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Hot Tub & Spa Shopping

A hot tub/spa makes a wonderful addition to a home (speaking as a hot tub owner, it's one of those rare purchases that I actually use all the time and that's really been worth the money). Shopping for one can be a bit confusing though. There are so many different hot tub and spa manufacturers, and they all have fancy names for their jets, seats, options, etc. Some even have unique features like carpal tunnel massage and magnetic pressure therapy. How are you supposed to know what to buy?

Well, shopping for a hot tub or spa isn't as much of a science as it can seem at times. Basically, it's just about finding a model that really suits the curves of you and your family's bodies. Unfortunately, that's something that's a bit hard to tell over the Internet. This is why most dealers will recommend you actually go to a showroom in your area and hop into different models to try them out. Most dealers won't even mind if you bring a suit along--in fact, they usually have a few models set up with the water in them exactly for that purpose. When you're talking about spending thousands of dollars on a hot tub spa, no one is going to expect you to order one without taking it for a test drive first. So definitely bring your suit and towel with you when you go shopping.

Even though my advice is to personally try out different models, I don't necessarily think you have to buy from your local dealer. You can often get very good deals on hot tubs and spas online. Check out sites like E-bay, where some dealers can offer great prices because they don't maintain showrooms or large staffs of employees. (Sometimes, you can even find a previously owned--AKA used--hot tub in your area, if you're trying to save money.)

So, the bottom line is that you should first try out a hot tub/spa in person. Take home some information on the model you like (including the price), and then see if you can find a better deal on the same model online. One thing to keep in mind with online purchases, however, is that no one is going to help you set the unit up (this is something you can pay extra for or sometimes negotiate into the deal with a local dealer). They may not even deliver it to the backyard, instead just dropping this several hundred pound beast in your driveway. Installing a hot tub/spa can involve digging holes in the yard for electrical lines or adding a 220 line to your fuse box. If you are a do-it-yourself type this might not be intimidating (with my father's help, we installed our hot tub ourselves), but if you just want the easiest thing and you're willing to pay a little more for it, going with a local dealer may be your best bet.

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