It would help to have a look at the floor plan. I feel like perhaps there is another place in the house for a walk in shower if needed. Example, my parents had a stair chair to carry them to their second floor bedroom. The walk in shower was in a bathroom on the first floor. It was not in the primary bedroom, but it was accesible. We have a tub shower with grab bars. My 87 year old MIL loves it.

Give them the tub. They could live years or minutes. No one knows the future. It is what they want.

Some more info is needed other than these vague open-ended questions. Not even a photo?

Are you trying to dissuade your clients?

This is a rather lazy approach.

Hi and thank you for your comments, we simply wanted an opinion on this topic, the client definitely prefers a tub and that is what we will work with in this situation. They also have a small shower as of now but would like a sauna there instead. We would never push a client to create something they would not feel comfortable living in or prefer using!

You can see bellow the existing bathroom.

How about a steam shower instead of a sauna?

Thank you for your suggestion! The client is not a big fan of steam showers it was one of our suggestions, we are exploring saunas and infrared saunas right now.

We took out our only tub in a small 1/1 and converted it to a shower and so glad we did.

Then we bought a house with a shower/tub downstairs and a shower upstairs. Oh well lol. Not going to remod again so a tub bench I suppose if needed. Or just stay in the small house.

Nothing wrong with discussing alternatives as you should. Sorry for the snark earlier but you were nice enough to respond.

"They also have a small shower as of now but would like a sauna there instead."

A sauna less than about 6x6x8' doesn't work well and are often abandoned after a year or three because the temperatures and steam are too uneven and there's too much radiant which makes them uncomfortable. So make sure that they can devote enough space for it.

Good resources:

1. Trumpkin's Notes
2. Saunologia.fi
3. 'Secrets of Finnish Sauna Design'

" We’re working with a client who is planning to stay in their home "

I'm sure they would feel real good about paying for your services and then finding out you crowd sourced the design choices on a public website.........................

Tub vs Shower is a very personal thing. Generally a shower is considered safer but some people still prefer a tub.

We designed our bathroom for aging in place and included a larger shower with a bench and plenty of grab bars. We have a tub in a guest bath (with grab bars) if needed.

Friends of ours prefer a tub so that's what they have and similar to us included a lot of grab bars for when we're all older. It was planned to be able to convert to a shower if they find that necessary.

Yes @millworkman that's what I was thinking, picking people's brains here but it must happen right? The OP has other Posts asking similar survey questions. Why not just say, I need help on this job, and be up front about their situation? Let folks decide if they want to help a pro.

I am 78 and still have anice long soak in a tub every night and will never trade that for a shower but maybe someday a walkin tub who knows. IMO if the client is like me there is no way you would talk me out of my tub so I guess a tub and a rollin shower if that is a must. The sauna is something I have found is like a jetted tub a real thrill for a wahile then less and less used as time goes by. I would prfer a sauna not in my main bathroom like I have done for clients either outside orin a lower level with access to a shower next to it.

"I'm sure they would feel real good about paying for your services and then finding out you crowd sourced the design choices on a public website........................."

I get what you're saying, but I would much rather my architect or interior designer crowd source some info like this as an added data point than believe that they know it all.

I this particular instance, I think typical resources will be hands down absolutely do a shower. It's safer and easier for old folks. But here you have two comments that are pro-tub that add some important perspective.

"Why not just say, I need help on this job, and be up front about their situation?"

I think they did. Their name is "Designs and Architecture" and their first words were "We’re working with a client... "

It was clear to me. What more should they have done?

Thank you all for your thoughtful insights and for taking the time to share your experiences it’s genuinely appreciated!

@tracefloyd – Thank you for your honesty and for following up so respectfully! I agree discussing alternatives is incredibly valuable, especially when personal preferences and lived experiences come into play.

@opaone – We appreciate your detailed feedback on both the sauna and aging-in-place considerations. We did contact a few professionals for building this sauna, since we have never done this before! Also, thank you for mentioning these resources we will definitely look into those.

@millworkman – To clarify, we share questions like this not to replace professional judgment but to gain broader perspectives that might enrich the final design. We always ensure our clients receive bespoke solutions, but thoughtful discourse like the kind found here often highlights things worth considering. This is a large platform with a lot of users, and even professionals learn something new every day!

@Patricia Colwell Consulting – Thank you for sharing your personal experience. That kind of real-world insight is invaluable and helps balance the conversation between practical functionality and personal preference. Your point about walk-in tubs and the placement of saunas is noted we agree that context and placement can make a big difference in long-term satisfaction.

"We did contact a few professionals for building this sauna,"

Be careful of professional sauna builders in North America. For some reason they consistently do low ceilings and benches, poor ventilation and other stuff that results in not good saunas.

Thanks for the response, again. I gave my personal perspective and our eventual outcome for our remodel freely and willingly and it is my pleasure to do so. I hope it helps guide your clients.

I can be a drama queen (according to my husband lol.)