Walk-in baths are built to help increase the independence of people who, due to various physical limitations, may experience mobility difficulties.
These are people who, in the absence of the said baths, would probably have no chance of bathing on their own.
Therefore by giving these people the opportunity to bath on their own again, the said baths help to improve the quality of their lives considerably.
What usually sets walk-in baths apart from the other varieties of baths is the integrated sealing mechanisms they come with.
The arrangement is usually such that when the bath is full of water, the door 'automatically' closes, and as the bath drains off water, the door opens.
Most will tend to have a step structure, near the entrance which is termed as the 'lip' through which the user enters the bath.
Of course, features like steps are usually unnoticeable to people with ordinary mobility, but to people with mobility issues, they matter a great deal.
Now having seen what walk-in baths are, you could find yourself in a situation where you have to go shopping for one such bath.
And you could, subsequently, find yourself wondering as to what really matters in such baths- seeing that there isn't that much information about them in circulation.
So unlike clothes, where you know that the things to look out for are things like waist/size, color, design and so on, in the case of walk-in baths, you may be forgiven for not knowing what you should actually be looking for.
As it turns out, one of the most important features you should be looking at is the walk-in bath's 'fill and drain' capabilities.
Remember, in most walk-in bath constructions, it is only when the bath fills that the integrated seal mechanism operated door closes, and only when the bath drains that the door opens.
It is the pressure from the water that does the opening and the closing.
Therefore if you can get a walk-in bath that fills and drains very quickly, you would have found an ideal product.
If you get one that fills in very quickly but drains very slowly, it will mean that you have to wait for that long, right on the bath, before it can drain fully and allow you to open the door.
Whether the door opens outwards or inwards is another thing you should really make an effort to establish, when shopping for walk-in baths.
The walk-in baths that open outwards are an advancement/a step above the inward opening walk-in baths that we have always had.
The beauty of them is that unlike the inwards opening bath, with them, you don't have to wait for the water to drain before you can open them and get out.
With inwardly opening baths, on the other hand, you have to wait for the water to drain before you can open the door and get out.
This can be a major problem in case of an emergency.
Of course, depending on the limitation on mobility you are experiencing, the height of the steps through which you get into the door is another factor that you need to look keenly at, with a lower step height being ideal.
Whether or not the walk-in bath you consider buying comes with a guarantee that it is 'leak-proof' is another thing you should seriously think about.
You have absolutely no reason, in this day and age, for buying walk-in baths that leak; whether those be the variety that opens outwards or inwards.