No direct experience using them, but I have sold a few to customers redoing baths for elderly relatives. The American Standard brand is the one most often chosen, because it's a few dollars cheaper than others, and it can be ordered direct from me rather than from a company that is high pressure direct buy. The Safety Tub brand has had some issues, and the company hasn't been that helpful in resolving them for the customers--and this is before install. I no longer recommend that brand due to the unresponsiveness from the manufacturer.

These are not shower/tub combos. They are for tubs only, and you will still need a separate shower stall. They are also pretty heftily priced. 5K & up. I recommend that the optional heater be purchased to keep the water warm. My customers report good experiences with the American Standard brand, although several report that they had plumbers that were very leary of them and one who downright refused to install so they had to get another company. I've not had any customer report any problems of leaking once installed. Most are very happy to be able to offer a tub experience to their relative when they had long since given up on that. One lady even offered to sell the "spa experience" to folks who were considering buying one so people could see how useful and comfortable it was for themselves!

My 85 year old mom just moved in, so my powder bath is being converted mid-remodel from decorative to functional for her. She's lusting after one, but a contractor specializing in handicap accessible modifications said the same things as you noted: they're pricey, they leak, and they're ugly. Thus, I've added grab bars to the shower and she will have a portable shower seat.

Bumping this up for new poster on same question.

doofus, when I first saw these I thought what a great idea. Then I thought about it. You'd have to get IN the tub and close the door before you fill it. Okay. That's all right. The warm water feels great going in. But wait a minute - you can't get OUT until all the water has drained! Wouldn't you feel cold waiting for the water to drain? And you can't use a towel before then because it would get soaked! I don't think I'd like it at all.

I was going to post the same thing sameboat just did! Having to wait for the water to fill up then waiting for it to drain back out of that tall space would be a pain after a while.

I guess it also depends on how slowly your tub drains. I mean really, is it the tub's issue or your plumbing? My tubs drain extremely fast. We're talking a matter of minutes here.

For my fathrer-in-law with Alzheimer's, it was too much of a novelty. Never used.

My great grandmother had one installed, and she seemed to like it a lot. As long as you have plenty of thick rugs right on the outside, you will be fine.

Well I can suggest you walk-in tubs from Safeguard Tubs, they quite good if you wanna give your elderly person an independent and assistance free bathing experience. Try them out !!

Walk-in tubs for elderly has become more of an necessity than for luxury item. They need more of attention and comfort when it comes to bathing. While selecting also for a walk-in tub, one must be assured that it has anti-slip flooring and proper safety bars installation. Some good options coming in the market are from Safeguard Tubs catering to elderly customers.

Adding to this old thread: My MIL hates hers because the tub takes ten minutes to fill and she gets cold sitting in the tub waiting for it to fill and drain. She has resorted to taking showers or filling the tub THEN climbing into it!

If someone reading this is considering buying a walk-in tub, my advice is to make sure there is adequate water pressure in your home. Ours has decreased over the years due to hard water and population growth in our area.

@Cara McClure, we did a rest , in the standard water pressure our bathtub with 18GPM could fill a tub in 4-5 minutes and drain in 80 seconds