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I asked Carmona and Prisco how they match a prospective customer with a hot tub that meets their needs. And they gave similar answers: They start by asking a series of questions because—intending no insult—“most people don’t have a clue” as to what they want and need when they come into the store, Carmona said. Thinking like a hot tub dealer—asking yourself the questions they’ll be asking you, before you begin shopping—will make you a smarter customer. And this can help you narrow down your choice more quickly.
How many people will be using the hot tub, and is it for grownup relaxation or family playtime?
“Do you want the spa to fit four people, or six, or more?” Prisco asks. “And do you want to fit six people comfortably, or close to each other? In my area [New York City and its surroundings], people tend to be more family-oriented, so they always get something that would hold six people. There are a lot of instances where, say, a couple gets a hot tub that’s only big enough for another couple, so a four-seater. But again, usually what I hear is ‘family,’ so two parents, two kids, and maybe one day the kids have a couple friends over. The family-oriented spas leave a little more room, ’cause the kids want to jump around a bit.” (The Pool and Hot Tub Alliance, the industry’s main trade group, has advice on keeping children safe in hot tubs.)
Like Prisco, Carmona sells hot tubs in all different sizes. But he specifically mentioned the popularity of two-seat models in Florida: They’re often the choice of retired couples who plan to use them therapeutically, to ease sciatica and joint pain. In Florida, at least, that therapeutic concern has a financial impact, Carmona added—if you get a doctor’s note saying you need a hot tub for medicinal reasons, you don’t pay sales tax.
Where will the hot tub be placed?
This is a question in two parts. As the future owner, you’ll want to know where you’ll have your hot tub installed, so the dealer can advise on the necessary electrical work and potential construction you’ll need to arrange. Both Carmona and Prisco said that most dealerships can recommend a few contractors that they have good relationships with. “But lots of people ‘have a guy,’” Prisco added, and that’s fine, as long as they are licensed and insured: “The manufacturers have all kinds of specs for the contractors to get whatever they need to do done.”
For the dealers, the question is basically about their access to your yard for installation. Ideally, they’ll be able to drive or forklift the hot tub right to where it will be placed. But if your yard is fenced in or otherwise inaccessible, they’ll have to use other methods, which adds a surcharge. “If I have to use a crane or a helicopter, that’s extra,” Carmona said matter-of-factly. Wait—a helicopter? “We’re in Miami, so you can imagine! There’s a lot of penthouses that a crane won’t reach, so we use helicopters.”
What optional features interest you (and what’s your budget)?
Most hot tub manufacturers offer several broad product lines: a basic, a step-up model, and a premium. Prices rise as you move up through the lines, and so do the number and types of optional features. But in every category, you’ll be able to choose between open seating (where everyone sits close together in a circle) and lounge or recliner seating, which lets you and your guests lean back and enjoy more room. As you move up in price, features like UV or ozone water treatment come into play. These reduce the amount of disinfectant chemicals you’ll need to add to the water, making the soaking experience gentler on the skin and easier on the nose and eyes. Saltwater systems (where constant low levels of chlorine are produced through electrolysis) are also gentler, but they’re uncommon. HotSpring, a manufacturer Prisco carries, offers them, as does Caldera. (Saltwater systems are more expensive to maintain than UV and ozone.)
“Usually everyone thinks ‘the more jets, the better,’ but it’s not really the case,” Prisco said. “Usually what makes one hot tub more expensive than another is the way they insulate them, the materials, their reliability. There are some fancier types of jets [with multiple pulse patterns and adjustable strength, for example], and that’s an elite feature. Remote controls is another one—you can set the hot tub from inside your house.”
From Bluetooth speakers to waterfalls—there are any number of additional options to consider, and you’ll have to balance your wants with your budget. Again, Carmona said his baseline price for a good, basic hot tub is about $6,500, and Prisco said his is $4,000. The high end is about $18,000 to $20,000, with “a lot in the middle,” Prisco said. The prep work you’ll need to do will also add to your outlay.
Brands you may run into
In our research, a small number of manufacturers showed up repeatedly at the well-established, well-reviewed dealerships we spoke with or whose sites we studied. On the logical assumption that dealers won’t carry brands that will cause them major headaches (inordinate warranty work, frequent customer dissatisfaction), they’re all worth considering and comparing, in order to find the right mix of price and features for your needs. (This is also the case with other brands; you’ll begin to get a sense of quality as you get to know and trust a few dealers, and that will help you evaluate hot tubs not listed here.)
Bullfrog (which Carmona carries at All Florida Pool & Spa Center) offers an enormous range of designs, jets, and other features, and it leans toward the higher end in terms of base options and upgrades. For example, you can choose among 18 interchangeable JetPak massage nozzle options to customize the spray type as you like.
Nordic has a relatively limited lineup. Bear in mind, that still means there are at least 23 models to choose from. Emphasizing simplicity, Nordic bills itself as “Affordable Luxury,” with models at the high end of the catalog comparable in price to some midrange tubs from other makers. All of Nordic’s models share the same warranty; at other manufacturers, warranties can vary in terms of length and coverage at different price tiers.
Viking offers a wide range of designs and a notably generous warranty on its premium hot tubs: lifetime for the tub itself, and six years of limited parts-and-labor on equipment. The features are otherwise pretty standard; Viking makes a case for its exclusive SoftTouch material, which “offers a slip resistant surface that is unrivaled.”
HotSpring (which, again, Prisco carries at Prisco Hot Tubs) stands out for its saltwater system (billed as FreshWater), which requires less balancing of disinfectant chemicals and produces lower overall chlorine levels.
You can get a sense of a manufacturer’s general offering on its website. But to get a price quote, and sometimes just to download a catalog PDF, you often have to make a user account and provide your name and other information.
What about maintenance and warranties?
Relative to the upfront costs, upkeep for a hot tub is not terribly expensive. Carmona estimated it’s about $20 a month in electricity, plus the (low) cost of chemical treatments.
Of course, parts can break or wear out, and that can be costly if they’re not covered by a warranty. Warranties vary among the high-quality brands carried by dealerships, and in some cases they get better as you move from basic to mid-range to premium hot tubs. (Others have blanket warranties that cover all their products.) But in general, on a mid-range tub, you can expect a 7- to 10-year or lifetime warranty against leaks and structural failure, a bit less for surface finish, and five years for mechanicals, electronics, and plumbing. Compare that with warranties of lower-cost tubs carried by big-box stores: The Home Depot’s Pettus wrote that “a customer can typically expect a warranty of about 5 years for structural components and 1 year for mechanical/electrical/plumbing components.”
Warranty issues are typically handled by the dealership and its service department, which gets back to Carmona’s advice on how to choose where you buy your hot tub. “You want to deal with a reputable dealer, and typically a dealer that has a bit of longevity is something that you’re going to want to look for. And the reason I say that is because I’ve seen so many smaller stores disappear,” he said. If you need to use the warranty in that situation, you’re often on your own.
