Hi, check out responses to my same question a couple of days ago, see URL linked.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soaking Tub Shower Thread

I'd like to learn more about this too. Does this tub meet the requirements as specified in the soaking Tub Shower Thread?

Here is a link that might be useful: tub

The Kohler Mariposa tub comes in 5', 5.5', and 6' lengths, is 36" wide. We put it in our last house and are planning to put it in our master bath in our new house as well. It is available with a tile flange and an integral apron.

The critical dimension in any tub that will be used for soaking is depth. You want to be able to get the water up as high as possible.

The deepest 5' tub that I know of, suitable for a shower/tub combination, is the American Standard Cambridge tub. It's nearly 18" tall, which is 2"-4" taller than most other 5' tubs out there. It's available in jetted or non-jetted models. Exterior dimensions are: 60" x 32" x 17-3/4". Interior dimensions are: 54" x 26" x 17"

Here is a link that might be useful: American Standard Cambridge Tub

What type of material would you like the tub to be made out of? Cast iron or acrylic? Cast iron will last a lot longer than acrylic, however the price for a nice deep cast iron tub can get up there. With acrylic, there are numerous companies with a wide variety of sizes and styles and you can even color match if you like. Do you need to have a skirt on the front of the tub or are you building a frame for it? Some cast iron tubs have the skirt already built in which is much nicer than acrylic tubs. You can kick it and it's not going to show marks like an acrylic would. Plus it's SOLID. With that in mind, you need to remember that cast iron tubs can be quite heavy, so if the installation is on the second floor you want to check with your contractor to see if any additional bracing is needed. You'll also need 3-4 men to lift it up. I suggest you log onto Kohler's web site (www.kohler.com) and take a look at their tubs. They carry acrylic and cast iron in a wide variety of colors. Here are a few other sites that you might want to take a look at. (www.americh.com) (www.hydrosystems.com) (www.zumacollection.com) (www.jasoninternational.com) Most of these manufacturers carry both soaking and jetted tubs. Let me know if this helps and if I can assist you any further. Carleen

Thanks everyone, very helpful.

My husband refuses to hire people, so my job is to do as much research as I can, tell him what I know and what I want, then he gives me the thumbs up or not. So I don't know much yet, just gathering info.

I know what a tile flange is, I'm not positive I know exactly what aprons and skirts are.

I'd love to have a frame and maybe a step up to the tub. Does that eliminate the need for an apron?

I don't want cast iron, due to weight issues.

As I said, I'd also like a shower. Ideally I'd have a glass bath screen, but due to money, might need to make due with a curtain.

Here is a link to another tub. Would this work for all that I want? That is, soaker tub, shower, built in look, glass shower screen?

Thanks for any and all help! I know so little about this stuff!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: another tub, with flange and apron

I did a quick search on "tile flange tub" and found this picture. It's basically a built in lip on the tub so that your tile has something to overlap rather than just butting up against the tub and creating a seam that will leak.

Yes, having a tub that requires a frame will preclude the need for an integral apron - you basically build it yourself. You might want to think about the step up if you are going to be using it as a shower though, because you then have to step DOWN much further than most people are used to in order to stand in the tub. I stayed in a hotel with this configuration once and almost killed myself getting into the tub. I think it's fine if it's just a soaker tub because you are getting in a whole different way than for a shower.

kgwlisa: thanks for the info. I knew what the flange was for, just not the apron. Guess I still don't know what the apron is for, but you confirmed that I don't need it for a built in. Maybe it's just a decorative/protective panel.

I'm not sure what you're saying about the step up, maybe I don't understand what it is. I was thinking in terms of making it easier to step into the tub, essentially a built in step stool, is what I was thinking. Maybe I should incorporate a grab bar, too. We're young, and don't plan to sell anytime soon, but who knows. Max depth on the tub would be 18 - 20". Is that too deep to step into? Any thoughts on this? Maybe I should post a request for photos.

I guess what I'm saying is that when you normally step into a tub you step into it from a floor that is close to the same level as the inside of the tub. That is how your body memory expects things to be. If you step up onto a step and then step down on the other side of the tub, it's very disconcerting to have to go an additional say 7 inches to find the bottom of the tub. It might be something you'd get used to but it was freaky for me in a hotel. If it were just a soaking tub I'd probably be more crawling into the thing than stepping into it and it would change the dynamics. I hope that makes sense.

The point of the apron is just to provide a finished face to the tub. If you are going to do tile or something then you don't need the apron.

Hmm. Guess that makes sense to me now. I had thought the step up would make things easier, but I see that it might not. Oh well, cheaper and easier not to build a step up. GUess I'll just have to keeping think on whether or not 18 to 20" is too hard to step into every morning. Thanks again.

PS Would you mind commenting on the tub link I posted above, the one that says "another tub with flange and apron" although, guess I won't need one with an apron. Just trying to find an inexpensive soaker tub that allows for shower install, built in look. Would this one work? Or can you recommend one?

Taking delivery on my BainUltra Thalassa 60 air tub on Monday. It was ordered with tile flange on 3 sides so it can be installed in an alcove and function as bath/shower. It's 72x33. Ordered Hansgroh Thermobalance III shower set today. Will report back in a month (hopefully) when this project is completed. It sounds like this is the kind of product you might be looking for. Bain makes a lot of models for lots of different apps. Good luck.

Yes, please report back on the tub! Would love to hear how it works for you.

robaudio: do you mind sharing the cost of your tub? Or anyone, for that matter, who is familiar with bainultra pricing. I have no idea the price range of those tubs, and I have a very tiny budget. IT's best not to start getting attached to the idea of something if it's a budget blower!

We were told we could not use a drop in tub configuration without risking water damage if we used it to shower regularly so we limited our look to those with the tile flange.

One way I looked at it was to compare gallons capacity and heights in the various soaking tubs. We are going cast iron and are leaning towards the tea for two kohler at this point, but it would be much cheaper option to go with acrylic so there are more choices available than I looked at. The tea for two and Kathryn tubs from Kohler (both cast iron) had the greatest capacity (105 and 97 gallons). The next best was a Kohler Archer which WAS acrylic at 72 gallons and 19 inches high. The Bain Thallassa is also 19" high but if I read right, had 50 gallons capacity. American Standards we looked at like the Cambridge were closer to 17" high and 50 some gallons. The Kohler Mariposa is acrylic and 20" high, 67 gallons capacity but it looked like drop in only? Not 100% sure.

Apparently when looking at this, the placement of the overflow drain affects the capacity a lot.
Also, take into account where you want to put the faucets, some drop in tubs are built to have the tub fillers in the middle rather than on an end which affects your installation options.
One other quick idea, if you see a tub you like, just do a google search on the name of it and you should get a couple of sample prices come up from retailers like faucets direct.
We're still working on our decision, will post again when we figure it out.

How about the hourglass, which is acrylic, but holds 64 gallons and is quite deep ?
salbwil

My Thalassa 60 (being delivered today) was priced as follows.
tub $1752
Chrome drain $131.25
Chromatherapy (why not?) $426
Mia Plus controls (needed for chromatherapy) $426

Total cost: $2483.25 plus $75 delivery charge for tub, toilet and sink. Not inexpensive but if you consider we plan on staying in this house for a long time it's not outrageous. Hope this is helpful. Install will be in a few weeks, I'll report back and post some pix. BTW it's not easy comparing prices on these tubs, it seems as if Bain discourages online sellers or at least posting prices. I lucked out having a Bain dealer who is local, very knowledgeable and has proven to be very competitive with prices on fixtures, etc. Not always the exact lowest price but close enough that I am comfortable. Service has to be figured in also. Value is more than the cheapest.

Thanks robaudio, now I'll know better than to get attached ;)

I am replacing a 50-year old shallow tub/shower and also want a decent soaking tub that can still be used with the shower. The only cast-iron options I've found are Kohler's Villager (too shallow), Mendota (a possibility), Memoirs (expensive) and the Toto 1525. Folks here have raved about the Toto and I'm considering ordering it. I've not found one in a showroom anywhere around me --showrooms all have fancier jetted tubs or very large soaking tubs. List price is about $1000 but it seems to be available for less.

Here is a link that might be useful: toto 1525

Salbwil do you have the hourglass with a shower? This is the configuration that I am planning and I wondered if it is working well for you.

I do not have the hourglass YET, but Kohler states it is for use with a shower as well. I like the capacity ; many of the others talked about here do not hold as much water for a deep soak.
salbwil

I just went up to do some measuring in my bathroom and realised just how high the sides of a 20" tub would be. Yikes! That's quite a step over.

Yikes is right! We went and looked at the Kohler Tea for Two on Thursday and realized that 24" is too high for us to use for the teens to go in and out of the shower daily, so we dropped that idea! Now we are looking at the Kohler Archer, we had the teens do some testing and they thought they could clear about 19" max. Its acrylic so much more reasonable (about $700) and I'm happy about the 72 gallons capacity and easier installation for the builders. So it looks like that's where we might land. I'm thinking it will be easier to get in and out with the front apron included than if we had to build some kind of structure around it that would get wider.

Thanks all for ideas, any further thoughts much appreciated!

I was looking at the Archer too but I really do not want the inegrated front apron as I would like to do a tile front. I'm hoping I can find something else of a similar size without that apron.
Sharon

Hi Sharon, I think they offer the Archer both with and without the apron. This model (K1125) looks like the non apron front but not sure if you get the flange to allow tiling in or not. It also shows a 5' model same style on their site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kohler Archer Soaking Tub

Unfortunately it doesn't look like this model has the integeral tile flange. I think it is a drop in model. There don't seem to be too many tubs that are 5' with an integeral tile flange and the option of no apron. Guess I'll keep searching.
Sharon

missliss,
It looks like what you are looking for is what I am getting in my newly remodeled bathroom, in progress. It is the Jason, Forma collection... 5' x 32" 20.5" deep. It will have a tile flange on 3 sides for use in an alcove with a planned shower. The front will be tiled.
Right now I am trying decide where to have the gab bars installed around the tub for getting in and out of it.
I will have a few extra inches at the side of the tub that will be tiled and plan to sit down to get in & I guess out (?)

Right now the bathroom is one empty room with wall studs only or I would post a photo. I should beable to in about a month!

I should have come here sooner with questions. This has been a really trying time for me trying to decide what I wanted and what was practical. After a few weeks of making decisions and changing them, I am finally staying with my decisions. Especially because everything is ordered now.

Good luck!