Safe Step Walk-In Tub Review

Safe Step Tub

Starting Around $9,000

What other walk-in tub manufacturers offer as optional features, Safe Step has made standard in its walk-in tub, meaning that consumers after a full-featured tub—for their own enjoyment, or for the therapeutic effects of a whirlpool or spa bath—need look nor farther than the company’s basic model. This tub comes with hydrotherapy jets with adjustable jet pressure, with an array of 10 jets strategically placed to target areas of the body where tension builds up, such as feet, back, and calf muscles. It also offers Safe Step’s proprietary MicroSoothe Air Therapy System, a spa feature that releases microscopic heated bubbles and provides important benefits to the skin and circulation. There are several other luxury features offered standard as well, including chromatherapy and aromatherapy, heated seat and back surfaces (equipped with a heat-sensing function that will stop heating those surfaces beyond a safe temperature), and—in a rare but useful offering—personal hygiene therapy, a bidet-like feature that enables those whose mobility issues (such as arthritis, or upper-body or arm injuries) might interfere with their ability to get fully clean.

Safe Step’s safety features might also be considered more-than-complete: in addition to the standard walk-in tub offerings, such as slip-resistant floors and seats and in-tub grab bars, Safe Step tubs come with a 4-inch entry threshold, one of the lowest in the industry. Also standard is an anti-scald system that automatically keeps the water temperature at a safe and comfortable level.

Where Safe Step doesn’t hit the highest standard is in its construction: while they do come standard with a quick-drain function and a fast-fill faucet, Safe Step tubs have a gelcoated fiberglass shell instead of the more durable (though also more expensive) acrylic shell, and have a frame is made of aluminum rather than steel. The tub also fails to offer an outward-opening door model, making it much less accessible for those in wheelchairs. Still, Safe Step’s walk-in tub is priced to put it in line—or even a little below—with its competitors’ fully featured models, making it potentially a good value for those who want or need a walk-in tub that provides a full range of therapeutic benefits.

Hybrid Tub

Starting Around $9,000

Even those who want or need an occasional bath may, like the rest of us, prefer the convenience and speed of being able to take a shower. For those people, Safe Step’s Hybrid tub fills an important niche, and does so while still providing the fully featured therapeutic luxury of its walk-in tub model. In fact, the Hybrid is essentially the same as its walk-in tub, except with the addition of a shower package that includes a standard showerhead, a handheld, easy-grip showerhead, and a magnetically sealing shower curtain ready to install with its own curtain rod. Since the Hybrid comes with the standard full-size built-in seat, it’s probably not going to be a good choice for those who hope to share their bathing facilities with someone who wants an ordinary shower, but given its rich array of features—and given that some installers will add on the shower package at no extra cost—it does add value for those who want to add even more functionality to their walk-in tub.

Walk-In Shower

Starting Around $4,000

Not all of the high-end features of a walk-in tub can carry over to a shower, of course, but in keeping with their other offerings, Safe Step has clearly resolved to manufacture an accessible shower that gives the consumer as many features as possible. The seating makes the shower stand out the most (so to speak): for those who need support while bathing, Safe Step provides three options: a built-in seat with a seat cushion and a recessed storage space underneath, a medical grade fold-down safety chair, or the company’s Contemporary Silhouette model, a fold-down seat with an anti-microbial surface. All of these options leave room for the shower to accommodate bathers who don’t need support as well.

Many of the walk-in tub’s best safety features appear in the shower as well: the shower offers an extra-low 3-inch entry—and also offers a barrier-free base, eliminating the threshold entirely and making the shower fully accessible for those in wheelchairs. The anti-scald system that provides added safety in the tubs also comes standard in the shower, as does Safe Step’s commercial grade anti-slip flooring. Finally, the shower is designed to look good: an optional sliding glass door puts it at home in the most stylish bathroom, and all the fittings are available in chrome, rubbed bronze, or brushed nickel (though these upgrades, like the sliding glass door, come at an additional cost). Fully accessible and fully featured, the Safe Step walk-in shower, like the walk-in tubs, offers a considerable value at the higher end.

Features Rundown

Here’s a deeper dive into the features available in Safe Step walk-in tubs.

Word on the Street

People seem to like Safe Step: online reviews are largely positive, and customers expressed happiness with the features provided and many commented that the tubs themselves were excellent at helping relieve minor aches and pains.

Safe Step’s customer support staff also got a lot of praise for every part of the process, from their free in-home consultation to their free installation. The installation teams were mentioned in particular: people were surprised by how clean the installers left their job site and how quickly they were able to get the job done.

Price and Warranty

It’s not unusual for walk-in tub manufacturers not to publish their prices on their website, and Safe Step, which exerts significant control over the sale and installation of its units, is no exception. They do, however, offer a free on-site consultation to allow consumers to make an informed choice about which model and what size tub or shower will work best in their situation. The company also commonly offers a $1500 rebate on their units. And, finally, they offer something no other manufacturer can: consumer reviews do bear out that Safe Step manages to keep to its commitment to complete the installation of their tubs within a single day.

Safe Step tub prices do come in on the high end, as we’ve mentioned above. But they are best compared to high-end tubs from other manufacturers. What’s more, Safe Step’s warranty is unmatched in the industry. They offer a lifetime warranty on every part of the unit, including the pumps and faucets, and the labor that goes into installation. The strength of their warranty is hard to beat, and marks another area in which Safe Step adds value to its fully-featured tubs and showers.