-in tubs are made for a lifetime of use. Rustproof stainless steel frames include a center support not found in all competing brands. All four frame corners and the center support have leveling feet for optimum stability. These details ensure the weight of the filled tub is properly distributed.
You can’t get out of a walk-in tub until it fully drains, so the faster the water level recedes, the better. Ella’s Bubbles gravity-driven dual drains empty the tub in as little as 80 seconds. Both drain openers have ADA-compliant extension handles for people with arthritis or weak hands. Ella’s Bubbles dual-drain technology carries away four times more water than a standard drain, with no splash back into the tub that overflow pump-driven drains often creates.
Many walk-in tubs come with a torsion bar to adjust when the door starts leaking. Ella’s Bubbles does not rely on a torsion system. The doors are leakproof and require no adjusting.
(See the image below that reflects an Ella’s Bubbles door seal, which Retirement Living’s editor took while visiting a local showroom.)
Like most walk-in tub brands, Ella’s Bubbles offers four types of jets to help relax sore muscles, relieve arthritis pain and improve skin tone. LED color therapy (chromotherapy) adds to relaxation, and a heated seat makes waiting for the walk-in tub to fill less chilly.
However, Ella’s Bubbles offers several additional features that other brands do not, such as:
Many seniors prefer to stay in their homes as long as they can. Aging in place requires safe at-home products, including in the bathroom. Using a walk-in tub is much safer than stepping over the edge of a standard tub.
In addition to a low threshold, Ella’s Bubbles walk-in tubs come with grab bars on the tub wall and deck. Other safety features include:
Most Ella’s Bubbles tub products we found are acrylic walk-in tubs. However, Ella’s Bubbles offers gelcoat walk-in bathtubs with a glossy gel coat with fiberglass reinforcement for additional strength and durability. These are specialty walk-in baths, like the 170-gallon Bariatric-35, with options for 18 air jets and six water jets.
Gelcoat models come with a five-piece Fast Fill Faucet, a hand-held showerhead, and a quick-drain system. These tubs do not come with end panels at this time, so they are only appropriate for installation in alcoves or similar locations.
The cost of a walk-in tub varies a great deal between manufacturers (and dealers, according to one local dealer representative). Ella’s Bubbles walk-in tubs are more expensive than other brands but they offer exceptional durability and four financing payment plan options to accommodate your budget.
Ella’s Bubbles provides a lifetime limited warranty on its walk-in tub shells, frames, doors and parts, but not on labor or installation. The thermostatic control valve faucet is only covered for one year, given that the part is heavily affected by water quality variations, like calcium levels.
One important distinction is that the warranty only covers the original purchaser. If you plan to sell your home soon and use the tub as a sales feature, you may need to look into additional ways to transfer the warranty.
You can request a free quote on Ella’s Bubbles’ website, but you’ll actually purchase your walk-in tub from one of the company’s approved dealers in your area. Ella’s Bubbles partners with both dealers and installation professionals who have a proven record of customer satisfaction. The company is happy to share approved installers via phone via the online quote feature.
Once you buy a walk-in tub from Ella’s Bubbles, the manufacturer will ship the tub to your local dealer. Retirement Living’s editor visited a local retailer in Charlotte, North Carolina, who told us that they personally test each walk-in tub before delivering it to the customers. With the help of plumbers and contractors, they fill the tub, inspect it for leaks, and ensure all parts and pieces are working properly. Then, they’ll visit your home and install the tub in your existing bathroom space.
Ella’s Bubbles lives up to its promise of outstanding customer service. The company has exceptional manufacturing standards and high expectations for its dealer and installation partners.
The Better Business Bureau gives Ella’s Bubbles an A+ rating, and there’s only been one complaint (now closed) over the past three years. Consumers rated Ella’s Bubbles with 4.95 out of 5 stars on the BBB site and frequently mention product durability and customer service agents who go above and beyond.
ConsumerAffairs readers give Ella’s Bubbles 4.75 out of 5 stars. Google reviews average 4.9 out of 5 stars, and reviews on Facebook yield a perfect 5 out of 5 rating.
ConsumersAdvocate gave Ella’s Bubbles walk-in tubs 3.7 out of 5 stars, but the review includes incorrect data. The review says the tubs lack features Ella’s Bubbles actually offers, like ozone cleaning, extension panels and heated backrests.
Ella’s Bubbles walk-in bathtub doors are designed with a leakproof door seal system. The seal is pressurized when the door locking arm is activated. The weight of water in the tub compresses the door seal to further ensure no leaks. Ella’s Bubbles door seals come with a lifetime limited warranty.
You can close the door, but keep it unlocked when the tub’s not in use to prevent the gasket from being squeezed out of shape.
Fill times range from seven to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the walk-in tub and the configuration of the water supply lines.
Ella’s Bubbles recommends using vinegar and water to clean walk-in tubs. Other cleaners include Simple Green All-Purpose, Simple Green Natural Bathroom Cleaner, Dawn dish soap and any Tilex or Pine-Sol cleaners. You won’t need to do any heavy-duty cleaning if you take a few minutes after each bath to take care of your walk-in tub.
Laimonis Magone founded Ella’s Bubbles, which he named after his daughter, Ella. Laimonis came up with the name after snapping a photo of Ella splashing in her kiddie pool and blowing soap bubbles.
Ella’s Bubbles walk-in tubs are engineered and manufactured to be sturdy enough to last for many years. The company makes a walk-in tub to fit in nearly any bathroom. Ella’s Bubbles walk-in tubs are attractive, with features to help relieve pain and promote relaxation and independence. The warranty is exceptional, and the tubs are constructed and tested in the U.S.
Great for Couples
Ellas Bubbles