What Makes a Soaking Tub Comfortable?

One of the first apartments I rented had a deep clawfoot tub. I loved it. Any time we stay at a place on vacation that has a deep tub, I still love it.

It’s always been a wish, but there have always been higher priority expenses.

Then I saw a claw foot tub leaning against a barn. I asked the man in the yard if he would sell it and he agreed.

Other than the finish, the tub is in excellent condition.

The tub was smaller than any clawfoot tub I had ever seen, so I thought it might even fit into my bathroom. I measured when I got home and it was close, but about 4-inches too long.

The handyman I talked to said he could still make it fit. The interior walls in the log cabin are not load bearing. We wouldn’t even have to really move a wall. The walls at each end of the tub are more than 4 1/2″ thick. We could make it a “thin wall”, “narrow wall” or “skinny wall”. He explained that the other side of the wall would stay the same. Once we took out the fiberglass one piece tub and walls, we would trim or replace the 2x4s to be really thin. Think sorta 2x2s instead of 2x4s. And use the very thinnest waterproof drywall. We could get at least another 4 inches.

I found a place that paints cars that could sand and enamel the tub. I picked out the faucets, supply lines and drain. (They all cost surprisingly more than I expected.) I lay down in the tub and imagined relaxing in it…

And the tub was not at all relaxing. Because it was short, only 5-feet long, my legs could not straighten out. Duh. It wasn’t any longer than the tub I had. Actually the bottom of it was even shorter. My knees would be up. They might be sorta under water if I filled it completely, but this is not the fantasy I had. Plus, if we installed it the only way it would fit, the wall would be right up next to the back of the tub, so there would be no way to rest my head back. Have you ever tried to relax in a car with a headrest at just the wrong angle? Yeah, like that.

I put the tub next to the pool and we used it to hold pool toys.

When we found land to build on, a bathroom big enough for a REAL deep clawfoot tub was part of the planning process. And now I knew enough to try out a tub before buying it.

Deep soaking tubs are more available now than ever. There are a lot of choices.  We drove around trying on tubs to find the one that fits me best. I was surprised by the answer. I did not buy what I planned to buy.

How do you measure to see what size tub will be most relaxing for you?

The Right Length Tub

First, I want the bottom of the tub long enough, but not too long.

If you want to find out how long a tub has to be for you to stretch out in, try this.

1. Sit against a wall.
2. Mark where your heels stretch out to with your legs flat. I did it by pushing a book across the floor.
3. Measure from the wall to the book. (Or whatever you used. )

If the bottom of your tub is just a little longer, you will be perfectly comfortable. Shorter and your knees are up. Longer and you slide under the water.

The Right Back Rest Angle

We drove hundreds of miles trying on tubs. Most showrooms show pretty much the same tubs. I was surprised to find that many of the deepest tubs were really uncomfortable. The sides go straight up. Even under water, it’s not relaxing to sit up straight.

So, more important than anything else, I want to be able to lay back comfortably. The showrooms we visited had no problem with me climbing into the display tubs to see how they felt. One place even lets you schedule after hour appointments to come back with a bathing suit to try the ones that they had installed. (I did not do that.)

One of the first ones I sat in, the Underscore K-1821 from Kohler, was so comfortable that I judged every other tub by it. It is not a clawfoot tub and I really wanted a clawfoot tub. It isn’t even a freestanding tub. The back angle is 34 degrees, plus it has lumbar support.

I did some research to find what other tubs might have the same angle or even lean back more. They make freestanding and clawfoot bathtubs that lean back as much as 43 degrees.

At least for me, that’s too far. 34 degrees or so is really comfortable, but much further and it’s not so much. And I like to read in the bath. That’s not at all comfortable if you are laying down so far. So I want a tub that leans back comfortably, but not so far that it would be impossible to read in the tub.

Hydro System makes freestanding and drop-in tubs that lean back at a good angle. The longer they are, the more you can lean back. We hadn’t even finalized which house plans at this point, so there was absolutely no limit to the length and width.

Jacuzzi makes drop-in, freestanding and skirted tubs. They don’t cost as much as some of the other ones we looked at. And we’ve been happy with their materials in the past. We later chose Jacuzzi when we put in a walk-in shower.

American Standard might have been the least expensive tubs we looked at.  They have freestanding bathtubs, like I really wanted.

If I hadn’t tried the Kohler Underscore tub first, I might have bought the Freestanding Aspirations version that comes 68″ long and leans back 27.1 degrees. It really is what I went out to find.

Swiss Madison measures their back rest angles differently. You can try them if you can find them.

There is a discount building materials warehouse in Asheville called Pops. You can find things there you can’t find anywhere else. Pop’s is at 195 N. Johnston Blvd, Asheville, NC.

We ended up with the Kohler Underscore. It wasn’t what I thought I wanted, but it was more relaxing than anything else tried. And I really wanted a comfortable tub more than I wanted a tub that looked like I wanted it to look.

A couple other things to consider when you are looking at bathtubs.

• The more the tub leans back, the less water it takes to get get comfortably under the water.
• Tubs come in different widths. They even come square and round. The wider a tub is,  the longer it takes to fill up with water.

What I picked was not what I was looking for, but it is perfect.