Bath tub having side access

A bathing enclosure having side access to facilitate ingress and egress including a main enclosure section with a fixed side wall, a pair of fixed end walls integral with the side wall, a bottom wall integral with the side and end walls, a drain valve in the bottom wall and an open side with a marginal sealing surface on a side of the main enclosure section opposite the fixed sidewall;

• a first track assembly with a generally horizontal guide pivotally attached to the main enclosure section, and with a generally vertical guide attached to the main enclosure section and movable relative to the main enclosure section and urged toward the main enclosure section;
• a second track assembly with a generally horizontal guide attached to the main enclosure section in a position laterally spaced from and parallel to the generally horizontal guide of the first track assembly, and with a generally vertical guide movable relative to the main enclosure section and urged toward the main enclosure section and having a lower end pivotally attached to the generally horizontal guide of the second track assembly, said vertical guide of the second track assembly being laterally spaced from and parallel to the generally vertical guide of the first track assembly;
• a tambour door with a plurality of parallel tambour slats traveling in and retained by the first and second track assemblies, a flexible impervious membrane attached to at least some of the parallel slats and movable with the slats between a position generally below the bottom wall of the main enclosure section in which the open side of the enclosure is open and a position adjacent to the marginal sealing surface on the main enclosure section in which the open side of the main enclosure section is closed;
• a seal attached to the main enclosure section which seals between the main enclosure section and the flexible impervious membrane;
• and a valance mounted on the main enclosure section adjacent to the generally vertical guides of the first and second track assemblies with the tambour door between the valance and the seal when the tambour door is in a closed position and wherein the valance is operable to contact the plurality of parallel slats to restrain movement of the slats horizontally away from the main enclosure section.