Walk-in Tub Versus Showers? No Contest!

One thing elderly people I talk to miss the most is a nice relaxing soak in the bathtub.

I have to admit that I recently gave up on trying to hoist my slippery wet body from the reclining position I had enjoyed for an hour while reading an inspiring novel. Not only was it a lot harder than it used to be, but it was getting dangerous as my balance isn't as steady as it used to be, either. I switched to showers, which are safer, quicker, and they get the job done, but like other people my age, I really do miss those nice relaxing soaks.

Today, out of the blue, my daughter in Portland sent me an advertisement for a walk-in tub that has a seat where you can sit, soak, and read, and come pretty close to the bath of our memories. She suggested that I put it on my Christmas list and then leave the list somewhere easy for my particular "Santa" to find.

Actually, I laughed and started to delete the e-mail, but curiosity got the best of me. How much did one cost, I wondered? I had priced walk-in tubs several years ago and found that I could almost buy a new car for less, but at my favorite shopping center, Amazon, I found a $5000 one marked down to $3400. Not too bad if you consider what an outside hot tub costs these days, and this would be inside so I could use it year round. I could promise not to nag "Santa" to take me on any trips that involved expensive motels with heated swimming pools for the next 5 years. (Not that we usually hit one of those more than once a year, if that often, anyway.)

This particular tub had a grab bar, non-skid floor, and it could be wrapped as a gift. Well, maybe not in regular gift wrap, but with the writing on the container covered so that the recipient, (hopefully me), couldn't tell what was in the package until he or she opened it on Christmas morning. Are you listening, Santa?

And, if I didn't like it, maybe I could sell it on eBay and get at least half the money back. Or maybe I could rent it out to other seniors citizens in the neighborhood. Guess I'd better sign off and write that letter for "Santa." What do you think?