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Original poster

Talk to me about Hot Tubs

27 replies

Russell19 · 14/01/2021 14:37

My husband and I have wanted a hot tub for a while. We have finally managed to get our patio done and now have a perfect place for a hot tub.

Does anyone have any specific recommendations or tips?

(Only criteria is that it is not inflatable and my husband wants a lounger seat)

This thread is quite old now so some of the suggestions may be out of date, but if you’ve landed here looking for hot tub recommendations, we’ve recently updated our best hot tubs page with lots of great options, as tried and tested by Mumsnet users. We hope you find it useful.
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OP posts:
Sheleg · 14/01/2021 15:08

No, unless you like the idea of basking in your own genital water!

Original poster
Russell19 · 14/01/2021 15:19

@Sheleg very funny! Thanks but I enjoy a good bit of basking as much as the next person Wink

OP posts:
getinmysexpond · 14/01/2021 15:21

Just lurking for new potential MN names, GenitalWater is a great start!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Home improvement
HoneysuckIejasmine · 14/01/2021 15:23

Ours has been great in lockdown. We have located it as far from other properties as possible and empty it over winter as otherwise the pump is on a lot to keep the temp up and I don't want to annoy anyone. We also don't use it after about 7pm.

Make sure you understand the cleaning routine and have a good stock of chemicals in.

JudgeRindersMinder · 14/01/2021 15:28

We hired one for a couple of weeks over Xmas/new year. My advice would be to to as large as you can-ours was a 7/8 seater (you’d have to be very close friends if you had that number!), and the most we had in it was 2-me and dh or me and my sister. It was the perfect size for both of us to stretch out in.

It was me who had most use of it, mostly late in the evening on my own, it was lovely to just be in it in the dark with my kindle or iPad, and I slept brilliantly after being in it.

What I would say though is that it confirmed to me that I wouldn’t want to own one full time. Novelty value made me use it almost every day, but I know I’d not use it like that all the time, and to have one big enough to use it the way I wanted to, and some kind of a structure to house it would probably cost £10/£12k, which for me just wouldn’t be worthwhile. I’d definitely hire one again though, and spend a few hundred on a hire as and when

WhatsTheEffingPoint · 14/01/2021 15:32

We tried the inflatable version, just to see how often we would use one.....ended up with a catalina spa.

It's great for just helping you wind down of an evening. As long as you keep on top of the chemicals then you are all good.

crosstalk · 14/01/2021 15:42

Chemicals? extra heating in open air? Planet?

Londono · 14/01/2021 15:46

Next door neighbours have one and got it just after the first lockdown. They and their DC used it a lot over the summer but not so much now and I wonder if the novelty has worn off. I wish I knew them well enough to ask if I could read a book in there in the evening from time to time but I don't. She said it costs £4 a day to heat! So that would need to be factored into the initial outlay.

I'd love one but only a proper one, not an inflatable one.

peak2021 · 14/01/2021 15:49

My recommendation is not to get one. A hot tub is only really comfortable when used in the nude, which you cannot do in your back garden. Then the costs of heating as mentioned earlier, and keeping it clean.

Tigertigertigertiger · 14/01/2021 15:54

We have a Catalina Spa and use it in the nude in the dark.
It has helped my back ache a lot.

warmandtoasty2day · 14/01/2021 15:58

this is odd because most mners are anti hot tubs, myself included but everyone to their own.

PinkSpring · 14/01/2021 16:02

Over the last five years, we have had inflatable, foam walled and a proper one.

Honestly, they are great for a while, then winter comes and it's too bloody cold to use them (nice whilst in it them, but the run back to the house isn't fun!), then there is all the hassle of maintaining the chemical balance, cleaning, draining, maintenance of the pump, changing the filters......

In the end, we realised that we were spending more time maintaining the bloody thing that being in it! We upgraded from inflatable, to foam walled to a proper one in the hope we would use it more, but we just didn't. It was a nice to have and if it wasn't for all the faffing required, we might have just kept it to have it....

Plus you need to consider the costs, depending on which ones you go for, they can cost quite a bit to run and keep heated - the cost of chemicals and filters add up very quickly and having the pumps serviced can be expensive

MyView2 · 14/01/2021 16:02

We have one, my husband was really keen and I didn’t think I would use it-I was wrong! We use it lots, it’s great in the winter evenings and I find I don’t need the heating on when I come back inside so the costs maybe balance up a bit. We have 5 seats and a lounger as we have three children who occasionally use it too. When lockdown first began back in March we used to all jump in to mark the end of the working/school day. I like to jump in early mornings too, have a coffee and watch the birds-it’s fab.

We have an Antigua, it has speakers for music that we hardly ever use (because the speakers point out the way so we’d need it quite loud to hear) and listen to our phones or Sonos speaker pointing towards the hot tub instead. It also has different coloured lights that are nice at night time. My top tip is don’t get a puppy at the same time, ours chewed the cover and that was an expensive replacement!

BusterTheBulldog · 14/01/2021 16:05

We’ve had one for a good few years. Have phases of using it, noticed no difference on electric bill whether it’s on or off. I think all of them now come with an easy to use lid, ours is older and cumbersome and that’s my one gripe, sometimes I just cba to wrestle with the lid! It is lovely to be in though.

Plonque · 14/01/2021 16:05

I wouldn't get in one with anyone I wouldn't ordinarily share bath water with.
Someone I know has one and has parties where they invite their friends and neighbours to get in it.
I know the person well enough to know that she will not be keeping up to date with all the chemicals you're supposed to put in it.
It really is basically genital soup. 🤮

BiggerBoat1 · 14/01/2021 16:06

You're basically just sitting in dead skin slurry!

lljkk · 14/01/2021 16:08

I wish you the very best in enjoying your tub, OP.
I Can't provide any advice.
I grew up with one from the 1970s-1990s so find the MN horror amusing. I never went nude & us kids loved it. We also used jacuzzis in the mountains (apres ski); the best was to jump out of jacuzzi into snow, back in tub, repeat... I don't believe in 'too cold' conditions.
I imagine in Britain I'd go for fibreglass insulated not wood or inflatable.

Ladybird69 · 14/01/2021 16:47

I had a hot tub at my last house (left it there in with the sale) I miss it a lot. It was great for my arthritis and was great helping me sleep at night. It used to warm me right down to my bones. I used to love to sit in it in the middle of winter with snow coming down and watching the wildlife, I lived in the middle of nowhere. There’s nothing dirty about them as long as you maintain them properly and use the chemicals.

bellropes · 14/01/2021 16:51

Staphylococcus and fungal infections.

LuckyAmy1986 · 14/01/2021 18:58

For me it would be one of those things where the thought of it is better the reality!
Just check you have really thought about the upkeep/cost etc

Original poster
Russell19 · 14/01/2021 19:14

Thank you for all the great tips and recommendations.

@MyView2 would you say the Bluetooth speakers weren't worth it then? We have a base portable Bluetooth speaker I guess we could use.

OP posts:
MyView2 · 14/01/2021 21:30

Yes @Russell19 I wouldn’t pay extra for the speakers. The volume is quite loud when we can hear it and much louder for the rest of the garden. We just use our Bluetooth speaker and position it in the direction of the hot tub instead of we want music.

Also forgot to say that we’ve found the maintenance quite straight forward and got a lot of the chemicals thrown in for free when we bought it.

JudgeRindersMinder · 14/01/2021 21:33

For all those saying it’s genital soup etc, I take it none of you ever set foot, never mind anything else, in a swimming pool?

Dowser · 14/01/2021 22:02

Had one about 20 years ago.
Was nice but mainly used in winter.too hot in summer
I gave it away when exh left as couldn’t be bothered to clean.

Ilovefluffysheep · 14/01/2021 22:06

Mumsnet hates hot tubs!!!

We have one and love it. Keeping up with chemicals is really easy.

We got one with 2 loungers as we wanted one each. I was surprised when looking how many only come with 1.

No matter how economical the company claims they are, they definitely add a fair bit on to your electricity bill, particularly in winter.

As others have mentioned on here, I assume that the mumsnetters who are so firmly against them never ever go swimming......!