The features of a walk-in tub appear to be generic across the board however, depending on the manufacturer, walk-in bathtubs may contain added luxury and therapeutic features.
Safety Features Of A Walk-In Tub
A good walk-in tub must contain several safety features to guarantee users protection from falls. A walk-in tub should contain the following safety features:
Anti-Slip Floors
The floors of most walk-in bathtubs are grooved to prevent slipping and falling of users when they are standing in the walk-in tub. These grooves are similar to those found on non-slip mats and essentially, they serve the same function.
Safety Grab Bars
Many walk-in tubs contain built-in grab bars to provide additional safety and stability inside the tub. Grab bars, just like a cane or walker, protect users by taking some of their weight and balance off their feet. Safety grab bars are so important that some walk-in tubs even have more than one!
Bath Door Seal
In contrast to a traditional tub, which requires users to climb over the bathtub frame, a walk-in tub has a gated door mechanism. These bath doors are lined with rubber seals to prevent water leakage from the tub which could constitute a fall hazard outside of the tub. This tub component is so important that several manufacturers provide a lifetime warranty on it along with walk-in tub purchases.
Tub Door
Standard walk-in tubs can be divided into two major types depending on the type of door fitted to the walk-in tub frame.
A standard walk-in tub will either have an outward opening door or an inward swinging door. The distinction between the door types and their importance is explained below.
Inward Swinging Doors
Walk-in tubs fitted with inward swinging doors are ideal for conditions where the bathroom space is limited. Since the door swings inward, there is more usable space in small bathrooms.
Also, these walk-in tub types offer added protection in that they are designed to prevent tub door opening until all water has been drained from the tub thereby preventing water leakage out of the tub.
A downside to this walk-in tub design is that the door tends to limit ease of movement inside the tub.
Outward Swinging Doors
Walk-in tub models with an outward swinging door are ideal for use in bathrooms where space is not limited.
As the name suggests, the door of the walk-in tub swings outwardly thereby eliminating the problem of mobility associated with inward swinging door tubs.
Wheelchair-accessible tubs with outward opening doors are ideal for people with mobility issues. They allow users to easily transfer from chair to tub.
Major cons of these walk-in tub types however include the fact that they lack the “spill protection” offered by inward swinging door walk-in tubs. As such, if the door is opened accidentally, water may flow from the tub onto the floor where it constitutes a fall hazard. Also, the door may interfere with other items in the room especially if the space available is limited.
Luxury And Therapeutic Features Of A Walk-in Tub
Besides the basic general and safety features found in many walk-in tub models, several walk-in tub manufacturers also produce runs with luxury and therapeutic features inclusion to provide maximum benefits to users.
These features include:
- Handheld Shower Head – This is a walk-in tub luxury feature ideal for individuals with limited mobility. The walk-in tub’s showerheads are detachable thereby making it easy to reach and rinse any part of your body.
- Massage Systems – The majority of walk-in tubs will have either air jets or water jet circulation systems in the bath walls that assist in circulating water in the tub and massaging the user’s body. This circulation system also helps in maintaining water temperature levels.
- Heated Surfaces – Luxury tubs have heated surfaces designed to provide additional heat to the user’s neck and back areas. Heated seats are also present.
Other luxury and therapeutic walk-in tub inclusions are self-cleaning, push button control, and Scald-prevention technology.
2 thoughts on “The Best Walk-In Tubs in Canada for Seniors Reviewed 2023”
I need a walk in bathtub installed
Hi Florence, I would recommend giving a call to American Standard – they will walk you through any questions you may have.