Question of the day: If you have only one bathtub in your house, should you make it a deep soaker tub? My two cents: No.
This issue — which I’ve run into personally before — came up when Elishia commented with a question on my 2010 story Choosing a bath tub big enough to soak in — I change my Kohler recommendation.
Elishia asked another reader, Patti, about the American Evolution bath tub (shown above – update: link now gone) she was considering. Elishia asked:
Patti, how are you enjoying the Evolution bathtub? I’m just about to buy the same one. I’m debating between the 72 and 60″ at the moment. The 72″ says it takes 110 gallons to fill up! That seems like A LOT Of water and might make me way less likely to take a bath. So I’m heading towards the 60″ which fills at 87 gallons. That is still a lot of water, but I’m guessing it’s at least 10 gallons less since I don’t need to fill it all the way up. I was also thinking that the 72″ might be too long for me at 5 7″ and that I’d slip down into it without my feet touching the end.
It will be in our second bathroom with a shower over. I’m guessing it would feel too deep to want to shower in there daily, but on occasion wouldn’t be a big deal. Are you showering in yours too? How is the depth for stepping over?
Sounds like Elishia has a normal-sized tub in her other bathroom.
That said, I wanted to spotlight this subject because I have two good friends who installed deep soaker tubs in bathrooms where daily showering was the norm — and they deeply regretted it.
Install a soaker tub — or a “normal” tub?
Disclaimer: I am not a professionally trained bathroom designer. But here are my thoughts based on my personal experience with this issue:
- I have two friends who have used soaker tubs in their bathrooms. Each of the two bathrooms were used daily by two people — but almost always to shower, rarely to soak. These friends both reported that the tub was a real hassle to get in and out of for showering. They both told me they would never ever do it again. About 10 years later, one of my friends actually gutted the bathroom and started over again because installing that soaker tub had been such a mistake.
- One of the two bathrooms was initially installed for two children, when the children were young. This also became a regret. The soaker tub was too big, too deep, too difficult for the parents to reach in and out to help their young children bathed. So instead, the family hauled the kids two stories down — to the basement bathroom, where there was a normal-sized tub to bath them in. Later, when the children were old enough and wanted to shower on their own — well, see the first bullet in this list, wrong product for this use.
- I definitely think it’s good to have one tub in the house — specifically, for children to use or, if you don’t have children, in case you ever sell your house to someone who does. But as per the bullet above, for children, you want normal-sized tubs, not soakers.
- All that said: Heck, soaker tubs are great — if you (1) already have one normal-sized tub in the house and (2) have one bathroom large enough for both a walk-in shower and nearby, a stand-alone soaker tub. My aunt Mary Anne has a soaker tub in the corner of her master bathroom. When I was staying with her a few years ago, I used it. It had jets even. It was heavenly.
Finally: Important safety advice to consider: Consult with your own professional about installing safety grab bars. This is an important piece of advice for all tubs and showers, but I would surmise, all the more so the deeper the tub.
How to add an extra few inches of water to your standard-sized tub:
Room for only one “normal” sized bathtub — but want to make the water fill deeper for occasional adult soak time? Try one of these thingies; I have a similar brand and it helps (amazon link).
emma says
In moving to Canada from England I was horrified to discover that baths are generally so much smaller, despite the houses being smaller, the average bath is a soaker tub. I’d never encountered a small bath and couldn’t imagine what people actually used them for, it felt like sitting in a shallow tin bucket not relaxing at all. We moved into a 1974 home with original baths one of which is a jet tub. Finally I can relax in a decent sized tub. So soaker tubs for the win, there is no comparison!
la573 says
Oh, and I’m a bit leery of the “deep water bath” attachments I’ve seen – they should work great as long you remember to turn off the water once the tub is nearly full. If you forget or become distraeted as its filling, disaster and flooding may ensue. On some tubs, including mine, I can just turn the existing, common Watts overflow cover upside down and it will add a few inches of depth whilst retaining a functioning overflow drain – the drain slats just move from the lower third to the upper third of the round overflow plate. Costs: $0.00!
http://www.plumbinghelp.ca/old/images2/installation%20bath%20drain%20and%20overflow.JPG
Or for a more professional appearance, use the American Standard replacement Deep Soak Tub Drain, 1640.305.002 for chrome, other colors available, which adds 2 to 3″ of water depth and retains a right-side-up look to the overflow drain, but notice the actual drain slat is now at the top rather than the bottom of the overflow valve. This is a full drain kit with replacement stopper with tubing and an integral tap-to-open/close drain.
http://www.americanstandard-us.com/assets/images/FMAs/amstd/full/24_BathDrain_DeepSoakDrain_1.jpg
Either of these gives deeper soaks in your existing tub with no chance of oops.
pam kueber says
My Deep Water Bath attachment has a round hole at the top. I presume that what this does is: If the water goes over it, it fills the attachment, and the attachment falls off. I will have to test it! ADVICE THOUGH: Contact the company to make sure my guess is correct. Cost: Still under $10.
Will the American-Standard Deep Soak Tub Drain work on a Kohler tub? For sure, I like it!
la573 says
I would definitely want the soaker tub, especially since there are now several on the market that take easy showering use into consideration. I’ll note several of my favorites here:
Let’s start with the Americh Bow which is a 32″ wide corner tub that is 19″ deep, 32″ wide, and either 60″ or 66″ long. It is available with air bubbles, whirlpool jets, both, or neither. Although this tub is only slightly easier than other like-height tubs to enter and exit (with its wide round edge and optional grab handles), it warrants consideration because of its wonderful retro ’50s appearance with very similar contours to the American Standard tubs shown upthread, and the corner mount leaves that mid-century period-correct exposed corner intact. Alas it is white-only, but this tub is a great way to combine retro looks and modern functionality in a single tub.
http://www.tubz.com/images/americh/BowBeau.jpg
There’s also a growing number of tubs like the Kohler Archer and that rely on high-mounted drains, or American Standard’s Everclean series (on display at HD) or Watertech’s Elite tubs, both of which have horizontally-mounted overflow drains mounted just below deck level, allowing a deep soak in a shallower tub. I’m particularly enamored with the Watertech Elite series, like the C7236 tub which has jets and air bubbles in the dimensions the model number suggests, but the same basic tub is available in numerous sizes from standard 5’x32″ alcove retrofits to two-person 6-footers with widths from 36″ to 48″. Note how the drain is mounted horizontally just below the tub rim, and how this design also allows your legs to straddle the drain pipe for maximum legroom:
http://www.tubz.com/images/watertech/elite-whirlpool.jpg
http://www.tubz.com/images/watertech/standard-vs-elite.jpg
And did I mention these are available in 32 colors including pink, blue, grey, Mexican sand, and red?
http://www.watertechtn.com/colors.php
Finally, don’t overlook the huge selection of trendy freestanding tubs. Many of these have no ledge whatsoever, and the inside and outside tub wall is essentially the same. You can build a step or stairway for ingress/egress. Some of these have no overflow drain in them, allowing them to be filled right up to the rim. To catch overflows, simply place the tub on a slightly tilted floor with the slant leading toward the in-floor drain. This design also makes bathroom clean-up a cinch – just mop everything toward that same drain.
I have a 20″h conventional alcove tub in my bathroom, and the tall ledge actually makes sitting on it easy which is good for bathing toddlers, or helping yourself into and out of the tub if you’re not dexterious, and the seat is useful for shaving legs. Not impractical at all!
A soaking tub is one of life’s greatest pleasures in my book. I’m moved just to be in a home that has one! I’m not giving it up now….
pam kueber says
Thanks! Are you a bathroom designer?
Patty says
Went from taking a daily bath to exclusively taking showers after knee surgery.
Christa says
Well, we replaced our old 50’s low sided cast iron tub with a soaking tub and we are very happy with our decision. We take baths all the time, and recycle the gray water to water our trees. The new tub is 62″ x 30″ x 24″. We have no problems getting in and out, it’s actually quite easy to put a hand on the edge to balance as you step in if needed. I just like soaking tubs. It helps my bad back, and it’s good for the skin. Plus, it’s just luxurious to soak in there, read a book, look out the window and sip a glass of wine.
There’s another bath in the house with a great shower, but I tend to use the tub/shower most days. There are some before and after pics here: https://www.pinterest.com/christajmartin/my-mid-century-modernized/
For our design we chose mosaics, terrazzo and Vola faucets that could have been installed when the house was originally built. The mahogany paneling matches the adjacent hallway. But the tub, sink and toilet are quite modern as we wanted to take advantage of newest technologies. The bath had been remodeled a couple times since the house was built so it was not original.
Marjorie says
Regarding extra long tubs…..It is wonderful for my six foot + husband. He can finally stretch out his legs and comfortably soak his aching muscles. At 5 foot 4 inches, I prefer to use the original tub 1958 tub on the main floor.The extra long tub is not relaxing since I have to brace my toes at the end if I lie back or I simply have to sit up (not what I think of as relaxing in a luxury bubble bath). So, if everyone is tall in your family the extra long is great: but if there are height variances it would be better to have one regular length in one bathroom and the extra long in another. I would also hate to have to reach over the tall sides of an extra long to bath a toddler….
Sandra says
I don’t know what a “soaker” tub is, but I see people going crazy for them all the time on HGTV. I always wonder about how much water it takes to fill them. However, I had an old 1920’s tub that was great for soaking. It wasn’t extra tall, but it was long with a nicely angled back for lounging. It had a nice wide edge flat enough and wide enough to set things on.
But here’s my safety warning: In my next house, I wanted that, but got a deceptive tub. This tub fits the standard space, but they’ve angled the edges at the top and at the bottom to make the transition from outside to inside, and the smaller flat bottom.
The result is an optical illusion that can cause one to step onto a sharply curved area next to the flat bottom. If your heel lands on this, you can slip and fall. The upper edge is narrow, and the lower one is wider, so you have to take a bigger step than it looks like you need to do. Further, because of the curves at the end of the tub, this means you cannot enter the tub anywhere near the end, but have to enter near the middle. This causes a conflict with the toilet. I’ll be stuck with this tub for many years, and I’d really like to consult an insurance actuary to see if they’ve noticed the problem.
G S says
My sister got a tub like the one in the photo but with jets. I don’t know what she was thinking since both she and my BIL had knee replacements and it is a challenge to get in and out. They do have a good grab bar, though. Last time I visited I used the jet tub.
Our tub in our 60’s ranch is short and shallow. I am 5’3″ on a good day and I cannot fully recline. I like to take baths on cold winter nights. I grew up in a house with a huge claw foot tub and some day I would love to have one again though it doesn’t really fit our 60’s style. When we visit San Francisco we stay in a boutique hotel that has claw foot tubs. It is so nice to soak after walking all day.
AnnF says
I grew up in a house with a claw foot tub, too. You can keep ’em!
JaniceW says
When I move to my retirement home next year, I am likely going to ignore all the advice about having at least one bathtub and convert my only tub into a shower. I use my tub for washing scuba gear once a year. I don’t plan to sell the house so I don’t care if there’s an issue with not having a tub. I might have to keep an eye out for a receptor tub though.
My friend built a new house and the upstairs guest bathroom has one of those tall soaking tubs and I nearly trip every time I get in or out. I hate it.
Mary Elizabeth says
In my various homes I have had: one original Victorian claw tub, several standard depth (13 to 14 in.) tubs, a deep spa tub (with air jets instead of water jets), and a small shower stall/receptor bath in my trailer. I prefer the versatility of the standard 1950s tub for showering, bathing tots, and taking the occasional bath.
My worse tub story: In Reykjavik, Iceland, a nice lady offered me and my husband the use of her furnished apartment downtown, which was for sale and awaiting paperwork, so it was empty. The apartment had a cute bathroom with a European-style tub tucked in under an eave–not tall enough for a shower or wide enough for a standard American tub. What it lacked in width and length, it made up in depth. Getting in was no problem, and the bath was lovely, as long as one kept one’s legs bent. Getting out of the slippery thing (remember, I’m a grandmother and have no background in gymnastics) took maybe twenty minutes, and that with my DH’s help. At one point, we were dissolved into helpless laughter at the idea that we would have to call the fire department to extract me.
And also remember that only about 10 years ago I was able to escape from quicksand, so I’m not totally feeble. But that’s another story.
AnnF says
What’d you bathe in after the quicksand? It’s times like that the a shower just won’t do.