Straight Baths – the Difference between Single and Double Ended Baths

It may not appear to be this way at first glance but there are a lot of different bathtub designs. From half baths to freestanding baths, there is a bath that can fit any bathroom and conform to any interior design philosophy. Whilst there are many baths available to a person, by far the most common type of bath most people select for their bathrooms are straight baths. These baths are the standard bath that most people associate with modern bathrooms. Yet while it may seem that straight baths are all the same they can actually be quite different.

These differences are often found in the shape of the bath itself. For example, one noticeable difference in straight baths can be found in the single and double ended designs.

The term single ended bath may be a bit confusing. After all don't all bathtubs have to have two ends in order to hold in water?

Well of course they do. All baths have to have two ends to actually work as a bath tub. What the term single ended bath means is that there is only one end of the bath that can be used as a back rest because the faucet is located on the other end.

Single ended straight baths comprise the good majority of the baths you will find in most bathrooms. They tend to be designed to be used by only one person at a time.

Double ended straight baths are a completely different story.

A double ended bath is designed to allow for either side of the bathtub to be used as a back rest. They're fantastic for people who like to take baths with a partner without being forced to squeeze together too tightly. What allows for this feature is that the faucet of the bath is generally located at the center of one of the long edges of these straight baths. This allows for a lot more room for movement, which is generally considered to make the experience far more comfortable.

Whilst it would seem that when choosing from these two kinds of straight baths, the double ended bath would be the more common choice this is actually not how it works. Because of the location of the faucet, double ended baths require that the attachment to the water supply either be placed in an unusual spot or that longer tubing be used to feed from the normal location of bathtub plumbing.

This may not seem like a large obstacle to overcome but for many people this obstacle actually makes the single ended design preferable.

Are single and double ended straight baths the only kind of bath you can get?

Absolutely not, but they are definitely two of the most common styles of straight baths you will find in bathrooms all over the world. They are likely to remain extremely popular for quite a while yet.

Next time you are thinking about installing a new bath, chances are very high that you will wind up selecting one of these kinds of straight baths yourself.

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