The ol' in/out

[96SC]

For all of you who have been in and out of several spas, which type of spa set up do you prefer getting in and out of?  With the spa sitting on a flat surface making it so you have to climb in and out, or the spa that is sucken into a surface (probably a deck) where you can either crawl or step in and crawl or step out .

I know there are physical limitations that may make one easier than the other, but for a normal person (I use that term loosely in here) which do you prefer

[rick]

And I thought he wanted to talk about sex in a spa.

I don't know,  I've seen a couple of sunken spas and they don't appear to be any safer getting in or out than traditional.  

Remember,  most sunken spa setups prevent you from getting into the guts of the spa if ever need be.  

If sunken was a necessity,  I'd prefer to get a pool contractor build a gunite tub.

[The_real_Clown_Shoes]

Probably the easiest tub as far as getting into that I've had was a customer's spa that replaced their 15 yr. old Highlife with a Vanguard.  We slid the tub under their three-seasons porch and it sat neatly in front of the deck off the back of their house.

He built the deck himself and you could enter the spa from the left-hand side via stairs coming down from the porch, or by coming in with the spa half sunken in the front.  He also had a removable wooden bench that matched the deck that you could remove when you need to service it.  Pretty slick.  Most traditional sunken in spas are a service nightmare.

I prefer anything that's got a large cool-down perch and a nice set of steps.

The Sovereign, Vanguard, '06 Jetsetter and Grandee are perfect for this purpose.

Worst HS tubs to get into are the Vista, Accolade, and Envoy.

[Vinny]

This is probably the best solution or at least something like this:



It's safe enough to get in and out of easily and it's easy to work on when it needs to be repaired.

This setup was suggested by a dealer when shopping for my tub.

[tony]

The Sundance Optima has a step inside about twelve inches from the top of the spa.  My spa is sunk into a deck so that the deck level is the same as the inside step.  It makes getting in and out safe and easy.

[sledjunkie]

Ok Vinny I have to ask since I'm planning a similar deck around my artesian opal.

How many sides need to be accessible on your model? Just the control side?
On mine it's two sides.

How do you get under the deck? Aren't there screws to be reached?

My deck will be possibly same height, maybe a bit higher..

[In Canada eh]

We sunk our tub into the deck very similar to Vinny's photo.  We need access to the front panel for equipment area, so I located the step by dowels drilled into the deck floor.

Very easy to move out of the way.

[Vinny]

I need 2 sides too - the front of the tub has the electronics and 3 of the 4 pumps and the side with the cover lifter has another pump.

When I asked the dealer where the 4 pumps were they told me in the front but when they delivered it I was informed it was under the filter.

Before I built the deck I could have rotated the spa to have the filter in the front but I really liked this setup better. The cover lifter doesn't interfere with any seat.

As for the pumps, they are easily accessable, the tub is 36" tall and about 23" off the deck - that makes the pumps about 13" below the deck surface. My friend and I repair (he is now retired - lucky fellow!!) medical equipment and we figured 13" below isn't too bad assuming that these things won't need replacing every couple of years. The pump that's under the filter has about 1' of clearance between the tub and railing - worst case scenario I could remove the rail section - again I'm hoping for a long life. And besides, probably after the warranty expires I will be the service man! And I'll be cursing myself out!!  Originally the plan was to put a trap door in front of the tub for access.

The tub is actually sitting on it's own deck to eliminate any vibrations to the house.

If your interested in this you can see some  (OK a lot) of photos at:

  http://photos.yahoo.com/vinnynj57

There's just enough room where the filter is to get there and lift the cover and change filters when needed originally I had thought that was going to be an in tub experience.

As far as the height - it really is a great height (any height between 18" & 26" is probably "correct") as you can sit on the side, swing your legs over and get in the tub very easily.