What are the cornerstones of Spa buying?

[SpaGirl]

Hello all,

This is my first day of shopping, so please forgive me for asking so many questions.

If you could sum up buying a spa in 3 main points, what would they be?

[spaguyohio]

therapy, relaxation, price.  

[bulmer4nc]

2 words...

WET TEST

That's how we found the one that we wanted...  We were very surprised... The ones we thought we wanted didn't feel right and the one we ended up with wasn't even on our list... just tried it cause it was there and had water in it (got an Sundance Optima... should be delivered today!!)

[wmccall]

Take your time, don't be pressured, and don't create pressure to make a decision.

[Nhbeacon]

Warranty, service and price.....what is covered, who will fix it and can you afford it?
There was one forum where the person was asking about financing because their credit card was already maxed at 10,000--> not worth getting into debt over. A spa should be relaxing, not just another form of anxiety. Plus, have you already looked into how much an electrician will charge? It is important to know what your needs for setup will be ahead of time also.

These three go along with the wet test!!!! I think it is a good sign to go into a store where there are a lot of tubs filled!!! More options to test on your own, which is good marketing on their part.
Good luck.
Jan

[Drewski]

Yo Spagirl:

First, set your budget.  Then, find the spa with the "best" -- notice I didn't say the "most" -- jets, greatest "therapy" per seat -- i.e., most forceful water flow per seat -- and most room (size and depth).

Regardless of what you get, "wet test" everything you can to narrow choices and then "wet test" the short list again just to make sure...

Good luck!

[Chas]

I would say that you need to look at
Features,
Benefits and
Advantages.

Only Features which offer you a benefit offer an advantage. Sort of a formula that adds up to VALUE.

For example:
a low price may be a feature - and to most people it would seem to be an advantage. But, if that tub has poor energy efficiency or a short warranty with a reputation for breakdowns, you will not find yourself reaping the Benefits of that low price - in fact the tub may cost you much more to own. Or if it doesn't cost more, if may not get as much use due to breakdowns or poor performance - and you have wasted your money.

Now, you may wish to buy a real cheap tub for a specific reason: such as so you can soak for a year or two before moving. I usually tell people to go ahead and get the tub they would like to own for the next twenty years, and take it with them. There are two things I wouldn't wish on my worst brother-in-law: owning a cheap tub, and tub shopping again later.

If you find a tub with tons of jets (feature) but they are all the same - or worse: they are all tiny pin-pricks in your back and sides, then that feature did not translate into a benefit.

Feature: Lounger. Benefit? you can't tell until you wet test. It may be a huge advantage for you, but not the spousal unit. Or it may end up being a nice seat, but it may remove that one extra seat that you wish you had.

Deep seating? Same.

So: get a complete list of the features of a tub, then sit down and see how many of them equal benefits to you personally. Then see if you have a good value or not.

I find that it costs about the same to own a cheap spa as a top-quality unit. The cheap one just takes it out of your bank more slowly - and with greater aggravation.

Another thing to look at: the company behind the tub. You need to have confidence in the people who back the thing. I have a rule that if the comapany hasn't been around for at least two decades, they don't get my money.

The dealer is an important part of the equation: should be local, and should care about after-sale service. But if you are looking at a tub from one of the major players, you'll find that you'll get taken care of one way or another.

OH - and one last thing - the way a company chooses to insulate a tub should not be a deciding factor. It is a huge emotional 'hot button' here and on other web boards, but any of the name-brand tubs will end up costing you about the same to heat and keep hot. If the tub you choose has huge jets pumps which get a lot of use, you pay more for the power bill - but if that's what you choose it should not be a problem. (most people don't end up enjoying oversized jet pumps because they make the jets painful, so shop carefully here)

[ZzTop]

I would say that you need to look at
Features,
Benefits and
Advantages.

Only Features which offer you a benefit offer an advantage. Sort of a formula that adds up to VALUE.

For example:
a low price may be a feature - and to most people it would seem to be an advantage. But, if that tub has poor energy efficiency or a short warranty with a reputation for breakdowns, you will not find yourself reaping the Benefits of that low price - in fact the tub may cost you much more to own. Or if it doesn't cost more, if may not get as much use due to breakdowns or poor performance - and you have wasted your money.

Now, you may wish to buy a real cheap tub for a specific reason: such as so you can soak for a year or two before moving. I usually tell people to go ahead and get the tub they would like to own for the next twenty years, and take it with them. There are two things I wouldn't wish on my worst brother-in-law: owning a cheap tub, and tub shopping again later.

If you find a tub with tons of jets (feature) but they are all the same - or worse: they are all tiny pin-pricks in your back and sides, then that feature did not translate into a benefit.

Feature: Lounger. Benefit? you can't tell until you wet test. It may be a huge advantage for you, but not the spousal unit. Or it may end up being a nice seat, but it may remove that one extra seat that you wish you had.

Deep seating? Same.

So: get a complete list of the features of a tub, then sit down and see how many of them equal benefits to you personally. Then see if you have a good value or not.

I find that it costs about the same to own a cheap spa as a top-quality unit. The cheap one just takes it out of your bank more slowly - and with greater aggravation.

Another thing to look at: the company behind the tub. You need to have confidence in the people who back the thing. I have a rule that if the comapany hasn't been around for at least two decades, they don't get my money.

The dealer is an important part of the equation: should be local, and should care about after-sale service. But if you are looking at a tub from one of the major players, you'll find that you'll get taken care of one way or another.

OH - and one last thing - the way a company chooses to insulate a tub should not be a deciding factor. It is a huge emotional 'hot button' here and on other web boards, but any of the name-brand tubs will end up costing you about the same to heat and keep hot. If the tub you choose has huge jets pumps which get a lot of use, you pay more for the power bill - but if that's what you choose it should not be a problem. (most people don't end up enjoying oversized jet pumps because they make the jets painful, so shop carefully here)

Chas very well said.


SpaGirl Chas points are very valid.  Please see my post on How to negotiate and buy a hot tub, currently on the second page.

[Bill_Stevenson]

Here is how I did it:
1.  I found a list of reputable brands on this and another, similar forum.  
2.  Then I found the local dealers for as many on the list as I could in the yellow pages.  
3.  I called each dealer and made an appointment for a wet test.  
4.  Finally, I picked the one I liked the best.

Regards,

Bill

PS. This simple formula worked extremely well and I have no regrets.

[empolgation]

Hey Bill that's my formula!

Pretty much the same thing I did except I visited the dealers before scheduling a wet test. This gave me an idea of price and a feeling for the dealer.

[ebirrane]

I find that it costs about the same to own a cheap spa as a top-quality unit. The cheap one just takes it out of your bank more slowly - and with greater aggravation.

Great post, Chas!

I just wanted to clarify that "Cheap" here does not mean price as much as it means quality of construction.  Watkins manufacturing, for example, makes a range of hot tubs, with Hot Springs towards the higher end and Tiger River (??) towards the lower end.  While one set can cost $4k and another can cost $10k, neither are "cheap" as cheap is used in the above quote.

On the other hand some can pay as little as $2k or over $6k and still get a "cheap" tub.

This is one of the best forums I have found on hot tubs and it helped me greatly not only in learning about spas and brand, but also in learning how to properly take care of my spa (chemicals,e tc..) and how to enjoy my spa (installation ideas, mister ideas, that SPA COVER SAVER idea, etc...  )

Happy hunting.

-Ed