Average Cost of Ellas Bubbles Walk-in Tub
Buying a walk-in tub is a purchase often driven by medical needs. Walk-in tubs are designed for those who have some form of mobility or balance issues, for whom stepping into a bathtub is neither safe nor feasible, or someone who wants a seated luxurious bath. If you’re curious if a walk-in tub is for you, see our page on Who Needs a Walk-in Tub.
The cost of a walk-in tub can often be quite high, and it is often confusing given the range of options available. This guide is designed to walk you through that process, so you have a rough sense of the costs involved, and where you can spend (or save) to find the perfect walk-in tub for your needs and your budget.
ELLAS BUBBLES
Ellas Bubbles is the sister company of a walk-in tub manufacturing firm, meaning that it has access to the latest innovations on the market. Buying an Ellas Bubbles tub means you are buying from a firm that continually innovates to offer an extremely competitive product line.
For example, Ellas Bubbles walk-in tubs are known on the market for filling up and draining faster than any of their competitors’ tubs. Despite this sense of innovation, Ellas Bubbles is also competitive on price, as the below guide will go on to show.
Overall Costs
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Overall Average Cost
Overall, for an Ellas Bubbles Walk-in Tub, you can expect to pay somewhere between $3,000 and $9,000.
This places them at the cheaper end of the spectrum for walk-in tubs, even for the largest and most deluxe model in the range. The costs of different models are discussed in the section below.
However, while Ellas Bubbles is more cost-effective than some of its competitors, a key cost that the headline price omits is the cost of installation, which can lead to the final bill being double the cost of the tub alone. Some other companies bundle the two costs together (usually marketing this as ‘free installation’) rather than unpacking materials and installation.
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Cost of Installation
It is possible to buy an Ellas Bubbles tub without installation if you are prepared to do the work yourself – or if you think you can find a local contractor who can do the job cheaper themselves. However, this could void any warranties.
If you do decide to purchase installation, you will expect to pay somewhere between $2,000 and $5,000. The key factors driving the price are:
The size and model of the tub
The layout of your bathroom
Whether the previous tub needs to be removed
Additional labor (such as installing new drainage systems)
The location of your home (in terms of both ease of access and cost of living in the area)
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Cost of Different Models
There are four main models of Ellas Bubbles Tubs (for more information, see our page Ellas Bubbles Walk-in Tub Review). The prices of each of these are:
Model Type | Price |
|---|---|
Economy | $2,600 |
Inward-Swinging Door Tub | $3,000 - $5,800 |
Outward-Swinging Door Tub | $3,500 - $5,800 |
Two-Seat Tub | $3,100 - $9,000 |
In addition, Ellas Bubbles recently launched its ‘ShaK’ model, which is marketed as the ‘largest single-seat walk-in tub in the world.’ It is designed for athletes and those who are 6 foot 4 or taller. It is 26 inches wide and 72 inches long and has 21 hydro and 16 air jets installed. The ShaK model starts at $9,000, and the cost of installation is likely to be at the top end of the $2,000 to $5,000 range.
To make any of the above models wheelchair accessible, you’ll likely pay between $3,700 to $6,000, depending on the specific model you are choosing to upgrade.
For pricing information of other brands, see these pages:
Additional Features and Costs
The costs listed above are for the basic models, without any customizations or the like. If you want to add specific walk-in tub features, you’ll need to add them to the total cost (with the resultant addition to the cost of installation). Below is the breakdown of the costs for specific additional features.
Although each is listed individually, there may be an economy of scale if you were to add multiple. For example, adding three or more additional features may result in an overall discount, so you will need to speak to an Ellas Bubbles representative to get a totally accurate price.
Faucet and Showerhead
Depending on where exactly you buy your Ellas Bubbles walk-in tub, you will usually be offered a full five-piece faucet set. This includes the following:
- Two taps
- A spout
- A handheld showerhead
- A thermal control valve (to provide anti-scald protection).
If you buy your tub from Home Depot, you will need to pay for the faucets separately. In addition, if you want to upgrade your faucet to a fast-fill faucet – which releases water at 18 gallons per minute, rather than the standard 14 – you will need to pay an additional $500.
Infusion MicroBubble Therapeutic Massage
As befits the name ‘Ellas Bubbles’ – the company prides itself on the therapeutic impact of bubbles. The massage system infuses the water with millions of tiny bubbles, designed to provide a soothing massage and create a sense of buoyancy. The bubbles have been shown to be good for body tissues, the pores, and the skin. This is very much the flagship additional feature for an Ellas Bubbles tub and will set you back an additional $800.
Air Massage
In addition to the water massage capabilities of an Ellas Bubbles tub, it is also possible to get an air massage. This is designed to be gentler than hydrotherapy bubbles for those whose skin or deep tissue cannot handle the more vigorous impact of bubbles. The number of air jets in the tub varies depending on the size and shape of the tub. However, if you want to add this feature, you can generally expect to pay somewhere between $900 and $1,100 extra.
Water Massage
Water massage offers an extremely powerful therapeutic option in any massage tub. This option (known as hydrotherapy) involves pumping water at high pressure into the tub through small jets. These jets are aimed at the legs, back, and shoulders, and can be angled to access almost any part of the body that requires massage. The benefits of this water massage can be extremely high.
For a water massage system, you can expect to pay somewhere between $1,500 and $1,900 extra. In addition to hydrotherapy, you can add on chromatherapy and/or aromatherapy, where lights or essential oils are added to increase the sensory impact of the massage. The cost of these options usually depends on the water massage system you have chosen but will run to around $500 – $1,500 extra.
Heated Seats
Heated Seats are a real luxury of the Ellas Bubbles world. Because walk-in tubs rely on you waiting for all the water to drain before opening the door, there is a danger of becoming cold in the 5-10 minutes that the tub drains. A heated seat prevents that from happening. A heated seat will cost between $700 and $900 extra.
Controls
If you have added a number of features, and wish to have an LED control system rather than push-button controls, you can upgrade your display for an additional $200. This makes it easier to toggle between hydrotherapy and air massage settings.
Cost of Upkeep
One important thing to factor in is the cost of using a walk-in tub. If you are used to showering, but can no longer do so, you will need to make some allowance for the additional water usage. The cost of taking a bath every day for a year is likely to raise your water bill by somewhere between $50 and $100. With the large ShaK model, this may be as much as $200 for a year’s worth of usage.
Additional Pricing Information
Although Ellas Bubbles does not offer a rebate or any similar type of discount, it is possible to break up your payment for your purchase into segments. Ellas Bubbles offers financing through either Klarna or PayPal, either of which means you pay a segment of the total cost each month for a pre-arranged amount of time.
This option is available only to those with good credit ratings and will usually only apply if you buy directly from Ellas Bubbles (i.e., you won’t be able to access it if you buy from a third-party retailer such as Home Depot).
Ultimately, therefore, an Ellas Bubbles walk-in tub represents a major purchase, costing you thousands of dollars before you’ve even had it installed. However, it’s the type of purchase that is usually driven by a medical need, and as such, is not something that represents a luxury purchase.
Given that, there’s often little scope for making savings, since you are often limited in the models available to you based on your particular condition.
However, it’s still advisable to plan and shop around in order to ensure you get the best possible price from the best possible retailer. This guide will hopefully give you an overall sense of the costs involved so that you can make the most informed purchase possible.