Most efficient entry and exit in cold weather?

[Drifter]

Use the tub in the winter? Are you kidding? THAT's THE ONLY TIME TO USE IT! Who wants to be sitting in 90 plus water when it's 90 outside? Nothing beats a nice sub 32 degree night and a 103 degree spa! When you get out you have at least 1-2 minutes before you'll really feel the cold! Just slip on a nice robe and head inside!  BTW snow makes it all that much better! (It turns to a mist as it hits the steam rising!) ) Out here in NJ it can get pretty cold during the winter but I can't wait!

[zacman]

I think it may be harder breaking away from the fireplace to journey out into the cold and cross the 120 feet or so to our tub then it will be getting out of the tub after soaking for a while.    Along the same theme, does anyone know of a good brand or source  for thick terry cloth hooded robes.?  We looked all over today, even though our tub is not yet here, but could not find anything.  May be it is too early in the year.

[Brewman]

Check out the various spa makers.  I know that Sundance sells logo robes, but they are on the expensive side.  If you really want to go fancy, try various upscale hotels.  Many of these places sell their robes to guests, and it wouldn't suprise me if they also sell on their web sites.  
We've stayed at the Fountainbleau in Miami Beach a few times, and they set out really plush robes for their guests, which are also available for purchase.
Brewman

[windsurfdog]

A cheap towel warmer would be an insulated cooler and preheating your towels in the dryer.  Also, one of those rechargeable heating packs in the cooler would help keep them warm as well.  You could put your "apre-soak" robes in there also.
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[Oskar]

Zackman:
My wife found terry cloth robes in Pennys ladies dept. she bought two a short for her and a long for me, no hoods but they are fairly heavy and warm, not as heavy as a $75.00 one from a Regency Hyatt or some other hotel that have them in your room and offer them for sale, just take it and they will charge your CC. A  hat or bathing cap will keep the heat in even in the tub. My wife wears a bathing cap in the tub to keep her hair out of the water and filters, her hairdresser said it will protect her hair from the chlorine that apparently will do a number on hair colour.

[cparlf]

Last year we bought my Mom and Dad terrycloth robes for Christmas through Lands End via their on line service.  They are really nice, thick, well built and if I recall they were somewhere between 50 and 75 dollars (US).  The idea for using a coller for the towel warmer is excellant.

[bethshar]

I just picked up a nice terry robe from Costco for about $30.  No hood - but it appears to be a nice absorbent terry cloth.  Also, do a search on terry bathrobes online.  There are several sites that sell spa style robes.

[pcaulfi]

Last year we moved from Minnesota where we had a Smith & Gordon cedar tub for 14 years. We used our tub mainly in the fall/winter and spring time until the mosquitos would become to agressive. My experience on cold wheater tubbing, i.e. 0 degrees on up.

1. Open tub and check temp before getting into swim suit and making the plunge.

2. Snowy winter tubbing is the abosolute best. Especially when the snow is piled up around the tub.

3. Getting to the tub is easy. You wil be surprised how fast you can move.

4. Having a snow pile near the tub to jump into and cool off can be allot of fun.

5. Wet swim suits left out too long will freeze to the deck.

6. Don't worry about the water freezing on the deck it will freeze dry or evaporate when the sun hits it the next day. (South facing deck).

7. BIG ITEM; When getting out of the deck keep your feet moving as you dry off, less they freeze to the deck.

8. BIG ITEM; Keep a bowl or pitcher handing to pour tub water on feet it item 7 happens.

9. Once you are in side, dry-ed off and dressed go back out side to close up the tub, but BIG ITEM; be sure to watch for item 6, less you will be using the tub theraputically.

10. Don't be concerned about the ice helmet that will form on your hair, your head will still be warm and sweating under it all.

11. Take many pictures as no one will believe that anyone is goofy enough to go and sit in a tub in the cold.

12. Below about -10F our tub (used a heat exchanger, e.g. no heater) when open could not keep up with the heat loss so the soak was gennerally short.

13. I may be goofy, but -20F is crazy.

14. Have fun, thats what yo bought it for.

Having said all that we moved to Colorado to escape the cold winters. But having recently bought a new pastic fantastic (Beachcomber 750C) I can't wait will the temp drops.

Pat Caulfield
Parker, CO

[pcaulfi]

Boy, my typing s__ks.
Pat

[UnderTheStars]

Wow!  My first winter comming up and great advice from those who know!  Great points Pat, never thought about feet freezing to the deck. . .I like to stand on the wood spa steps while I "towel & robe" . . .I'll be carefull!  Thanks Tub_Newbie for posting the question, good thread!

I've been wondering about winter footwear.  Right now I'm using "flipflops."  They're waterproof but will be pretty chilly come Feb.  I can see lined slippers or 6" high boots being a lot warmer for the "exit dash" but they'll be soaking wet all winter long.  Any of you experience polar bears care to comment on footwear?

[Brewman]

Keep it simple.   I use a pair of cheap slippers just because they are laying around.  Use whatever you can easily slide your wet feet into.  I'd use flip flops if I had any.  I've not had any foot sticking problems going barefoot, but I don't do that very often in cold weather.
Once you go thru it once or twice, you'll figure something out.  

Brewman

[wmccall]

The only irritations we've had in the winter is digging out the spa after a heavy snow

Here is a case for people to learn from the fool's mistake.  Sometimes I would get lazy and not brush the snow off the cover, letting it fall off when the cover got to its vertical location.  With an inch of dry powdery snow, no problem,  But with an inch of wet snow, the cover weight probably doubles puts a huge strain on the cover lifter breaking it and cracking the tub's skirt.

[wmccall]

Boy, my typing s__ks.
Pat

Yea, but you got your point accross, good post.

[wmccall]

I think it may be harder breaking away from the fireplace to journey out into the cold and cross the 120 feet or so to our tub

120 ft?  That might be a record for poeple here. Top on my list during installation planning was shortening that distance as much as possible (10 ft in my case)

[Drewski]

Hi All:

Been away for awhile, so it's GOOD to read your posts again.

UNFORTUNATELY, Virginia Beach has fairly mild winters so I don't get much snow (when it DOES snow, schools shut down and the City closes -- too bad, I'm from Cleveland, GO Buckeyes!).

But a couple of years ago we did get some AWESOME snow!  I piled the snow up around the tub, inserted several Coronas and proceeded to call all my friends.  WAY cool.  Had a bunch of people over, what a party! BTW, 104 during the winter is excellent.

I remember the snow during that winter well, because it was at this time I "discovered" the "Swedish technique" of hot/cold therapy.  Later during the night, I decided to go back out for a little more soak time in the tub.  I'm a believer in "less is more" when it comes to swimming apparel after 9 PM, so, needless to say, I was "hanging low."  After 30 minutes in the tub, I needed a refill of my favorite hot tub beverage so I proceeded to get out.  It was at this point I learned an important lesson.  When people use a tub during the winter with snow on a deck, water often drips on the snow and forms ice.  If you don't watch where you are going you can slip.  Unfortunately, I didn't realized this until AFTER I was on the way down from falling off the side of my deck.

Fortunately for me, a large snow drift was next to my deck.  Yep, naked, wet and laughing, I hit that snow.  WHOOOWEEE, what a RUSH!  It was cold at first, but after a few seconds I realized it wasn't bad.  I rolled around some to get cooled off, climbed up and then got back in the tub.  MAN, it was relaxing.  On about the third time doing this, I noticed I had an audience inside my house watching me through the patio doors to my deck (leave it to my young niece to open the door and say "Uncle Drew, you’re really WEIRD").  5 minutes later, six of my house guests joined me and we spent another hour doing the same thing.

Since that time (I think it was the winter of 2002) we haven't had enough snow for a repeat "Swedish" snow party.  BUT, my friends keep asking...

AHHH the hot tub life style, ALWAYS enjoyable.

Peace and hot water...

Drewski