Need beginner's advice for outdoor 2-3 people neck/back massage hot tub

[semmel]

Hi.

So glad I found this forum because my searches just don't seem to be getting me anywhere...

Obviously, I'm looking for a hot tub :-)

I have no clue where to search for exactly what I want/need - the usual home improvement places or Google have not helped me that much.

The most important thing for me is to find something for 2 people (maybe 3) with strong jets that are placed in anatomically useful positions for back and neck massage and seating that allows for the body to be submerged as far up to the bottom of the head as possible.

The plan right now is to have it outdoors but right next to the house and a basement window that we could break open to run wiring/plumbing through, and I'll try to build some form of wooden cover around it against the worst of the elements until I can get someone to build an actual room around it.
I should mention that I live in Minnesota, so the winters get really cold here, and I'd like to be able to use the tub in Winter, too, if possible. I'm guessing that would make a difference in how the water gets into the tub. I doubt I'll be able to afford a properly insulated room to make this indoor tub worthy... But there's simply no room elsewhere in the house for this.

In my research, I couldn't even figure out which tubs need high voltage electricity or plumbing or not - some apparently need to be filled with the garden hose... Since the basement is right "next door", chances are I can get hot and cold water there as well as a pipe for the outlet.
I also don't know if these tubs generally have a re-heating feature to keep the water hot or if you simply release some cold and add more hot - my main experience with hot tubs is in hotels, and they tend to not be particularly comfortable.

I think the best sitting position is with raised legs, but that may be influenced by advertising, so I don't know if that's beneficial at all or not.

I'd also prefer the two main seats not to face each other but to be at a 90 degree angle or parallel so TV watching doesn't undo all the benefits of the neck massage, but that's a minor point and not necessary.

So ... where do I start with this?

I've seen some brand names mentioned in the forum here, but I have no clue where I'd buy them - simply Google the brands and see what it spits out?

Also some very rough price range would be great - I'm hoping to keep the entire project (including plumbing, electricity and "room" building) below $5,000 or so, but I don't even know if that's realistic - one home improvement site has tubs ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 for up to 8 people, but none really fits my back/neck massage requirements.

I've been to a local hot tub show ages ago, but I don't think any of them were filled, so how do you actually get to wet test anything? Do you find local show rooms or something?

Thanks in advance!

[hottub63]

I was in the same boat as you last week and can tell you that you will find lots of cheap no name new hot tubs under that price but from what I have read thy aren't really worth it.

What I did was look on craigs list for a used, but very well kept "name brand" hot tub. I found a 2007 Hot Springs Envoy for 2000 dollars that works great. Delivery cost me 300 bucks and electrical install cost me 500. So do under 3000 I got a great tub for a great price.

There is a lot of junk on craigs list so be sure you find one that looks mint and be sure you see it with everything running. Also you have to trust your "guy" when buying online. With the person I bought from I could just tell he kept stuff he owned well maintained. But there are some good deals to be had if you keep looking.

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

are you open to used spas? "room" building + electrical + the cost of a spa for 5k is going to severely limit your options to used or if you don't mind ordering something off the web sight/unseen which I have a tough time recommending.  If your in the Twin Cities area I can help with a wet-test as we have 5 spas ready to test but everything I have to test is going to be more than the cost of your whole project unfortunately.  Any way you can dissect your budget a little and figure out exactly what you have to spend on a spa?

[Sam]

There is no plumbing to hook up for most hot tubs.  You fill it with your garden hose and there is a pump and heater that circulate, filter, and heat the water to your desired temperature.  A good hot tub can do all of this and cost around $10 - $30 per  month in energy consumption.  A low-end hot tub can be significantly more than that.  Your budget is very low.  As other's have suggested, you are better off getting a good quality used tub rather than a new one in that price range.  Most good hot tubs start around $5k new.  Many dealers refurbish hot tubs and offer a warranty on them.  That is where I would start with your budget.  Look for a reputable dealer who will help you with this process.

[semmel]

Thanks for your replies.
Sounds like it won't be easy to find something in my price range.
I'll look through the forums some more to get more of an idea of which brands are the higher quality ones.

Plumbing: OK, I was wondering if they used a garden hose. But how do you empty them? Don't they need plumbing for that? Or do most of them simply keep the water and filter them next time you heat it up?

So, given that I might be able to find a used one, are there any specific brands or models that are known for their therapeutic and anatomically useful jet placement?

[rin-spa-aic]

I have a Maax 7500 with a neck massage seat, it was one of the main features that convinced my wife to bump up a notch in the price range.

I'm not sure what their prices are on the smaller models or less expensive brands, but I do know that for a factory order some of their tubs were configurable with the neck massage option i.e. we could have had multiple seats with the neck massage option.
Based on the neck feature you may want to consider and talk to a dealer for them or one of their other brands (Maax Collection, Maax Elite, Vita, and California Cooperage).

[semmel]

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to all who responded.
Turns out my financial situation has changed, and I won't be able to afford a hot tub at the moment, after all :-/
But I'll bookmark this post and the forum for later use :-)

Thanks!