I have a cast iron clawfoot (I know you said you weren't interested in those specifically) which we love. My husband is 6'5" and has trouble fitting into regular sized tubs; the clawfoot is deep and he can get a good soak. We looked at the Victoria and Albert tubs, but decided on the clawfoot because we found a great deal on a used one on craigslist and it matched the period of our house (1910 bungalow). Neither of us miss having the deck. We are struggling with finding storage, but that is a general issue we are having with the overall bathroom, not specific to the tub. When reading I'll just put my magazine, book or paper on the floor next to the tub. It's not that inconvenient to lean over and pick it up again over the edge of the tub. I don't have any problems getting in and out of the tub, and I've had foot surgery like you would not believe. I've had my ankle, leg, and foot surgically reconstructed 9 times in the past 6 years. While I'm no longer on crutches, I am significantly disabled (makes many DIY projects very difficult for me). I also have very poor balance and suffered nerve damage during one my surgeries so have no sensation on the bottom of my foot. I was warned that all of these issues would make it difficult for me to get in and out of a clawfoot tub, but I just hold onto the opposite side for balance and have no trouble. I have good days and bad days, and on bad days I sit on the edge of the tub and just swing my legs over. I don't think using the clawfoot tub is any more difficult than a regular shallower tub. This was my foot last year, you can see that it was pretty messed up. Even though I had a regular tub during this procedure and only recently got the clawfoot, I'm still recovering from the surgery.

Typical porcelain tile in the 5/16" to 3/8" thick range will weigh in at roughly 3-1/2 to 4 lbs per sqft. Your 20x20s weighing 10 lbs? They fall right into that range. So your first question, no, the tiles are not too heavy for the walls. Or for the modified mortar used to adhere them to the walls. As to installation issues, yes, the flatter and more plumb the walls are, the easier the installation. Thinset coverage? The installer will want to set a tile and then pull it off the wall, check thinset coverage, and adjust the trowel size if needed. If the walls are flat he can use thinset. If the walls are wonky and a thicker setting bed is required to keep the face of the tile in plane, then the installer can move on to a medium-bed type of mortar. Setting mortars come in low-slump formulations to help prevent tile creep, but shims and tape can be used as well if needed. Tile waste? Figure out a pattern for your exact wall size considering the exact tile size and the exact grout lines you want. In a perfect world with 20" tile, three tiles on the back wall and 1-1/2 tiles on each side wall will cover a 60x30 tub surround nicely. Added labor with large format? It's all in the prep. If the walls and corners are plumb and in plane, then the installation may be a breeze. If the walls are wonky, then to get a great installation, the pace of installation can slow dramatically.

I am putting one of the Japanese soaking tubs in my bathroom remodel. I don't like lying down in the tub. I have visited a few spas in California that have these soaking tubs set up. I found them very comfortable. Mine will share the shower area just like a traditional Japanese shower area. I am getting an acrylic tub probably from Hydrosystems (Fuji 40x40). My config will look something like this. Mine will not have steps as you will be able to sit on the ledge and swing your legs into the tub from the shower area. There was a gwebber that did a shower with the beverly from Americh. Good luck!

For those who like the immersion of a tub and the moving water or massage-like functions, but hate the gunk and the noise, one company makes jetted tubs differently and those issues are supposed to be minimized or eliminated. They used to be called Sanijet and Spike had a policy against allowing us to even mention the name because they had violated his strict anti-advertising policy. I got a warning just for asking about them. (For you Houzzers who never visited us when we were THS, it was strictly forbidden for even the Pros who contributed to the discussions to even mention their company names before Houzz bought the Garden Web and This Home Site) Now, the company is named Purewater Baths. Pipeless Technology at Purewater Baths Each jet is a separate electric motor and there are no pipes under the tub going from jet to jet. So no microbe-filled gunk will greet you when you start jets that have been sitting unused with stagnant water sitting in the pipes since the last bath. Since there is no central pump, there is no vibrating motor making noise and humming for all the adjoining rooms to hear. It is supposed to be a technology that allows you to talk, listen to music, or watch TV, if that is what you want to do while soaking. Also, when installing a conventional jetted tub with pipes, you should be able to elevate the center of each plastic tubing pipe so that it always drains clear after using the tub. This would help with the dirty water/gunk issue. I always wanted to try one, and had hoped for years to someday have one, before arthritis and my other joint disorder made getting in and out of tubs impossible for me. They are more expensive, but I was willing to save for that if it made the bathing experience worthwhile. For those voicing objections to the gunk and the noise, I thought that letting you know about this option would be beneficial.