Finding the Perfect Hot Tub to Buy: Self-Contained or Non?
I was so fixated with the idea of me and my wife relaxing in the middle of some serious bubbles, that what I thought was the “standard” hut tub design – what I call the “wooden wine cask” of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s – got replaced by fiber glass and rubber! Hey give a guy a break! I’ve been busy, o-k? Little did I realize that today’s hot tubs are sophisticated, well-engineered works of art. More akin to something you’ll find in a kitchen or bathroom. Well, if anything I’m flexible. The design can change as long as I’m plopped down in the middle of it.
And so began my little voyage of self-discovery. My search for the perfect hot tub. Along the way I discovered quite a bit of hot tubs. What hot and what’s not. I also learned that the ease of purchasing a hut tub in your home state of Florida for example, doesn’t translate quite so easily when you’re in a foreign country. But one thing at a time.
First is the design and type of hot tub. You may not have known, but there are two types of hot tub: self-contained and non-self-contained. The so-called “self-contained” hot tubs are those installed above ground. Kind of like an outdoor portable swimming pool. You’ve seen this type and may not have even realized it because most people build a deck around their hot tub t give it that “sunken” look. With a self-contained or portable spa, the electrical, filtration and heating systems are contained in the spa’s exterior or cabinet. The convenient thing about the self-contained hot tub is that it can be moved. Which is a good thing if you accept a job 5,000 miles away or if your wife kicks you out of the house.
The next type is the non-self-contained model, and you guess it – these types of hot tubs aren’t going anywhere. They are permanent and dug in the ground and the electric what-cha-ma-call-its are located away from the spa.
For me this was both good and bad information. Good because it explains what I’m dealing with. Bad, because I was hoping to install this on my second story patio. And the thought of something that ways about 1000 pounds when wet and sitting in the corner of my patio worries me. In as much as I’d hate for the floor to collapse. Nothing like inviting the neighbors to take a dip by default.
This leads me to the next bit of criteria and that is size. Take from me – at least when it comes to hot tubs – size DOES matter. I discovered that the two most popular sizes are 7 ft. by 7 ft. and 8 ft. by 8 ft. – with average water capacities of 300 gallons and 400 gallons, respectively. I’m worrying about my floor buckling just looking at these figures. Add in two or three hundred more pounds depending on how people are relaxing in your tub and all of a sudden it makes perfect sense why a hot tub sits on, near or in the ground.
These were and still are important points. Obviously the amount of money you pay will be dictated by how big you tub is whether it’s above or below ground and how many bodies it can fit. Anything after that is secondary.
When it comes to seating I have noticed that many hot tubs have what is referred to as “bucket seats”: near form-fitting seats that each has specific emission jets that hit all your body parts. Or at least those that are giving you the most aches and pains. And of course you’ve got regular bench seating where you and your significant other can sit side by side or one across from the other or whatever arrangement you had in mind. And the bubble-emission jets hit the lower end of the tub send the bubbles and current in towards the center.
A lot of good information regarding hot tubs can be found by checking the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP) although this organization is geared toward establishments that offer its clients hut tubs and pools (i.e. hotels and gyms0 the information they offer can be applied to the single hot tub owner.
So I had all the information at my fingertips. And I’d done quite a bit of research. But I still came face to face with two major stumbling blocks. The first as I mentioned has to do with the inherit weight of a full hot tub sitting on the second story of an already old building. I spoke with several construction friends of mine and there were different ways to add stability and support to the floor but that equaled a hefty expense. The second road block is the price of a hot tub in Italy. The same hot tub that runs anywhere between three and six thousand dollars in the United States runs anywhere between 10 and 15 thousand euro in Italy. That’s a lot of bubbles.
And so ends my hot tub odyssey. A victim of economics and circumstance. At least for now. Maybe I can find a marked down hot tub on eBay or something. I haven’t checked. Not yet anyway. But I refuse to give in. Somewhere in my future I know there’s a hot tub waiting. And when I find it, you’ll be the first to know!
In the meantime maybe I’ll just sit in my bathtub and fart.
