What can you tell me about hot tubs?

[justjulia]

For those of you who have had one for any amount of time, would you do it again? Do you use it a lot? Does your husband enjoy it as much as you do? I am trying to talk my husband into putting one on our back patio/hopefully soon to be screened in porch. He is slowly warming up to the idea. I would love some place to hang out at the end of the day. Are they as wonderful as they seem? I don''t want something huge--4 person would be nice. I know Home Depot has them as well as some other rec places. Do you have any advice? Thanks a bunch.

 

[KimberlyH]

I have never owned a hot tub but my parents have in the last two houses they''ve owned. The first one was off their 2nd floor master bedroom (down a fllight of stairs into a gazebo, you could also access it from the yard). I lived in that house with them for a while and my dad and I used to fairly frequently. The house they purchased three years ago came with a broken hot tub that was a total eyesore in their backyard until 2 weeks ago. My dad just fixed it and my nephew and BIL used it for the first time on Thanksgiving. My mom hates them (she saw a rat running across the gazebo one night while using the tub, that was enough for her). Eventually I''d like to build a pool and hot tub at mine and DH''s house, but he wouldn''t ever use either one, just me, so it''s a pipe dream at this point.

 

[Sundial]

We bought a six person Hot Springs hot tub this past summer when we made some improvements to our backyard. The good news is that is it absolutely wonderful when we use it and keeping it clean has not been as hard as I thought. The bad news is that we just don''t seem to get out there to use it as often as I thought we would. We probably only average once a week and it was pretty expensive for that. They can vary enormously in terms of price depending upon the features you choose. I think it is important that the location of the hot tub is private and convenient to the house.

 

[justjulia]

I can see how it would become a white elephant if it doesn't work right. I mean, there's no hiding those things is there? I think they are beautiful when I see them in pictures out in "nature." I dream about lights and music, and peaceful nights... sigh My husband is handy, too, and would probably be able to fix anything. Thank goodness for that. (It would probably by in a million pieces for a while, but eventually....lol)

We had a pool at our last house, and it really wasn't that bad, maintenance-wise. So I'm hoping the same for a htub. My sil said the same thing Sundial, that they use their tub less frequently than they thought they would. Another friend of mine laments having to put her hair up, for the chemicals, and a swimsuit on. I am planning on putting it in a screened porce with half way down walls (if that makes sense) for some privacy. I would love to have roll down shades that enable us to go skinny dipping.

I cannot believe all the variety out there. It's overwhelming.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 11/26/2006 4:54:31 PM
Author: justjulia
I can see how it would become a white elephant if it doesn''t work right. I mean, there''s no hiding those things is there? I think they are beautiful when I see them in pictures out in ''nature.'' I dream about lights and music, and peaceful nights... sigh My husband is handy, too, and would probably be able to fix anything. Thank goodness for that. (It would probably by in a million pieces for a while, but eventually....lol)

We had a pool at our last house, and it really wasn''t that bad, mainenance-wise. So I''m hoping the same for a htub. My sil said the same thing Sundial, that they use their tub less frequently than they thought they would. Another friend of mine laments having to put her hair up, for the chemicals, and a swimsuit on. I am planning on putting it in a screened porce with half way down walls (if that makes sense) for some privacy. I would love to have roll down shades that enable us to go skinny dipping.

I cannot believe all the variety out there. It''s overwhelming.

JJ, we are building a tiny cottage in Nantucket and I want one for the house. I have a very bad neck, and think it would be nice to have. But heck since it''s a summer place don''t know if it''s worth it. I''ll be curious to what info comes through on this thread as I haven''t done any investigating yet.

 

[ephemery1]

I begged my parents for YEARS to put in a hot tub... but my dad insisted nobody would use it, and it would end up being an eyesore in his perfectly manicured backyard. He eventually gave in and put one in, built a gorgeous deck around it, and proceeded to use it EVERY night for the next 10 years. Literally. When they moved to a new house, he upgraded to an even larger one (6-8 people, I think) and landscaped around it again... plus this time set up a flat-screen TV on the nearby porch as well. He honestly can't imagine life without it, at this point... especially with his intermittent back issues... and I still like to remind him "I told you so!"

So keep persevering!!

ETA -- I agree that having it close to the house is essential... I love using my parents' tub in the winter (nothing like being surrounded by warm churning water while snow softly falls all around you

)... but getting out can be BRUTAL when it's cold!

 

[movie zombie]

my little box of a house had a little hot tub out on the deck. it was fabulous! i could come home and start the fire wood stove, go out and sit in the hot tub while the house warmed up....or go sit in it and relax before going to bed at night. and oh the stars! had a great view of the sky.

i miss the hot tub....but obviously not enough to have gotten one at the new place. why not? because i want to to be able to see the maximum amount of sky and i have not yet figured where that is on this property. i also don''t want to have to hike half a mile to get to it!

movie zombie

 

[justjulia]

Thank you all so much. Keep the comments coming! Ahhh, the thought of delicate snow falling... I wish! I live in GA, albeit north GA, still we get about 1 day of snow per season. One year, we got 5 days and it was a reason to celebrate around here. I have learned from you all that it needs to be close to the house. Ok, check that on my list. Do you like it better out under the stars, or would inside a screened porch be claustrophobic? I''m in the mood for something cozy and contained. Also, we have a ton of oak trees, and I''m worried about all of the leaves and debris...but I know that it is covered when not in use, so... I''m so glad to hear of someone using it every day! I can so see myself doing that.

Do you order your spa supplies online? Did you build steps or buy them with? I guess if you had a deck, you would create deck like steps. What about the ozonator (whatchamacallit)? Is that better than lots of chemicals? Obviously I have a lot to research.

 

[Tybee]

Julia,
I really really want one. I''m a runner, and I often suffer from achy joints. Some friends of ours have one on their back porch, and they use it all the time.
I think if I lived in the north, I would want it out under the stars, living in Georgia, I can see how you might want it in a screened in porch.
The buggies here can be pretty bad in the summer (I live in Georgia myself.)

 

[ephemery1]

Date: 11/26/2006 8:14:54 PM
Author: justjulia
Thank you all so much. Keep the comments coming! Ahhh, the thought of delicate snow falling... I wish! I live in GA, albeit north GA, still we get about 1 day of snow per season. One year, we got 5 days and it was a reason to celebrate around here. I have learned from you all that it needs to be close to the house. Ok, check that on my list. Do you like it better out under the stars, or would inside a screened porch be claustrophobic? I''m in the mood for something cozy and contained. Also, we have a ton of oak trees, and I''m worried about all of the leaves and debris...but I know that it is covered when not in use, so... I''m so glad to hear of someone using it every day! I can so see myself doing that.

Do you order your spa supplies online? Did you build steps or buy them with? I guess if you had a deck, you would create deck like steps. What about the ozonator (whatchamacallit)? Is that better than lots of chemicals? Obviously I have a lot to research.

I like it out under the stars, but that''s just the silly romantic side of me.

But having it on a screened-in porch really does sound nice and cozy, as long as there was enough ventilation through the screens... with the water so hot, it''s nice to have some air circulating above (even though you can always adjust the temp of the water)! The chlorine smell could be kinda pervasive, too, if it was a small, not-well-ventilated space... but I know of somebody who had one in their glassed-in sunroom without any problems.

I believe my dad orders spa supplies online, but I''m not sure... it''s pretty low-maintenance overall. He built a deck around the first one at our old house, then put the new one up against a screened-in porch at the new house, so you do have to climb in, but not too far. I''d imagine you could just use a step-stool of some sort if you needed to though.

 

[justjulia]

Date: 11/26/2006 8:42:26 PM
Author: ephemery1

Date: 11/26/2006 8:14:54 PM
Author: justjulia
Thank you all so much. Keep the comments coming! Ahhh, the thought of delicate snow falling... I wish! I live in GA, albeit north GA, still we get about 1 day of snow per season. One year, we got 5 days and it was a reason to celebrate around here. I have learned from you all that it needs to be close to the house. Ok, check that on my list. Do you like it better out under the stars, or would inside a screened porch be claustrophobic? I''m in the mood for something cozy and contained. Also, we have a ton of oak trees, and I''m worried about all of the leaves and debris...but I know that it is covered when not in use, so... I''m so glad to hear of someone using it every day! I can so see myself doing that.

Do you order your spa supplies online? Did you build steps or buy them with? I guess if you had a deck, you would create deck like steps. What about the ozonator (whatchamacallit)? Is that better than lots of chemicals? Obviously I have a lot to research.

I like it out under the stars, but that''s just the silly romantic side of me.

But having it on a screened-in porch really does sound nice and cozy, as long as there was enough ventilation through the screens... with the water so hot, it''s nice to have some air circulating above (even though you can always adjust the temp of the water)! The chlorine smell could be kinda pervasive, too, if it was a small, not-well-ventilated space... but I know of somebody who had one in their glassed-in sunroom without any problems.

I believe my dad orders spa supplies online, but I''m not sure... it''s pretty low-maintenance overall. He built a deck around the first one at our old house, then put the new one up against a screened-in porch at the new house, so you do have to climb in, but not too far. I''d imagine you could just use a step-stool of some sort if you needed to though.

Thanks!

 

[movie zombie]

think about a sauna.....i love them! i used to live in an apartment complex that had two: one for women and one for men. i also loved having a sauna before going to bed at night. and my skin never looked so good! sweating out those toxins and no chemicals in the water to worry about. i''m actually thinking of getting that instead.....however, its rather hard to see the stars!

movie zombie

 

[poptart]

With movie zombie mentioning the sauna, it made me think of getting a big jacuzzi instead. That way you could have the heat and the jets just like a hottub, but not as much maitenance. I have a bad back so when DH and I finally get a house we will definitely be getting a BIG jacuzzi tub in the master bath.

*M*

 

[bar01]

This was a good thread to read. My wife and I have had a 4 person spa on our wish list for 2007. We have had our eye on the fox or cub models from Artic Spas which seem very high quality for northern areas like ours. I like the idea of having a lounger in part of the tub - and lots of jets. However, the Hotspring spas seem to be sold lots more places than Artic and may cost less..

 

[justjulia]

I would LOVE a sauna.

 

[justjulia]

Date: 11/27/2006 3:05:57 PM
Author: Bertrand
This was a good thread to read. My wife and I have had a 4 person spa on our wish list for 2007. We have had our eye on the fox or cub models from Artic Spas which seem very high quality for northern areas like ours. I like the idea of having a lounger in part of the tub - and lots of jets. However, the Hotspring spas seem to be sold lots more places than Artic and may cost less..

Thanks for the info!

 

[justjulia]

Date: 11/27/2006 12:11:11 AM
Author: movie zombie
think about a sauna.....i love them! i used to live in an apartment complex that had two: one for women and one for men. i also loved having a sauna before going to bed at night. and my skin never looked so good! sweating out those toxins and no chemicals in the water to worry about. i''m actually thinking of getting that instead.....however, its rather hard to see the stars!

movie zombie

I wonder how they compare in cost to htubs. I remember doing the sauna thing, then jumping in a cold pool in college--heaven. I wonder if they come in kits... oh you have me thinking now...

 

[justjulia]

Date: 11/27/2006 12:17:46 AM
Author: poptart
With movie zombie mentioning the sauna, it made me think of getting a big jacuzzi instead. That way you could have the heat and the jets just like a hottub, but not as much maitenance. I have a bad back so when DH and I finally get a house we will definitely be getting a BIG jacuzzi tub in the master bath.

*M*

My last house had a big custom jacuzzi in the master. The custom part was the color-a pale pinkishpeach-the jets were a little disapointing at the back. We lived out in the woods and were on well water. It drove me crazy how the granite dust from the well would accumulate on the jets--talk about high maintenance! We bought an empty nester home recently and it has only a shower (I''m definitely going crazy with this). I don''t really know if I want another jacuzzi--it was not worth the tedious cleaning of the jets. I will probably just put in a tub/shower combo thing.

 

[movie zombie]

yes, they come in kits......that much i know.

if you do research, please post what you fiind out!

movie zombie

ps often hot tub/spa places sell them. also, i''ve seen some for installation indoors! they are not inexpensive.

 

[movie zombie]

we also did some research sometime back re wood burning hot tubs. i live in a forest and using wood wouldn''t be a problem. in fact, it would help get rid of some of the smaller pieces.

movie zombie