To ask your advice on hot tub...

[StormcloakNord]

I know I'm likely to get flamed, and I know hot tubs are really really looked down on here, but any advice is appreciated!

DH and I have just ordered a Lazy Spa for over the summer. We usually go on at least 2 hot tub breaks around the UK per year and we just love them.

What I'm looking for I guess is what annoys you about neighbours with hot tubs? What is it that bothers you when your neighbours are in their hot tubs? I want to do as little of the annoying hot tub behaviours as possible as I really try to be a decent neighbour! We've bought a gazebo that we'll pop up when we use it, but won't leave it up as it would be an eye sore. We'll generally be using it between 7-10pm and only at weekends, and won't be having any music on. Just sitting in it chatting and enjoying the stars (if the gazebo isn't up!)

Anyway, thanks in advance!

I'd like a hot tub. We go hiking and always stay somewhere with a hot tub, it's great for relaxing muscles and chilling with a glass of wine, after a long hike. We'd like one for the garden too.

Those that refer to hot tubs as sex ponds / pig swills will no doubt be along soon 🤣.

Watching with interest. DH is getting me a Lazy Spa for my big birthday this year. Like you we won't be playing music. And I will probably use it more than DH will.

The noise. The pump is loud, the people in it shout to each other to be heard above the noise of the pump. It's impossible to sit in the garden for a quiet cuppa or glass of wine listening to birdsong on a sunny evening because of the racket.

We once stayed in a B&B type place specifically because it had a beautiful wood fired hot tub.
On the Saturday night after dinner we were in the hot tub at around 10pm just talking quietly. We genuinely weren’t being loud at all but the B&B owner came out and asked that we turn off the bubbles and go inside as the people in the room next to us had kids

In hindsight maybe the bubbles were fairly noisy so made us speak a bit louder than we usually would which I guess could be annoying for your neighbours if they’re the grumpy type.

I dont see the problem with them. Just enjoy...

@Dugee yes we are the same! It's just so lovely getting in a warm, hot, bubbly spa after a long walk/hike and enjoying a bottle of wine!

@TheGirlOnTheLanding that's a good point. I don't know if it helps but for the last two summers I've never seen our neighbours on one side out enjoying their garden. The other side often uses their garden but they have loud parties so I can't see the noise bothering them!

I used to have neighbours who had a hot tub. When they went away their teenage son used to have parties with screaming naked teenage girls leaping round the garden in the middle of the night. Just don't do that op.

@FizzyPink yes I can see how the bubbles can be quite noisy. I'm hoping as DH and I will be sitting together on the same seat/cuddling that we won't have to shout at each other to have a convo!

@ShinyMe oh good lord! No teenagers here just a 7 year old who could easily be mistaken for a teenager with her grumpy moods

Depends how close you are to neighbours and how overlooked your garden is. If you are in a terrace with a strip of garden its going to be more intrusive than if you have a large garden and your neighbours are further away.

The ones I have the misfortune to live near are owned by loud people who invite their loud friends over. There's probably more nearby that are owned by quiet people who don't need to bellow and cackle at each other, but I don't know about those ones as they're not intrusive.

Just enjoy it 👍🏻
You’re not using it with music, you know talking and laughing over the bubbles/pump will be loud (louder after alcohol) so you sound like a considerate neighbour.
I’m assuming it has no waterfall as they can be really noisy

I’ve no idea what my objection is really. It’s kind of a visceral loathing. And then I read you’d be cuddling on the same seat. Maybe it’s the thought that folk are doing the sexy thing

I genuinely do not understand the point of them. But I’m a miserable old witch.

You sound like you are quite considerate and self aware, and won’t be using it at all hours, so enjoy it!!

Agree with a PP who said they’re a lovely holiday treat to sink into with a glass of cold wine after a long walk

I like a hot tub on holiday, but holiday ones tend to be in nice places. I'm not sure how I'd feel about having one a few feet from my kitchen and in sight of next door's washing line.

I asked my neighbour a couple of weeks ago if ours (brought last year, used from Aug to Oct) had disturbed them last year. Its on our patio probably not much further away from their bedroom window than ours. She looked shocked and said she didn't know we'd got one, which eased my concerns somewhat.

They are fab,we had a lazy spa for a couple of years, found it to be brilliant, we didn’t use it late at night, or had music, it would be pointless as it is loud when it’s on. You have to raise you voice to speak to each other. Lazy spa customer service is non existent, based my my experience though.

@HarrietSchulenberg we're a detached house with a linked fence! The garden is quite large though so my plan was to plonk it as centrally as possible so I'm not right next to either sides fence!

@JayAlfredPrufrock I definitely don't mind cuddling but the idea of actually have sex in a hot tub is ghastly. Surely that is just asking for a UTI!

@Chasingsquirrels that's good! Im hoping the layout of our houses helps as well. Both master bedrooms and living rooms are at the front of the house! One of my neighbours are prone to really loud/drunken and screechy parties and while we definitely hear it it's not half as loud as it actually is when you're standing in the garden so hoping that goes in our favour!

Our master bedroom (identical houses - although I've assumed next door sleep in that room!) both at the back, so quite near where we placed it. Ds2 was often in it quite late, but doesn't like the bubbles so not that noisy.

We've got one and we're very in view of the passing public

I don't cuddle people in it though, that's weird

@denverRegina I wouldn't be in the habit of cuddling people in it either my husband on the other hand I could just about stretch a cuddle to

The humming. We turn ours off at night to avoid bothering the neighbours and no kids in after 8pm,

@equuscaballus I assume if we wanted to use it Friday night and Saturday night for example we could turn it on Friday lunchtime to give it time to heat up, and turn it off when we're finished using it so it isn't humming through the night... then switch on again Saturday lunchtime etc?

We switch back o in the morning. just keep an eye on how much heat it loses overnight.

You'll need to keep the pump filter on to keep the water filtration going so you won't be able to switch it off as such. Otherwise your water will go murky and you'll have to replace it which is a ball ache

You can lower the temperature if you like and then raise it up when suits (though this isn't instant as you'll discover)

The pump on ours is very quiet, more like a soft hum and the tub itself is away from our neighbours anyway. We use it considerately and haven't had any issues. We make no more noise than any of our neighbours, probably less in fact. There is a top level of bubbles that is noisy but we don't use that in the later evening (pre 9pm) and certainly only for a few minutes at a time. Our kids don't go in it during the evening only the afternoon.

We absolutely love it and find it really relaxing. Enjoy!