Hydropool vs Master Spas Hot Tubs: An Unbiased Guide

Master Spas and Hydropool are two big names in hot tubs, so it is no surprise that you would eventually wind up comparing the two hot tub brands.   

Despite both making good hot tubs, they are very different companies. Master Spas is a large-scale builder with a large campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana while Hydropool manufactures hot tubs and swim spas in Mississauga, Ontario in Canada.  

We get asked about Master Spa as a competitor, which is why we wanted to write this article. We know it’s unusual for one company to write about another, but we have always understood we will have competition as a hot tub company. And while we might wish everyone would buy a Hydropool, we know there are situations where another company’s product might make more sense.  

In this article, we will compare the lineups of the two high-quality brands and go over the major differences between them. Hopefully, by the end, you’ll have a sense which is best for you.  

Master Spa’s Getaway vs DreamMaker: Which is Best?  

Master Spa’s initial offering is unusual in that it is a rotomolded collection of hot tubs it calls Getaway. Most companies either sell all acrylic or all rotomolded, but Master Spa has both under one label. 

At Hydropool, in the rotomolded category we recommend DreamMaker, a company which, like Hydropool, is owned by the same company as Jacuzzi. Many DreamMaker hot tubs are on display at the same retail outlets as Hydropool.  

Increasingly, as hot tub prices rise, we expect to see more companies add rotomolded hot tubs to their lineups. Rotomolded hot tubs are more durable but perhaps less glamourous than acrylic hot tubs, as they lack the shine and gleam of acrylic hot tubs.  They do cost significantly less due to their simplified production process, as they are made out of plastic poured into a mold.   

If we compare these lineups, you’ll see the Master Spa Getaway lineup has five models to DreamMaker’s 15. These are very similarly made hot tubs, with comparable design, build massage and filtration abilities.  

We mostly consider them comparable, except for DreamMaker’s wider selection. As a brand focused entirely on rotomolded hot tubs, you will see a wider selection, with a lower starting price and a higher upper-end price as the options and capabilities increase.  

Master Spa’s Clarity Collection vs Hydropool’s Serenity: Which is Best?  

These two collections have similar features. We found the main differences in massage: 

• Hydropool has Zone Therapy, which sees you move from seat to seat to get a full body massage.  
• Clarity has a cool collared seat that massages your shoulders (Hydropool has experimented with these but found that you need to be the right size for them to fit on top of your shoulders).  
• Bio Magnentic Therapy is introduced here at Master Spa. According to Master Spa, the system “applies magnetic therapy to pressure points on the neck and back with the strategic placement of powerful magnets.” It’s used in one seat in the hot tub. Hydropool doesn’t have any such system; it’s unique to Master Spa from what we have found.  

One other difference is insulation: Clarity is a full-foam insulated hot tub, while Hydropool uses a blanket wrap. We used to use full-foam but switched because if a leak every develops, you can have to remove all of the insulation to get to it. A blanket wrap traps heat in like a triple-paned window, making the most of the residual heat of your hot tub’s motors while allowing you to access the hot tub whenever you like.  

We looked but couldn’t find pricing on Master Spa’s website (Hydropool puts pricing on every model it sells). We believe these lines are similar, or should be.  

It’s worth noting here that Master Spa’s retail network isn’t vast. It often sells through expos, coming through town with tents promising hot tub sales. So it can be hard to get a sense of pricing. Within the tents, prices will be inflated and then cut down during the sale. Some people really respond to this method of selling hot tubs. Hydropool does tent sales as well, using our local retailer network.  

MasterSpa’s Twilight Collection vs Hydropool Signature: Which is Best?  

Hydropool has two lines of hot tubs: Serenity, it’s standard-class hot tub, and Signature, it’s higher-end model. Twilight straddles both lines to some extent, although it’s closer to Signature.  

For MasterSpa, the big change at this level is the introduction of the EcoPurCharge system which is the company’s unique filtering system. “The EcoPur Charge hot tub filter replicates the way nature uses copper and zinc to purify water and remove dirt, bacteria and algae,” according to Master Spa.   

We understand what Master Spa is doing: Copper is used in water pipes because it helps keep water clean, while zinc is used to help your skin. It’s a smart idea.  

At Hydropool, Signature has the company’s patented self-cleaning system, which sees hot tubs built under the same principles as commercial or public pools, despite these guidelines being much stricter than anything written that regulates hot tubs. You can read more about the self-cleaning system here.  

• Both hot tub collections use suction-side filtration, which ensures all of your water is cleaned.  
• Signature has two pumps, while Master Spas has a one-pump system with two as an option. Two pump systems cost less to operate and break down less as the two pumps are not as taxed as a sole pump is.  
• AOP, a way of further cleaning your water using UV and an ozinator, is an option on Twilight but standard on Hydropool’s Signature.   
• You also get a jet system unique to Master Spa, in a special foot jet that “uses dual jet clusters with 28 total individual nozzles designed to rejuvenate your body through an encompassing foot massage.” Signature has advanced Zone Therapy, a system that guides you through a full-body massage. 
• Hydropool uses a wrap insulation to Master Spa’s full foam. Both are good systems, although a wrap blanket allows better access down the road and retains more of the motor’s residual heat.  

On price, if you match feature for feature, we expect prices to be similar between Signature and Twilight, with Serenity coming in less expensive. This is only an estimate, however, as we couldn’t find Master Spa’s pricing when we looked for it.  

Master Spa Michael Phelps Legend vs Hydropool Signature: Which is Best?   

This is Master Spa’s largest line of hot tubs. 

• It compares to the more sizeable hot tubs in the Hydropool Signature collection, with the smallest seating five and the largest eight.  
• Hydropool’s Signature 570 model seats five while its largest 970T holds nine.  

The major difference on the Legend series is the addition of a lounger seat and a therapy seat for a more customized massage experience. The construction is the same as the Twilight series and AOP remains optional here. Hydropool’s Zone Therapy is available on all of its larger hot tubs as well as its smaller, so no change here.  

We couldn’t find pricing on Master Spa’s website, but we believe Hydropool and Master Spa are comparable on price at this level when matching feature for feature.  

Master Spas vs Hydropool: Which Hot Tub is Right for me?  

These are two of the most popular hot tubs you can buy. And your decision may come down to the buying format you prefer: buying at a tent sale, which is how Master Spa often sells or buying from a brick-and-mortar retailer. That may be the biggest difference between the two brands for you. 

Or it might be one of the elements jump out at you as being a better fit. Master Spa has some unique massage elements, such as its custom foot jet, while Hydropool focuses on a massage that can cater to your entire body. And Master Spa has a deep lineup, which includes rotomolded hot tubs, while Hydropool has a sister-brand in DreamMaker.  

Whichever hot tub you’re interested in, we hope we have helped answer your questions about these two top-tier brands. If we haven’t though, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of us closest to you by searching here.