What is the Difference Between a Hot Tub and a Swim Spa?
By now, everyone has heard of a hot tub. But not everyone has heard of a swim spa. There has been no Swim Spa Time Machine movie. James Bond has sat in many hot tubs, but never in a swim spa.
If you have heard of a swim spa, chances are you own one, or you know someone who does who can’t stop talking about it, or you were in a hot tub store and said, “what’s that?” when looking at the big rectangle thing.
We get asked the “what’s that?” question all the time at our retailers. We know that not everyone knows what a swim spa is, what it can do or how it’s different from a hot tub or a pool. That’s why we wanted to write this article, so you could get a sense of the difference between the two.
In short, a swim spa is a stretched hot tub, so that it is now a longer rectangle:
- Unlike a hot tub, swim spas come with a current you can swim into, that keeps you from reaching the other side.
- A swim spa also comes with all the parts a hot tub has – namely comfortable seats, warm water and massage.
- A swim spa is not as expensive as a pool, but costs more than a hot tub.
So in this article, we will explain in a bit more detail all those elements, including who each is best suited for, costs and what you can do with each.
Hopefully, by the end, you’ll have a sense of the difference between the two and which makes the most sense for you.
Swim Spa vs Hot Tub: How to Choose
There are a variety of factors in choosing a hot tub or a swim spa. The major one involves determining what you want to do with each and what space you have.
- Hot tubs can be as small as 7 feet by 5.5 feet, and can be shallow enough to fit in some doorways and even go on balcony patios.
- The smallest swim spa has to be at least 13-feet long and eight feet wide, so that you have sufficient room to swim in it. With anything shorter than that, we have found that if you’re trying to swim, you’re going to be bumping into the sides.
- You’re going to want to leave 2-3 feet around the entire unit, whether you buy a swim spa or a hot tub, so that it can be accessed for service down the road.
The next thing to consider is what you want to use your water vessel for.
A swim spa and a separate hot tub gives you the best of both worlds and allows you to customize each one, so you get exactly what you want, whenever you want.
What are a Swim Spa’s Best Features?
A swim spa is an all-in-one aquatic play zone.
- You can treat it like a pool and hang out in it.
- Because it’s deeper than a hot tub, you can have low-impact aquatic workouts in it.
- You can treat it like a pool and have parties in it.
- You can use it as a hot tub and have quiet moments in it.
- You can get a good massage and use it for recovery.
- It can either blend in or become a focal point in your yard, depending how you design it.
- It can be used 12 months a year.
- It can be used for a range of swimming abilities, so that everyone from kids to triathletes can use it.
In short, anything a hot tub can do, a swim spa can do, plus you can work out in it and swim in it.
A swim spa can do everything a hot tub can do, and you can swim in it and host more people. It also costs a lot less than a swimming pool.
What are a Hot Tub’s Best Features?
A hot tub, like this Hydropool Signature, is easy to maintain and easy to use, but has less range than a swim spa (but at less cost too).
A hot tub is great for smaller spaces. But there’s also something wonderfully decadent about a large hot tub that provides a place to host parties or simply to stretch out in.
- A hot tub is built for personal relaxation.
- It’s made to provide good to great massage, depending on what you buy.
- You can use it for recovery, after working out.
- You can have parties in it.
- You can have more intimate moments in it, because it’s a smaller, more compact experience. You’re not sitting at opposite ends of a 13-foot swim spa, for example.
- It can go in almost any backyard, deck, patio or flat surface, while a swim spa requires a concrete pad.
It’s possible to do some workouts in a hot tub, but in all honesty, a swim spa is far better for this.
Is There a Difference in Installing a Swim Spa or a Hot Tub?
Yes. There are three key differences:
- A swim spa requires a concrete pad, from 4” to 6” thick. A hot tub requires a hard, flat surface built strong enough to take its weight. You can use a concrete pad, but you don’t have to.
- For electrical, you can get hot tubs in both plug-and-play (which means it uses a standard plug-in) or 220V versions, while a swim spa only comes in 220V (which requires separate, hardwiring to your electrical box).
- A swim spa typically has to be put in place with a crane, which requires a rental. A hot tub can often be delivered by turning it sideways and rolling it on a gurney into its intended destination.
How Much Does a Swim Spa Cost Compared to a Hot Tub?
A swim in Canada begins at about $25,000, plus the concrete pad, electrical and delivery, which usually includes a crane rental. We have a full article that explains all of this here.
A hot tub starts around $10,000, plus your base, electrical and delivery. We have an article that explains it in full here.
How Much Does a Swim Spa Cost Compared to a Pool?
It’s about half of what an average pool costs. While it lacks the grandiose nature of a pool, a significant perk of a swim spa is that you can use it year-round. For a full article on this, click here.
Hot Tub or Swim Spa: Which is Right for Me?
Haven’t we all dreamed of having a hot tub at some point? But what if we were actually dreaming of a swim spa, but didn’t know it existed yet?
That’s why we wrote this article. We have many hot tub customers who come into our stores and say, “what’s that?” when they see a swim spa for the first time. Maybe they actually wanted a swim spa all along and just didn’t know it existed.
We think that’s okay! So we wanted to write this article to explain the main differences of each so that you could see which is right for you. Maybe your budget or your backyard size insists that it’s a hot tub or nothing for you. Maybe you have had your curiosity piqued with this article and want to know about swim spas.
If so, we have a guide for each:
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- Click here to download a brochure and read at your leisure.
