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.

I purchased a free-standing, composite soaking tub from Devon & Devon (D&D) (they have a clawfoot, but I chose a different style). Two advantages of composite over acrylic: it holds the heat, and scratches or stains can be easily "buffed out" with light sand paper. The D&D tub has a satin-like matte finish. I use Windex to clean it. D&D is pricey, but after trying out tubs for months, it was my favorite, and I was willing to wait several more months for delivery. Other brands I considered: Wetstyle (from Canada), Bain Ultra, Toto, Kohler, Duravit, Blu Bathworks, Mti, Hydrosystems, Axor, and T&L. Zucchetti and V&A tubs were tempting - but I didn't like the look of the exposed drain pipe.

We got a very good deal on a Victoria and Albert tub, but we had also been looking at "vintage tub" and they had some ones that looked nice. We had bought a Pfister faucet to go with it, but it was too low for our tub when they went to install it. Then we were stuck with having to get a faucet which had the same center distance on the pipes and there weren't a ton with the 7" centers so ordered the victoria and albert faucet but it was almost too high above the tub and so so expensive. In the end we got one I really like from vintage tub and looks wise the polished nickel finish and the porcelain on the handle as well as the feel/weight etc. looks just as good quality for 1/5 the price of the V&A one. Haven't really used it yet as it just went in on Friday so can't speak for long term use.

Plus room to stand bent over with your head down beside the tub to clean behind it. Maybe the width of your vacuum cleaner head? I love the look, but I am too old to clean in awkward places. I would probably fall in the tub. I am so jealous that you get a freestanding tub! They are so beautiful.