Premier Care Walk-in Tub Review
If you need a walk-in tub, you often have very little say in the matter. You may have a condition that limits your mobility, or you may simply be aging and have lost a little bit of the balance or flexibility that allows you to use a regular tub. If so, a walk-in tub is a simple way to solve your problem. Premier Care is one of the market leaders when it comes to walk-in tubs.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about Premier Care walk-in tubs so that you can begin the purchase process with all the information you may need.
For reviews of other walk-in tub brands, see here:
Pros & Cons
of Premier Care Walk-in Tubs
Pros
Safety
Premier Care is known across the market as being one of the safest walk-in tub models around. The clear preference for outward-opening doors is evidence of this (some other companies offer inward-opening doors as a default). In addition, the use of anti-scald valves shows it is focused on keeping its customers safe. This is on top of more standard features such as grab bars and anti-slip flooring.
Comfort
Don’t think that, just because Premier Care tubs are safe, they are dull. The ability to customize the tub with features such as massage jets and heated seats means that the baths are little different from those you’d find in a spa.
Warranty
The lifetime warranty on some of the components is a sure sign of a company confident in the quality of its build.
Cons
Draining
Although a seemingly trivial feature, the fact that Premier Care doesn’t have quick-drain technology is a major oversight. Some companies have tubs that can drain in 80 seconds from full. Others install pumping systems to help drain faster. Premier Care doesn’t have that, which makes a genuine difference on a day-to-day basis.
WHO IS PREMIER CARE?
Premier Care is a US-based company founded in 1985. The company’s full name is ‘Premier Care in Bathing’, thus highlighting it is a firm directly founded on the need to provide bathing help for senior citizens and those with mobility issues. To put it another way, this isn’t a company that has walk-in tubs as a side department – it is directly focused on these products.
HOW TO PURCHASE
Speaking to Premier Care directly can be a drawn-out process, as they rely on sending a sales representative to visit your home, take measurements, and then build a specific, unique quote for you and your family. However, for many people who have decided to take the plunge (so to speak) and buy a walk-in tub, time is of the essence.
AVERAGE COST
Premier Care provides individual quotes for each of its models and will base it all upon the visit of their expert. Generally, however, Premier Care prices seem to sit somewhere in the middle of the industry standard, with tubs costing somewhere around $7,000 and $10,000. Obviously, the amount of customization will impact the overall price.
For pricing information on other walk-in tub brands, see these pages:
Types of Tubs
& Features
Types
Premier Care has four main models of walk-in tubs, each representing a slightly different size, shape, and configuration. Depending on the amount of space in your bathroom, you’ll choose one of the four and then add on accessories and other customization options afterward. You should start by measuring the footprint of your existing bath to get an indication of what you have room for.
1
Easy Bathe
The Easy Bathe was the first model developed by Premier Care and is the biggest selling model across the four options. The biggest strengths of the model are also the simplest – it has an extremely low threshold (meaning there’s very little step up when it comes to getting into the bath); in addition, it has an outward-opening door, which makes it far easier for those with limited mobility to enter and exit the tub.
In addition, the Easy Bathe has features like a slip-resistant floor and grab bar, which makes a major difference when it comes to keeping users safe. What’s particularly nice about this model is that the core design is extremely simple. Still, it comes with a number of bolt-on additions that you can use to customize your own experience – depending on your needs and budget.
2
Cove
As the name obliquely references, the Cove model is designed to fit in a smaller space than other models from Premier Care. The Cove is only 51.25 x 26 inches, making it far more compact than the Easy Bathe (60 x 32 inches). Despite that, the Cove has all of the features of the larger models – such as hydrotherapy and air jets. In addition, a heated seat comes as standard. One of the biggest limitations of this model, however, is the fact that the door is inward-opening. While this is a necessity to make it fit into smaller bathrooms, it may make it less accessible for those with the most severe of mobility issues.
3
Oasis
The Oasis is designed very similarly to the Cove, with one key difference – the door opens outwards. As mentioned above, this is optimal for those with serious accessibility issues. Although not an ideal course of action because of the flooding involved, the ability to open the door outwards means that the user can open it in an emergency even if the tub is full. This is not the case with an inward opening door; the pressure of the water is too great to allow it to open when the tub is full.
The Oasis also comes with an adjustable showerhead and shower canopy, meaning that you will be able to choose between a bath and a shower and get some freedom back in your life.
4
Laguna
If the Oasis and the Cove are designed for compact spaces, the Laguna is designed for those who want (or need) a bit more room to maneuver. This is the ultra-wide and ultra-deep tub, for creating a truly luxurious bath experience. This model also has an anti-scald feature, which means that you won’t burn yourself from the water being too hot.
A small, but telling piece of attention to detail is that the Laguna comes with either right or left-handed entry, meaning that you can customize it to the layout of your own tub.
Features
As shown above, the best thing to do is to start by choosing a model based on the size of your available space. This will then allow you to see how much of your budget remains for additional walk-in tub features. The key features are many, although below are some of the most common options:
Powered bathtubs
For those who have more advanced mobility issues, the powered bathtubs have a mechanized chair lift or a tub seat that can automatically raise and lower. These make entry and exit of the tub far easier.
Hydrotherapy or air-jet massage
Which option is best for you will depend on what type of therapy you need. Generally, hydrotherapy jets are best for soft-tissue massage, whereas air jets are better for those who may find water jets to be too harsh.
Shower accessories
All of the Premier Care models can have shower functionality added to them. Again, it depends on how much mobility you have (and how much space is in your budget). Having options between a shower and a bath may make the entire process easier, and therefore more likely to be used. Shower accessories also make it easier to rinse off in the bathtub – particularly if you’ve worked up a real lather with the air or water jets.
INSTALLATION
Because Premier Care only has four different shell sizes, the installation process is relatively simple. Premier Care has its own fleet of installers (or, at least, a network of contractors who are able to install your tub). Using them has the benefit of ensuring your warranty remains valid.
Generally, the process from the final placement of order to the installation of your tub takes less than four weeks. The actual process of installation is usually done in a day, assuming there is no need for additional plumbing work or the like.
WARRANTY
The door seals on all Premier Care tubs have a limited lifetime warranty (must be the original purchaser and must be in the same location it was originally installed). The actual frame and shell construction of the tub has a 10-year warranty. Any shower accessories (such as the tray, and any canopies) also have a 10-year warranty.
For the smaller fixtures and fittings, such as the faucets, accessories, shower doors, and so on, there is a warranty for one year covering parts and labor. These are all fairly standard warranties within the industry.
Premier Care Walk-in Tub
FAQs
Below are answers to some common questions related to Premier Care walk-in tubs:
Which model is right for me?
It all depends on the space you have available. The first step in all of this process should be for you to measure the footprint available. Then compare that with the four models listed above.
Does Premier Care have any endorsements?
Yes, all Premier Care tubs are commended by the American Arthritis Foundation. That means you can be sure they’re designed with the right demographic in mind.