Drive Bellavita Auto Bath Lifter Review
Taking baths are one of the best small pleasures in life which everyone should be able to experience. If you haven’t been able to take baths due to physical limitations, bath lifts may be the answer for you! This article explores one of the most popular models selling today — the Drive Bellavita Auto Bath Lifter.
In this Drive Medical Bellavita Bath Lift review, you’ll learn what you need to know about this best-selling bath lift, pointing out both its strengths and flaws. So, let’s get started!
QUICK REVIEW
Price – 8/10Concept – 10/10Execution – 9/10Value – 10/10 9.3 Overall Rating
WHO’S IT FOR?
The Drive Bellavita is tailor-made for people in the following groups…
- Anyone who has trouble getting up or sitting down in a bath
- Anyone who wants to re-experience the joy of bathing without needing help and feeling safe about it
- Anyone who doesn’t want to spend at least 10K on a walk-in bath (which isn’t so great anyway considering you’d freeze while waiting for the water to drain!)
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
Overall Length (with backrest in a reclined position): 32.6″
Overall Width (seat with side flaps extended): 27.5″
Seat Width: 13.7″
Seat Depth: 16.5″
Seat Length: 22.4″
Sitting Height: 2.3″ (from bottom of bathtub) to 18.8″
Backrest Height: 25.1″
Backrest Width: 14.1″
Backrest Recline: 50 degrees
Weight Capacity: 300 lbs.
Total Weight (excluding hand control): 20.5 lbs.
Shipping Weight: 25.3 lbs.
Warranty: 3 years (excluding wearable parts)
Made in Germany
PRODUCT COMPONENTS
The Drive Bellavita bath lift is made up of three main components: backrest/seat (two separate lightweight parts), seat cover, and handheld control…
Backrest/Seat
The backrest is a complete piece that attaches to an optional headset (bought separately).
The seat comes with two side flaps that extend far enough into the tub so there’s no risk of slipping off when going up or down. Note that the flaps aren’t as sturdy as the seat itself so it’s not a good idea to put all your weight on them. If you need extra support getting in and out of the tub, the Medline Bathtub Bar is worth checking out.
Both the backrest and seat are easy to clean by rinsing the parts with a hand shower after use.
Seat Cover
The seat cover comes in gray or white-colored washable vinyl without cushioning.
Handheld Control
The handheld control comes with four simple color-coded buttons: on/off and up/down.But there are not labeled and so people with short-term memory issues may have problems.
You can stow away the control on a hook attached behind the back seat but it’s difficult to reach once you’ve reclined, so it’s fine to just let it float beside you (yes, not only is the handheld control waterproof, it also floats!)
Battery
Depending on the weight of the person, you’ll be able to use the bath lifter 4-5 times before it needs recharging.
And don’t worry about getting stuck halfway down — there’s a built-in safety mechanism that prevents the unit from lowering unless it also has enough power to come back up again. Also, a light on the handheld control blinks whenever the battery needs recharging.
It takes around 2-3 hours to recharge the battery, which you do by plugging the device into an outlet upon which a green light turns on.
The battery needs to be replaced every three years or so and at around $200, that’s not cheap. Still, it’s a drop in the bucket compared to getting a walk-in tub installed.
DRIVE MEDICAL BELLAVITA BATH LIFT VIDEO
PRODUCT ASSEMBLY AND FUNCTIONALITY
Assembly
At first glance, the Drive Bellavita Auto Bath Lifter looks easy to assemble — three main components and no tools required to put them together.
But then you look at the instruction manual and notice information missing and illustrations that don’t correspond to the product.
For example, the bath lifter comes with four suction cups which stick to the bottom of a tub to keep the seat locked in place. That’s all well and good but the instructions don’t show HOW to attach them to the seat!
Only through trial and error do you stumble upon the solution: raising the unit slightly and then attaching the suction cups.
And how do you raise or lower the unit? By attaching the backrest to the seat first (otherwise it won’t work).
The instruction manual also neglects to tell you that the backrest won’t snap to the seat until the battery is connected (for precautionary measures the backseat can’t detach while it’s in use). It’s a bit tricky getting the two components to snap together but should become easier with experience.
So, to recap, here’s what to do, step-by-step…
- Connect the battery
- Snap/attach backrest to seat
- Raise the unit slightly
- Attach suction cups
- Lower the unit
Presto! You’re good to go!
Just these tips alone will spare you 20 minutes of having to figure them out for yourself! 🙂
Now, a word about the suction cups…while they stick well on plastic, porcelain, and jacuzzi tubs, they’ve been to known to stick less well on textured and fiberglass tubs. But it’s not a deal breaker as there are workarounds. For instance, one customer got the suction cups to stick by applying toothpaste to them!
Functionality
The backrest and seat raise/lower at a comfortable, slow pace without noise. The unit does, however, wobble a bit going up/down but not enough to be alarming.
The backrest reclines to 50 degrees at its lowest position but only does so when the seat is all the way down.
If you’re taller than 5’2″, you’ll need to bend your knees a bit to fit your legs. But that’s true of most baths.
And since the sitting height is 2.3″ from the bottom of the tub, part of your torso will also be exposed. A workaround solution is to slide off the seat (easier to do without using the seat cover) and scrunch up a bit to get your entire torso below water. Then when you’re ready to come back up, push against the tub with your legs to get back on the seat again.
PROS AND CONS
What’s Good
- Well constructed
- Easy to use
- Comfortable and secure
- Lightweight (lightest on the market at 20 lbs.)
- Easy to stow away (components take up little space)
Room for Improvement
- Unclear instructions
- Expensive battery replacement
- Trouble getting suction cups to stick in textured and fiberglass tubs
- Not designed for tubs under 6 feet long (still works, just not as well)
WHAT DO OTHER PEOPLE SAY?
Despite panning the instruction manual, owners of the Drive Bellavita Auto Bath Lifter clearly like everything about it. They find the bath lifter comfortable, reliable and love how it restores their sense of dignity and independence.
The bath lifter has also helped people in emergency situations by acting as a chair lift! While not built for this purpose, people find it nice knowing it helps in that way too.
CONCLUSION
The only major drawback to the Drive Bellavita Auto Bath Lifter are the poor instructions but that can be dealt with by following my assembly tips. As bath lifts go, you can’t go wrong with this model. I hope you enjoyed this Bellavita review!
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This looks like great device to have for not only the elderly, but all if recovering from an illness. I was worried about what would happen if the battery ran out when you were in the bath, but then was relieved to read that the device wouldn’t lower unless it had enough power to get up again, which is a great benefit for peace of mind.
Thanks for commenting Michel!
Great product which I believe will help for the disabled. But what do you think about the power supply and safety (water proof). does the seat provide anti slip? And is there any lock for the seat.
Can you provide some info for the handle? I believe handle trail is needed for elderly. TQ
Hi Wilson, the power supply is well insulated so there’s nothing to worry about. No anti-slip for the seat cover but it shouldn’t be a problem since one’s body weight keeps it firmly in place. The handle, as mentioned in the post, is just 4 simple color-coded buttons, that’s it!
This looks like a great solution for a fraction of the cost for the elderly and disabled. My grandfather was very ill in the later part of his life and needed assistance getting in and out of the tub. I know he wished he had the dignity and independence of being able to bathe alone. It seems like a small thing but it really does make a big difference when you aren’t able to do those simple things for yourself. Great review!
Hi Heather, thanks for commenting! I only wish these bath lifts were around years ago. Back then, the only choice one had were super expensive walk-in tubs!
That’s an interesting chair lift system. It looks like you still have to climb into the tub though and then sit down on the chair. Is that right? Too bad it didn’t pivot around, so you could walk up to the tub, sit down on the chair, and have it pivot around and bring you into the tub. That would be a lot more complicated though. For the price, this sounds like a real good deal. Thanks for the review.
Hi Jim, thanks for your comment. You don’t have to climb into the tub, you simply slide onto the seat flaps. And yes, customers are really happy with this unit overall.
This is a brilliant product. Looking at the product image, I can’t believe it can withstand 300 pounds of weight, that’s amazing! Judging from the 3-year warranty and the fact that it is manufactured in Germany, it seems durable and trustworthy and easy to use. I’m going to give this serious consideration, thanks.
Sounds good, if you have any questions, just let me know!
I have been looking for a bath lift for my son who is disabled. As he gets bigger, getting him into the tub will become harder and harder. For now, we have a larger bath chair for him but it is not automatic and we have been trying to find a good one for future use. Your review is very clear and easy to understand. I especially appreciate that you included the information about the unclear assembly instructions. I’ll be looking into this product more to see if it will work for us. Thank you for the excellent review.
You’re welcome Jessica – I hope it works out for your son!
Hello, this is very interesting. I have a family member who is disabled due to a car accident and he’s struggled taking baths ever since. I think this might help him to become more self-reliant and start feeling better about himself again. What a great invention!
Thanks for reviewing this, Jose
You’re welcome, Jose 🙂
Hi, this auto bath lifter looks really interesting. I like that the handheld control is waterproof. Very convenient if you don’t feel like reaching behind.
I agree that the battery is costly at $200 per year. Will a disabled person require help to use this bath lifter? Is it also suitable for elderly people?
Hi Yvonne, the Bellavita is designed for disabled and elderly people to use the device on their own. It’s a great way to reclaim some independence!
Hello! I hope you see this.
I have looked for the answer everywhere.
I have multiple sclerosis and after I broke my wrist trying to get out of the tub. My boyfriend got a Bellavita for me.
I love it! I can take a bath again. I hate showers.
Sometimes the green light will flash when I’m using it. It will then not go up until I turn it off a minute and then it will be fine.
I saw no mention of the flashing green light while trying to go up. What causes this to happen?
Thanks!
Hi Debra, I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that question. Your best bet is to get in touch with the manufacturer. All the best!
Wow, that’s really cool. Thank you so much for providing such specific details about this. Being disabled is no joke and I’m glad that there are new inventions coming out to help enjoy life’s basic necessities. Love the warranty and Germany-manufactured items are usually of very high quality. Will definitely check this out, thanks again for the review.
Glad you found it helpful… 🙂
Hi Stephan,
I have been talking to a family member who has a compression fracture and has been limited to movement. Fortunately, she is not paralyzed but she had quite a struggle to bathe herself. I really enjoyed watching the video on the Bellavita Bath Lift. What a wonderful idea and I can definitely see this would have worked well for her.
I also have a friend whose mother is aging and I can see the Bellavita would be perfect for her too. Thanks very much and I’ll let my family member and my friend know.
Glad you found it helpful Monica!
Hi Stephan,
This is a great review! I am looking for a good bath lifter for my elderly grandmother as her birthday gift and I came across this product. I was skeptical at first but after reading your review, I am convinced that this is what she needs. Thank you so much for taking the time to share about this amazing product! Good job!
Thanks Wilson 🙂
I’m really interested in buying one of these devices. However, I get a lot of pain sitting on a hard surface. Is the seat padded, or could I put a waterproof cushion on the seat.
The seat is not really padded but a waterproof cushion can work. Hope that helps Myra!