Is there any way to run plumbing to the separate vanity area to make it into a sink? We are doing a gut remodel of our bathroom and we were able to cram in the shower, 5'6" claw foot tub, toilet and two sinks (on adjacent walls though, not next to each other) in a slightly less than 10'x11' space including sloped ceilings and a couple of windows. Here is an older version of our plan for the bathroom but shows the two sinks. The one next to the tub is a console sink (on chrome legs) so very open and the tub is now a double ended tub with plumbing in the middle. Here is a newer plan showing a tile layout I was messing with and the right tub. It also shows a bump out for a knee wall where the new drain is going to run - it turns out there was steel angle along that wall and we could not run the drain line under it so had to go through. It's more of a challenge to get the water there but wasn't impossible.

We went with an Americh Turo tub. It was the only one that was 18 inches high, instead of the 20-22 typical of tubs that have the whirlpool features. This tub can also be ordered with a whirlpool, but I didn't look into that since we wanted a plain tub. So far, it's working out well as a tub and shower combo. However, it does feel deep if it were filled to capacity - I may worry if I had small children (but, I don't have kids, so I'm not sure at what age I would feel comfortable).

You can check out Neptune tubs. Neptune Tubs They have a large variety of tubs. You can combine water and air jets, have back heat, even lights. They seem to have a good reputation. We put in a Neptune Wind with air jets and back heat a few months ago and it works well. I have e-mailed them to ask questions and they got back to me with decent answers in short time.

Are you looking for something that adds function or for looks? A small table next to the tub would hold a drink. Do people actually read in the tub? I once tried but logistically it seemed more difficult than relaxing with a book in bed.