Opinions wanted: Narrowed it down to Hotsprings Sovereign, Envoy, and Flair.

[pmang]

Update: Wife and I wet tested the Hotsprings Jetsetter, Prodigy, Flair, and Vanguard this weekend.  Since we'd like to have friends and family join us occasionally, the mid-size 4-5 person tubs were the best fit.  Loungers in general were great, especially the ones that had the calf and foot jets.  Moto-Massage was nice, but only for a few minutes.  The Highlife tubs felt a lot more solid in the controls than the limelight tubs which were louder and made some strange rattling noises when changing the flow.

At the end of the day, we both really liked the size and layout of the Flair.  Lounger was amazing for me, but was too deep for the wife.  Deep seat had great lower back jets that I really enjoyed.  The no-bypass filtration system on the Highlife tubs was also a big benefit, especially with the prospect of children in the tub in the near future. 

So I'm really interested in finding a Flair-equivalent in the Highlife series....Dealer suggested the Sovereign, but I think the Aria is more what I'm looking for in terms of jet layout (has the calf and individual foot jets, as well as a deep seat with good lumbar jets).  Sovereign is only 1 pump vs the Aria's 2.  Next step is to find out when the dealer will get the Aria and/or Sovereign in stock to wet test.  I can't imagine buying something like this without a wet test first. 

QUESTION: Anyone know if the Aria lounger is shallower than the Flair?  Anybody regret paying the Highlife premium instead of just going with a Limelight?  I'm thinking this will be in our backyard for 15+ years, so trying to make the best decision possible.

I had narrowed things down the to Bullfrog R6L, R7L, Hotspring Flair and Aria.... I've put a deposit on the Aria. Comparing the Flair to The Aria, the Aria just seems to beat it out everywhere. The corner seat is fantastic but I was surprised that I found all the seats comfortable. You really can enjoy the extra 3 inches in the foot well as it's not as crowded as the Flair. The two foot jets in the well are fantastic and positioned perfectly. I did wet test both. I'm sorry but I don't remember the differences in the loungers, just that I liked them both. One thing we discovered in the Aria (which may seem a little strange) was you could sit the opposite way on the lounger. It put the foot jets on your lover back (instead of the moto) and the calf jets are nice on your thighs. It was really nice to be able to sit both ways and get multiple uses out of the jets. You couldn't do this with the Flair due to the filter being at the foot of the lounger. All in all, even though the Aria is the most expensive of our "final four", we feel it will be the best for us in the long run... Like you, I plan on having it for at least 15 years!

[ski bum]

Update: Wife and I wet tested the Hotsprings Jetsetter, Prodigy, Flair, and Vanguard this weekend.  Since we'd like to have friends and family join us occasionally, the mid-size 4-5 person tubs were the best fit.  Loungers in general were great, especially the ones that had the calf and foot jets.  Moto-Massage was nice, but only for a few minutes.  The Highlife tubs felt a lot more solid in the controls than the limelight tubs which were louder and made some strange rattling noises when changing the flow.

At the end of the day, we both really liked the size and layout of the Flair.  Lounger was amazing for me, but was too deep for the wife.  Deep seat had great lower back jets that I really enjoyed.  The no-bypass filtration system on the Highlife tubs was also a big benefit, especially with the prospect of children in the tub in the near future. 

So I'm really interested in finding a Flair-equivalent in the Highlife series....Dealer suggested the Sovereign, but I think the Aria is more what I'm looking for in terms of jet layout (has the calf and individual foot jets, as well as a deep seat with good lumbar jets).  Sovereign is only 1 pump vs the Aria's 2.  Next step is to find out when the dealer will get the Aria and/or Sovereign in stock to wet test.  I can't imagine buying something like this without a wet test first. 

QUESTION: Anyone know if the Aria lounger is shallower than the Flair?  Anybody regret paying the Highlife premium instead of just going with a Limelight?  I'm thinking this will be in our backyard for 15+ years, so trying to make the best decision possible.

I had narrowed things down the to Bullfrog R6L, R7L, Hotspring Flair and Aria.... I've put a deposit on the Aria. Comparing the Flair to The Aria, the Aria just seems to beat it out everywhere. The corner seat is fantastic but I was surprised that I found all the seats comfortable. You really can enjoy the extra 3 inches in the foot well as it's not as crowded as the Flair. The two foot jets in the well are fantastic and positioned perfectly. I did wet test both. I'm sorry but I don't remember the differences in the loungers, just that I liked them both. One thing we discovered in the Aria (which may seem a little strange) was you could sit the opposite way on the lounger. It put the foot jets on your lover back (instead of the moto) and the calf jets are nice on your thighs. It was really nice to be able to sit both ways and get multiple uses out of the jets. You couldn't do this with the Flair due to the filter being at the foot of the lounger. All in all, even though the Aria is the most expensive of our "final four", we feel it will be the best for us in the long run... Like you, I plan on having it for at least 15 years!

Can I ask what you ended up getting it for?  I really like the idea of being able to use the lounger in reverse to get those tight hamstring muscles after a long run in the mountains. 

[pmang]

Just under 11K out the door... That includes sales tax, cover lifter, steps, delivery and chemicals. It already comes with ozone and sub panel. I'm passing on the ACE system. Try and wet test and sit in reverse on the lounger... it will surprise you!

[ski bum]

Just under 11K out the door... That includes sales tax, cover lifter, steps, delivery and chemicals. It already comes with ozone and sub panel. I'm passing on the ACE system. Try and wet test and sit in reverse on the lounger... it will surprise you!

Yes, if I could only find a dealer with an Aria on the floor!  Might have to order it sight unseen.

[pmang]

Honestly, if you liked the Flair, you will love the Aria...

[mzinga]

Really wanted to talk the Wife into the Aria, but man that is 3k more than the Soveriegn if that price holds similar.

[ski bum]

Really wanted to talk the Wife into the Aria, but man that is 3k more than the Soveriegn if that price holds similar.

I agree, I was quoted $8700 for the Sovereign and $12,000 for the Aria.  Huge price difference for two fairly similar tubs.  Pmang got quite a deal, especially considering tax was included. 

Maybe I'll just go with the Flair and get a booster seat for the wife when she wants to use the lounge.

[ski bum]

Update: Still haven't tried the Aria or Sovereign yet, but got out to the Bullfrog dealer to try an R7L....it was nice, but not as nice as the Hotsprings spas we tried.  Although the jets were good on the BF, the fit and finish did not feel as nice. More importantly, the BF spa lounge did not fit me well....I felt more upright than the lounge in HS tubs we tried. 

At this point, we tried finding a dealer with an Aria and Sovereign, but there is only one dealer 2 hours away with a Sovereign.  At this point I think we've narrowed it down to either the Flair (with a booster seat for the wife), an Aria (if we can ever find a place to wet test), or a Sovereign (seems like the most promising). 

Any Sovereign owners out there that regret not going with a larger/deeper/2-pump tub?

[av8r]

Isn't the A series Bullfrog a better comparison to the tubs you're considering?

[ski bum]

Isn't the A series Bullfrog a better comparison to the tubs you're considering?

The dealer only had the R-series filled so that's what we had to try.  However, the size and jets would be the same from the A to R series, so no change there.  You're right that the fit and finish might be a little better. 

[av8r]

Isn't the A series Bullfrog a better comparison to the tubs you're considering?

The dealer only had the R-series filled so that's what we had to try.  However, the size and jets would be the same from the A to R series, so no change there.  You're right that the fit and finish might be a little better.

Sounds good.  Have fun shopping.

[ski bum]

So far, the best prices I have actually heard from the dealers (including steps, cover, lifter, chemicals, subpanel, delivered to the house):

HS Flair: $7700
HS Sovereign: $8700
HS Envoy: $11500

Are these good or bad? 

[mzinga]

I got my soverign for 7900
And the flair was quoted at 7300

[Tbone77]

I have just started looking at HS spas as well and really like the Envoy.  Have a quote on it for 10.9k after a rebate.  That doesn't include the tax, but includes the cover, steps, and delivery.  I believe I was quoted around 9k for both the Aria and Sovereign.  I am looking at the Oklahoma state fair and there are many different booths with different vendors, and I felt like HS was the best.  We may buy one but are not planning a wet test.  Still trying to figure out if its worth the extra 2k to get the Envoy.  Decisions decisions...

[ski bum]

Tried the Sovereign...liked the layout, lounge fit great.  Jets were okay but not as good as the flair because it's only a single pump system.  If we turned up the jets on one section, we lost power somewhere else.  You can definitely notice the 33" deep sovereign from the 36" deep flair. 

Debating now whether the sovereign or the flair or something else is right for us.  Is the no-bypass system and textured shell that much of an improvement.  I know the flair and sovereign aren't completely apples-to-apples in comparison, but these too are our favorites at this point.  Wondering if we should also consider the Envoy, which has two pumps, better jets, and all the highlife features we like.