I am 5/6 and a reg tub fits me just fine. I have arthritis and I need a good soak in med hot water when I hurt. I sit up and can soak my knees, slide down and soak my shoulders. I think I would like a soaking tub, but not bad enough to go to the expense. If I bought a new home I would have one built in.

I would rather put more money in my living area or my office than a bathroom make over.

I prefer rounded backs over square backs, and deeper wasn't always better for me (I'm 5"3"). And armrests were hit or miss for me depending on the tub. If you can choose one that says it has an ergonomic backrest that would be good imo. A good slope to lean against is ideal. I'm in the middle of a remodel and I'm putting in a freestanding bathtub. I wanted comfort over looks, though you can often get them together, whether in a freestanding tub or in a soaking tub. There is a huge bath store about an hour away so I went and sat in a bunch of tubs to help narrow down my choice. Many bath stores will let you sit in the tubs they carry btw. Just ask. For example, the Wetstyle BBE 01 has a really great slope to it on one side, perfect for laying back and relaxing, while the other side is more upright, so if you want to sit up and read, you can have your back on that side. We ended up going with a different tub, but tubs with similar shapes were what I found to be most comfortable. Here's a link: http://wetstyle.ca/product/bbe-01

EmmaR, glad the soaking is restorative for you, dealing with arthritis.

And malabacat, this is so very helpful - rounded makes sense, and sloping for reclining vs more vertical for sitting. Once we narrow, I know we will be sitting in a bunch of dry tubs. Meanwhile, I'll check out your link.

I'm 5'4" and just returned from a trip where my hotel had a kohler devonshire. It was extremely comfortable - nice back rest, arm rests and very deep. I was very impressed.

numbersjunkie, thanks for the tip - I'll be seeking one of these to try! Love the color, material, style too.

One of the challenges will be to find stores where you can try out a variety of styles. When tub shopping for our master bathroom remodel, we went to 5-6 places and mostly just had to gaze at them because the tubs were mounted to the wall (!) or were too dirty to sit in (a wholesale type of place).

We ended up buying the Americh Madison #6638 because it allows me to stretch my legs out all the way. It also has a sloped back and arm rests which I've found to be very comfortable. We added factory installed safety handles next to the arm rests.

My only complaint is that it is much deeper than I anticipated which, together with the granite decking, makes the tub look HUGE in our bathroom.

Jewel, not to hijack but do you by chance have a picture of the americh tub? It was on my short list, but couldn't find a model even close to the madison in my neck of the woods, so went with a jetta. Didn't see the actual jetta model, but one kind of close. So I'm still questioning my decision.

TIA- Lisa

Here you go!

Another

I love these pictures - thanks southofsa for asking and Jewel654 for posting! I love those added handles on the side.

From the pics, it doesn't look "big" as in overwhelming...it looks wonderfully inviting!

We recently got the Americh Madison as well. I've only used it once, but found it just as comfortable as I'd hoped. I like that it's deep, because I like submerging my shoulders. The arm rests are comfortable and I even like the handles for pushing up on-- nice to have when you get so relaxed your muscles turn to mush! I really like the lumbar support and the angle of the back rest-- those are the most important comfort factors for me. The one we got is just 60 x 32. It fits fine, but is much smaller than the tub we have now. I find that with the big tub, I just don't fill it up full because it takes a while and uses so much water. Then I have to do gymnastics to soak my neck.

Americh is rising on the list as the brand of choice. I like what I'm reading here and in other reviews online.

For those of you with clawfoot vs drop ins - any regrets on which way you went?

Free standing seems easier to clean - the floor, less counter space to collect gunk. And the look - the slippers always catch my eye.

Drop ins seem like it gives you more room for bath items to have handy, and maybe better protection from water spills, just a better way to maximize storage space around the tub? We're hoping to use quartzite for vanity surfaces, not sure if that's wise around a tub?...any regrets with the type of overlay materials you used?

Thanks everyone.

I got this Mimosa P Shape Shower Bath Combo.
I don't get to use the bath of it too much, but I do love the shower. So powerful and refreshing in the morning. But after a long day of running around after the kids and pup, I do love to lock the bathroom door, light a few candles and melt away in a nice hot buble bath.

Jewel- thanks for posting the pictures- much appreciated. The tub looks great.

Lori- your post was the one that originally mentioned the americh. Glad it worked out for you.

Lisa