I love the look of claw foot tubs, but it's just not practical for our current configuration. With our bathroom remodel we're trying to salvage our exisiting garden tub (which, as we discovered during demo, was apparently a jacuzzi tub before someone seal the jets).

Get a garden tub if you have space for it. You can have your showers and also have a great tub for long hot baths.

I'm in the "I love the look of clawfoot tubs, but..." camp.

I've never been able to configure my shower curtains so that they don't attack me, it loses its steamy heat to the rest of the room very quickly, and it's a pain to clean around. Charming to look at? Sure. Charming to use? Not so much.

We just renovated our MB and didn't have room for a stand-alone tub. We opted for a 6 foot (standard is 5) soaking apron tub (not drop-in - drop-ins aren't recommended for shower/tub combos), and it actually looks pretty awesome. We found one with an inset that wasn't rounded, and it totally fits into the contemporary-traditional vibe we have going. We could put glass doors on it, but find that glass doors are too annoying, so we'll stick with a clear shower curtain.

In a perfect world I'd have a stand-alone tub and a big enough tiled shower, BUT I actually think that our current option is modern enough and the 6 ft. tub gives a lot more space.

An open shower looks interesting, but I've never used one. The far end of the bathroom itself is the shower--no stall, no tub, no curtains, no doors. I know a family that installed one and they like it. It may be universal design. It may be low maintenance. AT has posted about the concept.

I agree, I like the look of the claw foot tub, but it's just really impractical. If I had unlimited funds, I'd have two bathrooms. One is a practical one and the other would have a claw foot tub. Then I'd hire someone to clean it because they're a pain to clean!

I'm a Japanese bath gal - a sauna-like enclosure for a spacious open shower and a rectangular soaking tub. The best part? move from tub to shower/shower to tub without needing to dry off or hop from bathmat to bathmat because the tub and shower share a central drain. Ahhh....

What akay said. Not into getting molested by my shower curtain in a clawfoot! Made that mistake in one rental, never again.

What HeyIt'sKim said. Japanese baths... once you've tried them, it's hard to imagine anything else in a dream home! :D

Clawfoot tubs are great for a soak, not great for a shower. Tip: they come in different lengths. If you're short, get a short one otherwise you'll always be battling relaxing vs. slipping under and drowning.

If you have the space, hire the right architect / designer to incorporate a shower and a tub in a way that works with your architecture. I have both (though I would change the design a bit if I could) and it's great.

I love the look of a wet room (tiled open space) with a free standing tub (you can get a "modern" minimalist tub or even get an authentic tub at an architectural salvage lot). If you soak infrequently, you could host a few plants on an easy-to-lift-out shelf or rack.

A Jacuzzi, with a view.

I'd love a Japanese bath. We are mostly showerers, and really wanted to separate the shower and the tub - therefore we replaced the classic acrylic tub/shower combo with a glass-door shower only, and a soaking tub went into the adjoining ensuite bath. The tub is always clean when you want a soak, and the shower is always available. I would HATE a clawfoot tub with a shower curtain for the reasons mentioned above.

Japanese soaker tubs actually work as a large shower enclosure, too. We shower mostly, but when one wants a bath, there's nothing like (as a tall person) slipping into a bath that covers everthing. that's the beatuy of a soaker tub: no knees sticking out; i'm talking water to the neck. :)

My clawfoot in my rental is stunning, but yes almost impossible to clean around. You also have to get liners with weights at the bottom to keep the shower curtains from attacking you mid-shower, and accept that it will always be slightly breezy in there from the gap in curtains.

I use a claw foot tub daily. I have never found it difficult to clean. In fact, it is probably easier because it is not as wide a tub, so easier to reach the far side. A hand held shower head attaches and detaches from the spout. I use it to wash and rinse my hair and rinse off before getting out of the tub. I love it and would have no other tub. Once on apartmenttherapy a New York apt was shown with a claw foot tub and the same arrangement of shower head. There were several comments as to the water going everywhere, etc. Listen up folks, you stay seated in the tub while rinsing.

I grew up with a claw foot tub, which means I'll always love them. My husband doesn't really "get" the beauty of them so I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to have one in my home again.

Can't stand clawfoot tubs - They're difficult to clean around and you really need a separate shower if you're not into being wrapped in showercurtains.

A simple tub in a tiled alcove is fine with me - even better, a jetted tub - either way, with a clear glass panel or a simple extra-long nylon hotel-style shower curtain.

I have never used my jetted garden tub; strictly a shower fan. If I ever change my bathroom, I'd lose the tub entirely and have a much bigger, nicer shower.

@whitexb,

Clawfoot tubs give you about three times as much surface area to clean: inside the tub, outside the tub, and the walls and floor surrounding the tub.

It is not cleaning the tub that would keep me away from the clawfoot in the bathroom. It is cleaning under and around one. Looks good tho. The shower curtains were not an issue for me.
But as mostly shower people, a shower is what I want.
The clawfoot tub is behind the trees in the back yard with a heater under it, for starlight soaks (or rain or snow or fog soaks). The best ever for long strenuous days.

I find that shower doors are pretty much the most miserable things to clean in the world. Water spots and hard water build up on the glass, icky grout, corners that collect water; they are truely one of the most hated things in my world. I live in my second house with them, and haven't stopped hating them for a moment. I would go with any bathtub that utilizes shower curtains.

The perfect Bathroom: Tub and a separate shower. Like the claw foot tub. As far as the shower goes, I agree with stellav; shower doors are a pain to clean, ugly and expensive. I just don't understand why they're still on the market, really!

I'm a renter, and I'm actually a big fan of our clawfoot tub. I had one in my last apartment, too, but it was very small, which led to curtain attacks. This one is bigger (AND TURQUOISE - thanks paint-happy previous renters!!), so we don't have those problems. The showerhead is not detachable. Granted, regular showers would be more spacious, but even my 6'4" boyfriend doesn't complain. I will probably change my tune the next time I move to a different setup, but for now, the tub is my favorite part of our apartment!

Great timing on this article! I am in the process of remodeling the bathroom of my 1927 bungalow. I'm having a really challenging time finding the right fixture for the original claw foot tub that will pass code, looks deco and function as an everyday shower. I wonder if I should replace it with a vintage corner tub... Advice is appreciated!

There is nothing like a great bathtub, showers just don't hit it. Every home should have a big bathtub with shower connected to it end of story. Why? It is a symbol of youth and keeps you young and healthy.