#elevance

The 2025 Japan Mobility Show has opened the floodgates to all sorts of concept cars, including a wacky six-wheel Lexus LS minivan. Domestic automaker Mitsubishi is also in attendance at the Tokyo event, showcasing a concept with a made-up name: “Elevance.” It’s already sparking speculation about whether it previews a future SUV, possibly the return of the Pajero (Montero in some markets). For…

Not one for statisitical analysis, I won’t bore the reader with statisitics on FALLS IN BATHROOMS from getting into and out of BATHTUBS, however, just suffice it to say that it happens way too often. Sometimes, if one’s reflexes are quick, a recovery can happen and one can catch oneself before a major injury occurs. If not so quick, one can go all the way down and on the way encounter lots of hard objects such as countertop corners, ceramic toilet bowls, tile floors, etc. It usually is NOT PRETTY. So, what’s the solution? Today we’ll look at one option for those that like a soak vs just a spritz. 

This example is a condo remodel for a client who was a wheel chair user. She loved to feel the buoyancy of water and often spent a lot of time in the tub making phone calls and reading. Her existing situation was a mechanical lift in a very small bathroom shown below. Since the doorway was not wide enough for her chair, she would get close to the door, pull herself onto the chair, transfer to the toilet, turn on the water,  transfer to the tub lift, and then lower herself into the tub. This expended an extreme amount of energy and time.  

For the new condo remodel, we researched and found a tub with a side that slides up and down (Elevance by Kohler). Disclaimer: I do not work for Kohler and do not represent that this is the best product for all applications, it’s just the tub we used for this project. My client now pulls her wheelchair up to the side of the tub, transfers, lifts the side (it has power assist), fills the tub and relaxes. 

We were not told by the sales representative that the tub had a hand-held faucet that could be deck mounted and integral with the tub so we added a hand-held as a separate fixture. The cubbie to the left of the tub was a parking space for a roll-out bin that could be moved to the roll-under sink area or anywhere the client needed access to her “stuff”. Also, above the countertop at the end of the tub, we mounted a TV for viewing pleasure while bathing.

If you are considering installing this tub, please be aware that it has three drains and will need extensive piping below a slab or frame floor as shown pre-installation below. The darker area is the cut-out of the existing slab and re-pour of concrete in the trenches (don’t forget to termite treat the soil). The tub requires power also and GFCI circuit.  

Other considerations are that the back of the tub has a curved detail and if using tile, the tile will need to be curve cut as shown. It’s the details that make a project professional.