Hot tubs? Do you get bored of them?

[IVFNewbie]

I want a hot tub but my missus isn't so keen- she thinks we'll get bored of it quite soon. Does anyone have any experience of this?

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MNHQ

Not bored as such, but not used as much as we'd like as it's so expensive.
October and November the hot tub was costing £60 a month. It's a proper hard shelled one too.
Chemicals cost a fair bit and levels need checking every day and every time it's used.
To winterise it you need to pay £200 to get it turned off and anti freeze added etc.
Or you can do it yourself like we did.
Although when it's a £6000 hot tub you are wary about wrecking it by not winterising it properly.

My sister and brother in law has one which they she their daughters all love.

But it is definitely more work than she thought it would be.
There's a lot of faffing, so be prepared for that.
I don't have the patience for maintaining something like that.

We don’t use it as much as we did when we first had it but we still use it 2/3x a week. DH goes in after a run. Teenager DD is always in it with her mates. I read/watch movies in it. We have waterproof cards and play gin rummy in it as a family.

What is good is we have a no phones rule so we all go in and sit and chat, with no distractions which is lovely.
May have had a few drunken evenings with friends sitting drinking and chatting too!

I would love one but everyone I know who has one says they used it all the time for about 6 months and then use it once a week at most.
As others have said, maintaining them is a ball ache.

Read up about the amount of faecal matter in hot tubs then see if you still want one, OP…

We have one and love it, it’s very low maintenance. We check the levels once a week but the chemicals are so easy to use, we don’t use chlorine either so no horrible smell.
It costs about 40p a day to run (inc in winter), we bought one that was very well insulated.
It’s also very quiet and our favourite way to use it is without the bubbles anyway, sitting out in the silence with the birds tweeting is amazing.

MN thinks they’re the height of chavviness / antisocial / only selfish pricks get them but if you have the space in your garden to be away from neighbours they’re brilliant

It’s also stopped us watching TV as we tend to go out and get in it most evenings after dinner, really nice way to relax

Obviously all these hot tubs are placed well away from neighbours.....

@uppidydoodah

Not bored as such, but not used as much as we'd like as it's so expensive. October and November the hot tub was costing £60 a month. It's a proper hard shelled one too. Chemicals cost a fair bit and levels need checking every day and every time it's used. To winterise it you need to pay £200 to get it turned off and anti freeze added etc. Or you can do it yourself like we did. Although when it's a £6000 hot tub you are wary about wrecking it by not winterising it properly.

Why would you turn it off in winter - winter is the absolute best time to use a hot tub!

Yes everyone got bored very quickly after the initial excitement.

We bought a lazy spa in April and it's now sitting there not heated but with the filter on to stop the water going green and with slow release chlorine tablets going in once a week.

Can't empty it as then it's in danger of blowing away. Don't want to pack it away as reviews online suggest they are never the same again when you take them out of storage.

I really like using it but can't justify the cost of heating it just for me.

It was great in the summer but I mainly used it as a slightly heated pool to have a dip in on a hot day and only fully heated it up to enjoy on weekend evenings.

I now just go to the spa at the gym if I feel in need of relaxation.

Wish I hadn't bought it.

I seriously dont see the appeal of them.

I own a holiday let (I know, MN hate holiday let owners but that's not the discussion here) and am in a FB group where owners and tourists can match up for properties. The amount of people wanting a hot tub on holiday in the UK is amazing. They ain't going to get it in my property ! (Not big enough even if I wanted the hassle.)

My friends bought one in lockdown and regretted it
Hugely expensive to run and maintain
Used it all the time for about 3 weeks and then the novelty wore off.

Winter is the best time, but couldn't justify the £60 a month running costs with the energy price hikes 😫

@Abracadabra12345

Obviously all these hot tubs are placed well away from neighbours.....

What is your thinking about the neighbours @Abracadabra12345?

thanks folks! - that's pretty much confirmed what I thought.

How often is the water changed? Bit put off by sweaty runners getting in!

My (very nice) neighbour got divorced and when his (very nice) wife moved out, he decided to treat himself to a hot tub (gor entertaining 😉 ) He had a very small back garden and he had to bring it in through our garden and over the wall. He wanted to use it on Christmas day when it was snowing. (We live on the coast and it rarely snows, once in 5 years sticks!) I think he must have used it no more than 20 times in two years. ( judging by the pattern - I didn't keep track.) Then when he sold the house 2 years later, the buyer asked for it to be removed before she'd exchange contracts. So back into my garden to cut down timbers and take it over the wall again, accompanied by expletives and curses on why they buyer wouldn't want to keep it. I think my new (very nice) neighbour was very sensible, it took too much space.

So based on his experience, don't do it!

I wrote on the other thread but our neighbours have one. It wakes me every morning at 2 vibrating on our wall and it has a constant hum which has given me tinnitus. If you are considering one please consider your neighbours.

@user1471462428

I wrote on the other thread but our neighbours have one. It wakes me every morning at 2 vibrating on our wall and it has a constant hum which has given me tinnitus. If you are considering one please consider your neighbours.

^This is my thinking on hot tubs and neighbours @LostForIdeas. This is without the accompanying noises of music, talking and the like. Fine if others can’t hear

Judging from my horrid ex neighbors it is very little work but they were noisy and inconsiderate. They had an inflatable one with green water and it stank of that and bleach. The law under it turned to mud. But then I assume you will buy the proper chemicals and clean it more than one a year.

Nothing would possess me to get one. It's just more work and expensive and nothing like a jacuzzi at a spa.

We've had ours over a decade. It's marvellous. We drain it over winter and refill and enjoy it in the summer.

I've just spent an hour this afternoon cleaning ours out. It's been turned off (empty but with the lid on) for the past six months due to us moving it to build a house extension. We've all really, really missed it. Can't wait to re-fill it and get it going again for Christmas. Last year it was costing round £1 a day to run, however ours is a hard shell tub, and a friend who has a Lazy Spa had a far higher electricity bill for theirs at the same time. Plus I'm aware that energy costs have increased since.

We use ours most days (apart from over the past 6 months) and love it. It's easy to maintain but you do have to get used to using the chemicals and checking the levels frequently. One of our DC has complex disabilities and is extremely sensory seeking, and our hot tub provides hydrotherapy, sensory therapy and is very calming for him. We all love using it but it was his needs that helped us make the decision to get it.