Recommendations for a budget of $4,000 or less?

[yukoyd]

Hello. My husband and I just bought a house in the Northwest that has two brand new bathrooms, each containing a very shallow bathtub. Since we were used to our large soaking / jacuzzi tub in our previous house, we are quite unsatisfied with this. However, because of the space restrictions in the bathrooms, we don't think we can fit a bathtub that will satisfy our soaking needs and are considering getting an outside hot tub instead.

I have never owned a hot tub before and my initial perception (after seeing some hot tubs at Home Depot etc.) was that we would be able to get something for $2,000 or so. After reading through this forum and doing some online research, I have now come to realize that this is not the case. However, we would still like to spend $4,000 or less for both the hot tub purchase and installation costs.

We intend to use the hot tub mostly for soaking, not for therapeutic reasons so the jets are not that important. Although we have plenty of space, we think a 2-3 person seater would be sufficient because it will just be myself, my husband and our 3 year old that will be using it. On the other hand, we are not handy people so we want the hot tub to be reliable and require minimum maintenance.  

Does anyone have any recommendations for a hot tub that would fulfill our needs within our budget or is this simply unrealistic?  Or if anyone has any suggestions -- even if it goes a bit beyond our budget -- PLEASE let me know. Any input appreciated!

[Mendocino101]

The Hideway from Marquis spas...small easy.....under 4000.00

[stuart]

The Hideway from Marquis spas...small easy.....under 4000.00

Just to add to what Mendo said.... Great jets, great performance, excellent sanitation, simple programming, wonderful seating and one of the more impressive small spas I've ever sat in. Sold one to a guy that was 6'5"!

[Chas]

 Let me introduce you to the Solana TX from the makers of HotSpring spas. This is the largest maker of tubs in the world, and this is the only tub on the planet with a 'MotoMassage' jet that doesn't have the HotSpring badge on it. You should be able to get one for under $4000 YMMV.

I like the layout of this tub: you sit side-by-side, so if you arrange the tub to face your yard, or a view, both soakers get to enjoy it. The moto jet takes the place of a dozen or more small jets, or half a dozen or more larger jets. It is truly an unusual jet which you can stay in front of for long periods of time.

Top-load filter, digital controls, well insulated, low cost of operation, quiet, comes in two colors: White Pearl and Spa Blue (2004 models which may still be around are only made in Pearl). The light has snap-on color lenses, or you can add a color-changing option. ($)

This spa is plug-n-play - runs on a regular 110 volt outlet, ships with a cover, and most HotSpring dealers will include the price of delivery and set-up in the price. Click the pic for more details.

[tubguy]

Hello,
My name is Steve Taylor. I own a Jacuzzi Premium Dealership in Illinois. I won't pretend to be fair about brands because I have my favorites as you can guess. I will tell you I have been the main repair service in my area for twenty years and have been the manufacturing repair service for almost all of them. I have only been a dealer for 9 months. I have plenty of experiance to know how a consumer should buy a spa. Do not make the mistake of saving money on purchase price for getting a good deal. In the spa world it works a bit different. Look for a good warrenty and a good dealer. Then look for a quality manufactuer. In my experiance Jaccuzzi is on top as far as quality and warrenty. As far as price you can look at the J-315. Its a 3 person spa and you can get in it for less than your budget was set at. If you want to talk I can help you find a good guy in you area.

[yukoyd]

Wow! Thank you for the recommendations. I checked out the Hideway from Marquis, the Solana TX from HotSpring and the Jacuzzi J-315 online. There seems to be a dealer for all of these brands in our vicinity so we plan to go get a wet test next week. Again, thank you for the great input!