Hot Tub Forum

Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: jkukla on March 02, 2008, 07:44:12 pm

Title: Hot tub for short people
Post by: jkukla on March 02, 2008, 07:44:12 pm
What depth of hot tub is good for 5'1".

When they say the tub is 38" inches, do they mean the water if 38" for the enclosure is 38" high.

Title: Re: Hot tub for short people
Post by: hottubdan on March 02, 2008, 08:31:34 pm
Quote
What depth of hot tub is good for 5'1".

When they say the tub is 38" inches, do they mean the water if 38" for the enclosure is 38" high.


I will answer your 2nd question 1st.  38" refers to total height of tub, not depth.

So, the answer to your 1st question is, you cannot judge by the height of the hot tub.  Wet test... :)
Title: Re: Hot tub for short people
Post by: cburk0677 on March 03, 2008, 11:07:11 am
Get a hotsprings vanguard. My wife and I are both 5'4" and the vanguard is perfect. Even for someone who is 5'1" the vanguard would be great. We looked at the Grandee but it seemed to be a lot deeper than the vanguard.
Title: Re: Hot tub for short people
Post by: drewstar on March 03, 2008, 11:36:17 am
Quote
Get a hotsprings vanguard. My wife and I are both 5'4" and the vanguard is perfect. Even for someone who is 5'1" the vanguard would be great. We looked at the Grandee but it seemed to be a lot deeper than the vanguard.


My wife is 5'4" and I am ever so slightly taller.  When we wet tested the Vanguard, we felt like we were drowing!  We later settled on the Caspian.   Which fit us very well.   We now have a geneva with also fits us very well.

I think this is  a great example why folks need to wet test.  You simply can't judge by the height of the hot tub. It's how the seats are angled,  the actual height of the seat in the tub, and your own personal build.   Folks with longer legs may find the depth of a specific tub is ok, but don't have enough leg room once others get into the tub.

Wet test!


Title: Re: Hot tub for short people
Post by: soak-king on March 03, 2008, 12:29:23 pm
 :D Drew's comment goes to show how important it is to wet test. Both the TR Caspian and the HS Vanguard are 36" high  ;D
Title: Re: Hot tub for short people
Post by: In Canada eh on March 03, 2008, 12:31:15 pm
Quote
What depth of hot tub is good for 5'1".



   My wife is 5'2" and she was not comfortable in the Hot Springs Vanguard or Caldera Martinique we wet tested.  We also looked at Catalina, Hydropool, Elite(Maxx) and Beachcomber.  She found that the only lounger she did not float out of the the Bullfrog 451 and 552.  We ended up buying the 451 almost two years ago and we both love it.

  Not sure if you have a Bullfrog dealer nearby, if you do check them out
Title: Re: Hot tub for short people
Post by: anne on March 03, 2008, 12:37:50 pm
I'm 5'3" and wet tested many spas about 2 years ago. The HS Envoy, D1 chairman, and the one I bought, an Arctic Summit, all worked well for my height. In general, the other D1 models, the LA Spa models and the Calderas were all less ideal.

It is so personal, though, and height is only one of many body-type factors that will influence your comfort, so just test them all! :)
Title: Re: Hot tub for short people
Post by: Brookenstein on March 03, 2008, 12:47:49 pm
My drivers license says I'm 5 2, but I'm closer to 4 12 ( on the other  hand I weigh less than it says, lol)... anyway... I fit great in 4 out 5 seats in my Envoy, if I sit on a foot, I fit in all of them.  As others say, ya just gotta wet test.  I don't find my parents tub nearly as comfy as mine (meaning I drown) and I have no clue as to what model it is just know its a sweetwater and an 03 model.
Title: Re: Hot tub for short people
Post by: Headhog on March 04, 2008, 09:44:19 am
My wife is 5'0" and I am about 5'6".  We just ordered a HS Aria after wet testing.  Some seats fit a little better than others, but overall it is great.  For those that don't know, it is possible to buy a "booster" seat that one can sit on.  I think we will definitely get one to have for anyone who needs it.
Title: Re: Hot tub for short people
Post by: TubsAndCues on March 04, 2008, 06:18:04 pm
Wet testing is the answer, but at the very least sit in the model you are looking at dry.

Overall height of the person is not as important as the proportion of their torso to their legs.  I'm 5'9", but I've got short little bulldog legs!  I sit higher or even with my friends who are over 6' in most tubs.  My mom, however, needs a booster seat for almost all models if she wants to sit in the corner seats.  She's 5'1", but she's very short in the torso with very long legs.
Title: Re: Hot tub for short people
Post by: dirkpitt on March 05, 2008, 01:46:01 am
I'm 5'3" and so is my wife, and we're also looking for a tub.  So far, we've found that most tubs seats are too deep for us.  Usually there's 1 or maybe 2 seats that work, and usually the 2nd seat that works is the cool down seat, but who wants to spend 8K for 1 or 2 seats?  

Anyway here are just a couple things.  I've tested Caldera, Hot Spring, Jacuzzi, Sundance, Bullfrog and Arctic.  We couldn't find any Hot Spring tub that fit us.  The Caspian was just ok, probably the best fit, but most seats were way to deep.  Caldera has nice tubs and we only tried a couple, but they were a little deep and especially there's no place to brace your feet, so you end up getting sort of pushed out of the seats.  The key is to either find a tub that doesn't have a deep footwell (so you can brace yourself enough with your feet on the floor) or better yet, get a tub that has a center sphere with foot jets, so that you can put your feet somewhere to brace yourself and keep yourself upright enough in the water.

Some tubs to check out would be the  Jacuzzi and Sundance tubs, especially the Sundance Chelsee and the Jacuzzi J335, 355, 365 or 480.  Also try the D1 Californian or Diplomat.  I'm going to try to wet test these tubs in the next few weeks and hopefully find something!

The Arctic Cub also is shorter and every seat is comfortable enough I guess, especially the captain seat.  It does have a lounger, and that one was almost too deep, and if you are trying to get 4 people in the cub, it might be a tight fit.

It must be a lot easier for those normal height people!!!!