why don't you ask your DIL if you can take a bath in hers and see for yourself?

why a clawfoot? why not a regular free standing type of tub? have you looked at pictures? i'm not a tub person either, so unless it was a sunken tub that resembled a spa hot tub, I'm not interested!

as to getting in and out,,,the older we get, the harder it is. doesn't matter if it's a clawfoot or any other free standing tub. Only you know if you're able to get in and out without issue.

btw,,60" is only 5 feet. if you want to relax and lay out in a tub, then 5' really isn't all that much ( unless you're 5' !)

can't comment on your plumbing issue since you didn't post anything about where your lines are. if you can put them anywhere, then of course you'd place them where it's convenient to use.

for instance, this one you have room to walk behind and turn on the faucet. you also need room back here in order to properly clean.

this one is also easy to access. the one coming from the floor.

this type of design is where it gets a bit crowded

Long term, at least consider a walk in model. My Wife can no longer safely get in/out of a standard low side tub by herself, even with grab bars.

A drawback with walkins is the amount of time spent in the tub while filling/draining. There are faster drains, water temp selection controls, and many ways to mount fillers/controls to offset those issues. Adding a radiant heater in the area helps with feeling cold during draining/exit.

If you're not a tub person, I'm not sure putting one in makes a whole lot of sense. We've got a free standing tub in our second bathroom - and no one has ever used it in the two and a half years we've lived in this house. I find tubs of any kind hard to get in and out of (arthritis issues), hubby is a shower person, and so, it would appear, are all the guests we've had. I'd rather have a good hot shower to ease the old bones...

Either skip the tub entirely or do a good American Standard walk in tub with the Quick Drain and heater.

KSM: << planning to install a 60" Clawfoot Tub (for me age 63) >>

No! I have a strong opinion about tubs, especially for folks our age. Don't do it!

A walk in shower with a low curb is much, much safer. And don't forget to install a nice, big seat, and I don't mean one of the dinky little triangles stuck in a corner, I mean one that's big and safe, with plenty of room to sit and soak under the spray if you want, and that has grab bars to help you sit down and stand up safely.

I have a drop-in soaking tub, and I like that it has a good ledge that I can sit on, swing my legs over into the tub, and get in. Provides support to get out as well. I do take soaking baths often in the winter, so I am very glad to have this configuration. Back when I was in college (many decades ago), I lived in a very old apartment that had an original clawfoot tub. At age 19, I had trouble getting in and out of that thing. Skip the clawfoot style.

I agree with Frieda June. I just installed an undermount tub with a nice deck for the same reasons. In addition, the free-standing tubs are a bear to clean around and the faucets are three times the price.

At your age I would be more interested in a zero clearance walk-in shower with a bench, multiple shower heads and possibly with room for a wheelchair to access it down the road. The clawfoot tub at our vacation rental cabin requires a log step to get up into it! I think you're dreaming that this is a good idea! NOT!

They are so pretty aren't they!? But they are a bear to climb in and out of everyday for a shower. Could you do a claw foot tub in your hall bath to enjoy the occasional soak in and do a large walk in shower sans tub in your master? Or if you have room a set up like above with a stand alone shower and separate tub.

All of your responses have been really helpful! I appreciate you taking the time to help me. The contractor is currently putting together his bid based on what we told him we wanted including my clawfoot tub! I think I'll contact him today and tell him to "hold" while I think about this a bit more. As you provided feedback I remembered I had a soaking tub with a 12" tile side area for me to swing in and out. I loved it. I guess I better search "soaking tubs". More responses are welcome to help me get my head around this decision ...

I'm 64 and have a standalone refinished 1933 pedestal tub. My master suite is a new addition to my 1939 house, so I specified 15" clearance between the back of the tub and the window wall so that I can walk around the tub to clean.

My plumbing comes up out of the floor. It's easy to reach.

Because of the high sides of my tub, I find it easy to hold on/grip -- to get in and out. It's much easier than a garden tub, as I've had in past homes. the higher sides make a big difference to me for safety.

Yes, I use mine. Lean back and soak -- every other day. I alternate shower and bath days.

I am pretty skinny and I would find 15” too small to walk around. IMO free standing tubs are very pretty and mostly just a pain for a meriad of reasons like the climb in and out the real space required to make them look right, the cost of the plumbing and the fact that IMO you still need to install a proper shower since having a shower in a free standing is just a PITA. Get a nice soaking tub, I love my tub and I am 71 but I stay at a B&B of a friend and I hate the clawfoot tub.

In our last house we had only one bathroom and it had a claw foot tub that was original to the home. When I was pregnant (reduced mobility) I had my husband help me in and out of the tub. Now I'm 59 and if I had a claw foot tub, I'd be wanting the same kind of assistance. Go with a shower stall in a stunning tile and glass enclosure. My bet is that the window of opportunity for someone our age to use the tub safely is about 5-10 years and you're not a tub person. Don't do it.

I have a free standing tub with the faucet on the long side which is easily accessable. It is easy to get in but hard to get out of, I have to flip over and get on my knees in order to get out; that being said I also wanted a hot tub and didn't get it so this is the alternative.

Oh for heaven's sake! I'm 74 and not in very good health but I have no trouble getting in and out of my bathtub with I use exclusively. I'm about 25 pounds overweight and it's still not a problem. It really depends on the person - I know people who are so overweight that getting out of a chair is a problem, and others who are in such poor shape that they couldn't possibly get up if they fell right next to a piece of furniture to help them up. You know which one of these people you are.

As for the walk-in tube - I've always thought they were ridiculous. I'd freeze to death while the danged thing was draining! If I were that infirm, I'd just put a bath chair in my tub and use the hand shower...or go into assisted living.

anglophilia: Walk in tubs have heaters and power drains that suck the water out of the tub so you don't have to wait very long to get out. And as we get older, health problems crop up with alarming regularity. My mom was healthy, until she wasn't. She went to being agile enough to sleep on (and get up from) a low sofa to not being able to walk in the space of three months.

I'm apologizing in advance to you all, but all I can think about when reading this thread is Downton Abbey, The episode with Lady Grantham, the treacherous bar of soap, and that scheming ladies' maid Miss O'Brien. Say no to the clawfoot tub!

Our freestanding bathtubs are great because they have a broad rim heights vary so you shouldn't have any issues getting in and out of them. Feel free to give us a call to discuss which options would work best for your needs. A great soak does good for the soul! Our bathtubs are made in the USA.

813-625-1178

www.TandLinternational.com

If you're not already a tub person, getting a claw foot tub would not make you one. I have arthritis in my knees and have not been able to get in or out of a tub for a decade at least. And I'm only 55. But arthritis is a bear. If you think about it, when you're sitting in a tub, you're basically sitting on the floor. If it's hard for you to get on the floor and get up, add a wet slippery surface to that scenario. Just because you're 70 years old and in good shape now doesn't mean you'll always be. You could have an accident and suddenly be unable to use it. I have a large walk in shower with a built in bench and love it. I thought about a walk in tub, and I still may put one in when I redo the other bath. They come with showers also.

My arthritis is due to sports injuries, by the way. So even if you've always been fit and active, something might happen that makes it not that way anymore.

I just got rid of my antique claw foot tub and couldn't be happier. They are difficult to get in and out of.

If you do it, make sure you have grab bars installed so you can hold onto something while you get in and out. Or, if you want a tub, get one that has a nice seat ledge around it.

Since you say you are not a tub person, I have to ask, why?

Please consider the difficulty in cleaning a deep sided tub, too. A regular tub is rotten enough to scrub, never mind something you half to bend in half to reach the bottom of. I agree that 63 is not ancient but by the time the tub will need replacing you will be in your 80s or more!

The point about this tub not turning you into a bath person is valid too. Someone recently wrote on here "buy for the life you have, not the one you wish you have." In this case, invest in the routines you've already established (low-threshold shower with good sturdy bench as mentioned earlier). It's unlikely you'll form new habits at this point.

Ermm, about all those "age" comments, I would simply point out that we do not all age in the same way. I am in my 60s, reasonably fit, but have developed severe osteoarthritis over the last year or so, and am staring down the barrel of a hip replacement sometime in the next few years. Getting in and out of a tub is very difficult for me (as I found when I stayed at my sister's place for a few weeks). So it's showers for me from now on. That's reality for a lot of older people - it's not as though osteoarthritis is an uncommon side effect of aging and it doesn't necessarily wait until you're 93.

You have all provided great information for to me consider. I've moved from absolutely wanting a claw foot tub to not wanting one! However, I still want a tub. I'm remembering that in a previous house I had a soaker-tub with a 12" tile surround that I could sit on and swing into the tub. And I was in my 30s but we also installed grab bars and it worked for me. I'm now looking at soaker-tub options. One is only 19" to step over (my current tub is a 24" step over). Might work.

* I should have mentioned before that we're also installing a 42" x 42" shower with seat. The tub is just to satisfy my "I wanna be a tub woman" longing.

auntthelma: "if I'm not a tub person, why would I invest in a nice tub?'

lindsey: "Buy for the life you have, not the one you wish you had."

In thinking about it ... I believe that if a person wants to paint, they should paint. If they want to travel, they should pack up and go. If I don't install the tub I'll wonder, what if ..." Too damn old to let opportunity pass by.

All of your posts have been thoughtful and helpful and funny! Thank you all and keep um coming. I'll keep you posted on progress ...

freidajune and enjoythejourney and anyone else ...

Would you provide some details on your soaker tubs? Sounds like what I'm looking for ...

@Ksmcgraffigan

See our website below:

www.tandlinternational.com

Our bathtubs are made in the USA and are designed for comfort and ultimate relaxation.

Feel free to call us with any questions you may have. We will gladly send you a package with color samples.

813-625-1178

I will be 79 in a month. I do not have a claw foot tub, but, do have a Kohler 60's model deeper tub in my bathroom. I do not have health problems, and am not overweight. I also do not have problems, getting in and out of a tub, so not everyone does have those problems. Yep, I might eventually have problems, but, so far, I dont, and not everyone does have problems. You know your own health and would know if you have problems, that might prevent you from using a tub. Since you do have a shower, well, if you want a tub, clawfoot or otherwise, put one in and enjoy it well you are able too. Some of you sound like my kids, when they find out, I have been on a ladder painting a ceiling. I ignore, and do what I want to do. I know, if I am capable or not, and so far, I am capable of getting into tubs and climbing a ladder. Good luck and enjoy your bath.

For me, getting in and out of our previous soaker tub with a deck around it was much harder than getting out of a free standing tub. Our old soaker tub also had a tiled step which made it particularly awkward. And because the tub was not under mounted and had a lip around it, sitting on the edge was not comfortable at all. Our new free standing tub is so much easier to manage (we’re not finished building yet, but I’ve been “practicing” bathing in it, and it’s completely easy to get in and out of). The edges are rolled, so that makes for a nice grip for support, and because there’s no deck or step, stepping out of it is simple (no need for taking a huge, wide step out in order to climb over the deck).

If you had room, I don’t see why you couldn’t have an attractive small swivel stool in your bathroom and use that to get in and out of a free standing tub (it would function just like a deck only better because it swivels and it’s more decorative).

I am a tub person (soaking purposes only), and on a cold day, sometimes the only way I can get warm is to soak in a nice hot tub. We got a big one ....75”. And BTW, I’m no spring chicken.

I’ll be 76 in a few weeks. Just had a beautiful claw foot tub with oil bronzed feet installed. I love it!! In spite of a torn meniscus from climbing a waterfall in Kauai, I manage to get in and out. Just be careful!