I use tubs because it is almost flawless in keeping perfect temps and humidity for me. I have perfect sheds without having to bump humidity - it's 55% all the time.

I use newspaper because I hated just spot cleaning with aspen. Every time they defecate, the paper is changed and it's truly clean.

To truly have a naturalistic enclosure for a ball python, you'd need to have a termite mound or deep underground burrows. All the aesthetics are for the keeper, not the snake.