Hot tubs

How to buy a hot tub online without surprises

Start with the spot, not the tub. Measure the space you have, then leave room around it: you need to lift the cover off and fold it back, reach the equipment door on at least one side, and walk around to clean. A tub that fits the pad but blocks its own equipment panel becomes a service problem the first time a pump needs attention.

Next, decide on power. If there is no way to run a new 240 volt circuit to the yard at a sensible cost, your shortlist is the plug and play tubs and the wood fired tubs on this page. If a circuit is easy, every type is open to you, and a 240 volt tub will heat faster and hold temperature better during long soaks.

Then check the route. Many spas travel on their side on a pallet and arrive at the curb. MyHotTub, for example, says its spas ship shrink wrapped and secured vertically on a pallet, are placed at the curb at the end of the driveway, and are delivered Monday through Friday between 8 AM and 5 PM. Measure every gate, path, step and turn between the street and the pad, and line up helpers, a spa dolly or a crane before the delivery date.

Finally, call your building department. A new circuit almost always needs an electrical permit, a tub on a deck usually needs the deck checked, and barrier rules for pools and spas differ by city. Our city guides cover many of these rules, and the permit section below lists the state rules we have checked.

Read more: Hot tub permit rules by city · How shipping works

Every hot tub we list, side by side

This table is built from the maker spec sheets in our catalog every time the site is published, so it always matches the listings above. Use it to narrow the field by seats, water volume and power before you open individual product pages.

Seats, water and weight are quoted from each maker's spec sheet as last checked; "See maker" means the maker does not publish that figure on the page we checked. Power is our reading of the maker's electrical wording.

Two cautions when you compare. Seat counts are the maker's own and often assume close quarters, so a six person tub is usually most comfortable for four adults. And water volume drives more than comfort: it sets how long the tub takes to heat, how much chemical it uses and how heavy it is when full.

Plug and play 120 volt vs 240 volt

A plug and play spa runs on a dedicated 120 volt, usually 15 or 20 amp, GFCI protected outlet. That saves the cost of a 240 volt circuit and a disconnect, which can be significant if your panel is far from the backyard. The catch is that a 120 volt tub generally cannot run its heater and its jet pump at full power at the same time. Hot Spring, for example, says its Hot Spot models on a 115 volt circuit deliver about 1,000 watts of heat only when the pump is on low speed. The water temperature drops slowly during long, jet heavy soaks, and a fresh fill takes much longer to heat.

A 240 volt tub, typically on a 40 or 50 amp breaker, heats faster, runs heater and pumps together, and supports bigger pumps and more jets. It needs an electrician, a GFCI disconnect within sight of the tub and a permit in most places. If you will soak for long sessions or live somewhere with cold winters, 240 volts is usually worth the wiring cost.

Many plug and play tubs can be converted later. MyHotTub says its plug and play models convert to 240 volt, 40 amp with a licensed electrician, and AquaRest lists its Discover Premium spas as converting from a 1 kW heater on 120 volts to 4 kW on 240 volts. If you think you will want faster heating in a year or two, choose a convertible model now.

Sources: maker spec sheets for MyHotTub and AquaRest in our catalog; Hot Spring Hot Spot electrical guide as summarized in our 120V vs 240V guide.

Counted from the electrical line on each maker spec sheet in our catalog.

The power table above counts every tub on this page by the electrical wording its maker uses. Treat it as a first filter only. Your electrician sizes the actual wire and breaker from the installation manual for the exact model you buy.

Read more: 120V plug and play vs 240V · Best plug and play hot tubs

Heat-up time and the cost of a fresh fill

Heating water is simple physics. One gallon weighs about 8.34 pounds, and raising one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit takes one BTU. A kilowatt hour is about 3,412 BTU. So the heater's size sets the hours, and the tub's volume sets the energy. The table runs that math for a 42 degree rise, from 60 degree tap water to 102 degrees, using real volumes from tubs on this page.

Our physics math, not maker figures: gallons x 8.34 lb x 42 F rise = BTU, divided by 3,412 BTU per kWh. Assumes no heat loss, so real outdoor times run longer, especially in cold weather or with the cover off. Volumes are real tubs from this page.

The gap between a 1 kW and a 4 kW heater is the single biggest practical difference between plug and play and hardwired tubs. A 300 gallon tub that needs about 31 hours to reach soaking temperature on a 1 kW heater gets there in about 8 hours on a 4 kW heater. Once the water is hot, the cost of keeping it hot depends on insulation, the cover and your climate far more than on voltage, because a kilowatt hour of heat costs the same whichever circuit delivers it.

Wood fired and cedar soaking tubs

Wood fired tubs heat water with a submerged or external stove. Many have no pump, no filter and no electricity, which makes them popular for cabins, off grid lots and anyone who prefers a quiet soak. Heating times vary widely by design. Almost Heaven says its wood fired soak tubs are ready in a couple of hours. Ohku, whose concrete tub uses a small recommended fill of about 60 gallons, says it heats in under an hour. Octagram's eight sided aluminum and cedar tub holds about 300 gallons and heats with a submersed stove.

Cedar hot tubs are a separate tradition. Zen Bathworks in Haines, Alaska and Satori Cedar Spas in St. Louis build round Western Red Cedar tubs, and you choose the heat: Zen Bathworks offers electric, gas or wood fired systems as options, while Satori's tubs come pre-plumbed with a 5.5 kW electric heater, pump and filter. Elemental Soak in Eugene, Oregon builds smaller one or two person tubs and lets you pick a 110 volt electric heater, propane or a wood stove, sold separately.

Without a pump and filter, a wood fired tub has no circulation or sanitation system, so most owners drain and refill more often than with an electric spa. Plan a drain point and a water source close to the tub. Wood stoves also need clearance from the house, fences and branches, and some areas restrict outdoor burning on certain days or seasons.

Read more: Best wood fired hot tubs · Octagram vs Zen Bathworks · Burn rules and fire safety

Size, seating and jets

Seat count matters less than seat layout. A lounger seat lets one person stretch out but takes the room of two upright seats. Count the people who will use the tub together most often, not the most you can imagine at a party. More jets do not always mean better massage. Pump horsepower, jet placement and whether you can direct the flow to specific seats matter more than the total jet number in the product name.

Depth changes the experience too. Zen Bathworks cedar tubs come with walls from 29 to 48 inches, and the taller walls let you sit with water to your shoulders, while the acrylic spas on this page run 29.5 to 36 inches tall outside with molded seats at fixed heights. Sit in a tub of similar size if you can, or compare the maker's interior depth to your own seated shoulder height.

Can your deck hold it? Load per square foot

A filled hot tub is one of the heaviest things a homeowner ever puts in a yard. The table below takes the maker's published filled weight and outside dimensions for every model on this page that lists both, adds occupants, and divides by the footprint.

Footprint from the maker's outside dimensions (round tubs as a circle, octagons as a regular octagon across the flats). Occupant weight uses the 175 lb per person figure Hot Spring uses in its pre-delivery guide. A deck built to the standard residential code is designed for a 40 psf live load plus 10 psf dead load, so every row is well above it.

Every result is well above the 40 pounds per square foot live load a standard residential deck is designed for. The American Wood Council says concentrated loads such as hot tubs fall outside its prescriptive deck guide and need a design professional. On the ground, Hot Spring recommends a level, reinforced concrete pad at least 4 inches thick. Compacted gravel or pavers can work if your maker allows them, as long as the whole bottom of the tub is supported.

Read more: Hot tub weight on a deck

Electrical rules every installer will check

Hardwired tubs fall under Article 680 of the National Electrical Code, which most states and cities adopt with local changes. These are the rules that come up most often on a backyard install. Your electrician and inspector work from the edition your jurisdiction has adopted.

Summarized from our NEC 680 guide. Code editions and local amendments vary.

Read more: Disconnect, GFCI and the 5 foot rule · Who can pull the electrical permit

Base, delivery and access

A hot tub needs a flat, level, solid base: a concrete pad, compacted gravel with pavers, or a structural deck rated for the load. Slope the pad slightly so water runs off rather than pooling under the cabinet. Many makers tie warranty coverage to following their foundation instructions, so read that page of the manual before you pour.

Measure every gate, path and turn between the street and the spot, because many spas are delivered on their side on a cart, and some makers deliver only to the curb. Cedar tubs from Zen Bathworks ship as a kit in a crate by default, or pre-assembled, and the maker says plumbing and the heating system must be installed by a local professional. Satori includes shipping to the contiguous US and offers pickup in St. Louis. Octagram offers free pickup in West Bath, Maine, local delivery, and a freight quote beyond that, so ask for a delivered price to your zip code first.

Permits, barriers and covers

Rules vary widely. Many cities treat a hot tub as a pool for barrier purposes, but several states accept a locking safety cover that meets the ASTM F1346 standard in place of a fence. Most require an electrical permit for a new 240 volt circuit. Some limit where you can place a tub relative to property lines, overhead power lines or the house. The table summarizes the state rules we have checked; your city can be stricter.

From our fence and safety cover guide, checked October 2026. Check your city or county code before you install.

Read more: Fence and safety cover laws · Las Vegas and Clark County permits

Water care, temperature and how often to drain

Warm water is ideal for bacteria, which is why hot tubs need steady sanitizer. The CDC's guidance gives clear targets, and the CPSC has warned since 1980 that hot tub water should never exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit. CPSC also advises pregnant women to keep to 100 degrees, and the CDC's guidance for hot tub operators says to keep children under five out of hot tubs.

CDC Legionella toolkit formula for hot tubs: water replacement frequency in days = (spa volume in gallons / 3) / average number of users per day. It is written for public tubs; treat it as an upper limit at home and follow your maker's schedule if it is shorter.

For a home tub, test a few times a week and after heavy use, keep sanitizer and pH in range, rinse or replace filters on the maker's schedule, and scrub the shell each time you drain. A tight cover keeps sanitizer from burning off in the sun as well as holding heat.

Read more: Where to drain a hot tub (Las Vegas, Reno) · Draining rules in other cities

Running costs

The biggest factor in running cost is how well the tub holds heat, which comes down to cabinet insulation and the cover. A tight, thick cover makes a larger difference than almost anything else. After that, it is your electric rate and how often you reheat from cold. The heat-up table above shows what one fresh fill costs at a few common rates; multiply by the number of drains a year to see the refill share of the bill.

Time of use electric rates can lower costs if the tub can be set to heat off peak. Wood fired tubs trade the electric bill for firewood and your time, and gas heaters on cedar tubs trade it for propane or natural gas.

Read more: Time of use rates for hot tubs · Rocky Mountain Power time of use

What each budget buys

Price bands below are counted from the starting prices on this page. Use them to set expectations before you shop, then add the cost of a pad, delivery help and any electrical work, which the maker does not include unless it says so.

Starting price is the maker's lowest listed option as last checked. Delivery, electrical work, the pad and steps are extra unless the maker says otherwise.

Questions to ask the maker before you order

What exact circuit does this model need, and does your manual's number match the product page? We found one maker listing two different breaker sizes for the same tub, which is worth settling before your electrician pulls a permit.

How does delivery work to my zip code: curbside, driveway or placed on the pad? Is a lift gate truck used, and what happens if the driver cannot reach the drop point?

What foundation does the warranty require, and what does the warranty cover on the shell, structure, equipment and labor, for how long?

Is the cover included, and does it meet ASTM F1346 if my city accepts a safety cover in place of a fence?

Can the tub be converted from 120 to 240 volts later, and what parts does that need?

How we choose which tubs to list

We list hot tubs from makers who publish real specifications, including electrical needs, dimensions, capacity and weight, and we date every check. We quote each maker's origin claim in its own words. Some spa makers build in the US with a mix of domestic and imported parts, which is a qualified claim, and we do not show a Made in USA mark in that case. We never write or copy reviews.

Read more: Our standards · How we handle Made in USA claims