If you’re planning on getting a hot tub, you have to think about the costs and benefits. Owning a hot tub is much more than just buying it – it means prepping your backyard, doing electrical work, and keeping your hot tub clean.
It requires time and patience to buy and maintain a hot tub, and you have to think about all the different costs you might have.
However, owning a hot tub is worth the money – you will have a designated place to relax, de-stress, and unwind from a tiring day. Your hot tub can be the place for you and your family to relax together or the place you and your friends can spend the time at.
You can choose to have a hot tub to fit more people or a cozier hot tub to be your personal alone time. You can feel a significant decrease in your stress and chronic pain levels.
In this blog post, we will go through the benefits of having a hot tub and the costs you might face when owning one.
What Are The Benefits Of a Hot Tub?
Owning a hot tub can bring several benefits for you and your family, from decreasing stress to increasing overall property value. Here are some reasons to own a hot tub:
Sleep Better
Spending time in your hot tub can help you to get comfortable and fall asleep faster due to the relaxation and ease of muscle and joint pain.
Relieve Muscle Tension
The warm temperature of your hot tub’s water can help your body to relax and unwind – the first step to battle muscle tensions. You can also make use of the powerful but gentle jets to massage specific areas of your body.
Relieve Joint Pain
If you suffer from some joint pain such as arthritis or fibromyalgia, spending some time in your hot tub can help you ease some of the pain. The buoyancy of the water can help lift the weight from your body, allowing your joints to relax and move without the added pressure.
Perform Hydrotherapy
You can use the water’s buoyancy in your favor and engage in hydrotherapy. Hydrotherapy is the act of using water as a treatment of different conditions. You can use hydrotherapy to increase the strength of weak muscles, recover faster from surgery, or let your muscles recover from a heavy workout.
Exercise
You can also use your hot tub to exercise. Use the water’s resistance in your favor and strengthen your muscles and your swimming abilities.
Relax With Family and Friends
Owning a hot tub means having a go-to activity for family and friends. Transform your time in your hot tub as quality family time, or invite your friends over to relax and unwind after a stressful week.
Practice Aromatherapy
You can use your hot tub for aromatherapy. With the help of special fragrances or essential oils, you can relax your body and mind. Aromatherapy is known for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.
Have a Personal and Clean Space
When you have a hot tub, you control the water quality and the space around it, so you know it’s ideally sanitized. You don’t have to worry about harsh chemicals or unknown substances from public places – you know exactly what goes into your treated water.
Save on Taxes
If you decide to have an above-ground hot tub, it does not add to your home’s taxable value. You are, then, increasing your property value without increasing your taxes.
Increase Property Value
Owning a hot tub means increasing the overall value of your property. If you transform your backyard into a personal paradise, prospect buyers will definitively pay closer attention to your house.
Is a Hot Tub Good for You?
A hot tub is always a family-favorite item, but you have to make sure you’re ready for the commitment. Before buying a hot tub, you should ask yourself some questions to make sure you want one (and what’s the primary reason for buying one). Consider these questions:
What is the average temperature in your area?
You might want to reconsider having a hot tub if you live in an area with a higher average temperature. It is always better to relax in your hot tub when it’s not too hot outside.
Do you do a lot of physical activity?
A hot tub can help you relax your body and ease your muscles from soreness from intense workouts. If you or your family perform various forms of physical activity, it might be a good investment for your body’s health.
Do you have enough space in your backyard to install a hot tub?
Space is key. You want to have enough space to fit a hot tub and the necessary overall installations it might require. You should also have enough space to personalize your backyard and make it become your personal private paradise.
Do you have the time and patience to maintain a hot tub?
Having a hot tub requires patience and time. You have to maintain the water’s pH level, clean the hot tub periodically, change the water every quarter, and keep an overall clean space around the hot tub. If you don’t want to deal with this side of owning a hot tub, you can always pay a maintenance company to do it for you.
Do you have a set goal for your hot tub?
Some people would like to have it to help with chronic pain. Others would want to have it for the social aspect of it. It’s ok if you don’t have one true goal for your hot tub, but knowing its main purpose can help you decide if and which type of hot tub fits your needs.
What Is The Best Hot Tub For Your Needs?
If you’ve decided on improving your lifestyle with a hot tub, you need to figure out which one best fits your needs. Here are some questions you should ask yourself to find the perfect hot tub for you and your family:
How many people will be enjoying the hot tub at a time?
This will help you determine the size of your hot tub. If it’s two-three people at the same time, you can choose a smaller hot tub. If you want a hot tub that will fit more than six people, you will have to get a larger hot tub.
What hot tub design do you like?
Building a perfect hot tub is the moment for you to choose every detail, including the design. You can choose a square-shaped hot tub, an oval-shaped hot tub, a hot tub with a lounge/seat, or a hot tub with ample standing space. The possibilities are endless!
Would you prefer a cover or a cover lift?
Protecting your hot tub is key. You can choose hot tub covers with different materials to keep dirt out of the water and to maintain the temperature of the water. If you want to protect your hot tub without effort, you can also install a cover lift to have an easy way to protect your hot tub.
What other accessories are essential for you?
Accessories are the way you can style and personalize your hot tub experience. You can have step stools, covers, cover lifts, a stereo system, side tables, and much more.
What type of installation would you like?
You can choose different types of installation in your backyard. Each type of installation comes with its own charm and costs. You can choose between a built-in deck, a half-sunk hot tub, a deck build around the hot tub, or an open-air hot tub.
Cost Breakdown Of Owning a Hot Tub
A hot tub has different types of costs: the costs it takes to build and install your hot tub, and the costs it takes for you to maintain it overall. Let’s go through the breakdown of owning and maintaining a hot tub in your backyard:
1. Prepping your backyard: $500 – $2,500
For your backyard to be able to handle a hot tub, you might have to reinforce it. According to HomeGuide, a concrete slab costs $5 to $10 per square foot in 2021. You will need to have a reinforced concrete slab that will support your hot tub without falling apart.
If you want to have a hot tub built into or around your deck, that will add to the overall backyard costs.
2. Electric wiring and install: $800 – $1,600
You will need an electrician to install and inspect your hot tub’s wiring. Your costs will depend on when your house was built and the amount of work you will have to create an underground conduit. If you already have existing wiring outside your home from old hot tubs or pools, your costs will significantly decrease.
3. Hot tub: $3,000 – $15,000
The hot tub price can vary according to its type, size, and quality. If you opt for an entry-level hot tub, your costs will be lower, but your upkeep price might be higher. Entry-level hot tubs usually require a 120V electrical outlet, with a shorter warranty and not a lot of customizable items.
If you decide to buy a higher-end hot tub, it will be more expensive at the front but your costs overall might be lower. Premium and luxury hot tubs will be more customizable, with advanced controls and better water jets.
4. Delivery: $200 – $500
Together with buying a hot tub, you have to take into consideration the delivery costs as well. Depending on the size and weight of your desired hot tub, your delivery prices will fluctuate. It will also depend on whether you need to move it upstairs or to a higher elevation.
5. Added accessories: custom
Accessories are your way of personalizing your hot tub. You can add hot tub steps, side desks, patio umbrellas, custom stereo systems, custom jets, hot tub covers, and much more. You can further customize your hot tub with different cabinet and shell options (such as oak or mahogany for the cabinet and porcelain or platinum for the shell).
6. Chemicals for the water: $20/month
You will need chemicals to keep your hot tub clean. These chemicals include a pH balancer, sanitizer, alkalinity, calcium harness balance, and a chlorine or MPS spa shock. If you plan on frequently using your hot tub, you might have to spend more money on chemicals.
Here is a complete list of hot tub supplies and accessories that you might need!
7. Increase in electricity and water bill: $30-$60/month
Depending on how often you use your hot tub, your water heater savings mode, and your hot tub’s quality, you might see a significant increase in your electricity and water bill.
Find Your Hot Tub at AJ Spa & Hot Tubs Today
Owning a hot tub requires time, patience, and money. You have to think about installing and purchasing your favorite hot tub, maintaining the water clean, and accessorizing it. It’s definitively a big purchase that will require you to truly consider if it’s an investment you’re willing to do.
However, owning a hot tub provides numerous benefits that can outweigh its costs. A hot tub can help your body through hydrotherapy and your mind through aromatherapy.
Constantly soaking in your hot tub can help you ease body pains and reduce stress levels. It also helps you create a personalized space in your backyard, prone to a good time with family or friends.
Owning a hot tub is an investment that can better your life in numerous ways. Visit our showroom to see which hot tub fits your needs the best! At AJ Spa & Hot Tubs in Patchogue, our team of backyard leisure specialists are happy to help and guide you through your hot tub ownership journey.
