How Much Does an Exercise Pool Cost?

You see the classes at your gym that offer aquafit, but they are always full. You want a swimming pool to work out in but it’s too much money. Public pools won’t let you bring in weights or do the workouts you want, when you want.

What to do? Maybe an exercise pool is right for you. Exercise pools, also known as swim spas, in recent years have been increasing in popularity, but they are still a new concept for many.

In this article, we will explain what an exercise pool is, what you can do in it and how much they cost to install and operate once you have it. Hydropool was one of the first companies to develop and create exercise pools in Canada back in the 1980s. But customers still come into our stores to this day and say, “what’s that!?” when they see one for the first time.

But we want everyone to know everything about exercise pools!

So in this article, we will go over:

• What exactly is an exercise pool?
• What can you do in an exercise pool?
• How much is an exercise pool?

Hopefully, by the end, you’ll have a strong sense of whether or not an exercise pool is right for you.

 

 

What is an Exercise Pool?

An exercise pool is known by many names. It can be called a swim spa, exercise pool, exercise swimming pool, lap pool, endless pool, fitness pool or Jacuzzi pool. Sometimes people make up their own names, which we are fine with (at Hydropool, we generally call them swim spas, but we’re not stuck on it: whatever you want to call it is fine with us).

• An exercise pool allows you to swim, work out and relax/recover.
• It typically comes with a swim system that generates a current strong enough to swim into that also holds you in place, so you can swim in it without every reaching the end.
• They feature a large enough tank that you can do any kind of aquatic exercise you want in it.
• They also typically come with hot tub elements, such as seats and massaging jets, so after your workout you can get a massage and let your body recover.
• Their sizes generally range from around 12 feet to about 20 feet long, depending on the model and they are typically about eight feet wide.

Want to know more? Read a full article here.

Jodie Becker is a Canadian triathlete who uses her swim spa to train year round. Jodie has a 14-foot Aquatrainer AX.

What Fitness Activities Can You Do in an Exercise Pool?

Exercise pools are built so that you can perform whatever activity you want in the smallest possible space, so you can achieve your fitness goals. So your options include:

• Any number of aquatic workouts, including cardio workouts, muscle-generating exercises and full-body regimes.
• Swimming. Some exercise pools will give you a range of swimming capabilities so that people of varying skills can use them.

Want to have a sense of the range of activities you can do? Hydropool created a 21-day challenge, to show you all the opportunities for non-swimming workouts that exist in a swim spa.  

How Much is an Exercise Pool?

There can be a wide range in prices, with the average being between $10,000 and $50,000 Cdn.  There is a significant difference in the quality of a low-end swim spa versus a high-end one, which is why there is such a variation in price.

Swim spas typically fall into one of three categories: low end, mid-range, and high end.

• Low-end exercise pools are usually built overseas, using the cheapest materials available in order to keep the price tag low. These pools are often built with cheap hot tub components like pumps and jets instead of specialized swim spa parts, which leads to a lackluster user experience. The same applies to the filtration system, as low-end exercise pools will usually have a hot tub filtration system that isn’t designed to keep clean the larger amount of water that an exercise pool holds. Low-end swim spas have a price range of $15,000 to $20,000. We generally recommend avoiding this level of spa (Hydropool doesn’t sell any swim spa in this price range because we don’t believe you can make a quality spa and sell it at this price point).
• Mid-range exercise pools can be manufactured in North America or overseas (all Hydropools are built in Mississauga, Ontario in Canada). They are also usually built with parts designed specifically for a swim spa with the current, jets and pumps built to create an enjoyable swim experience. Mid-range exercise pools can fall short in their power capabilities or offer less range than higher-end exercise pools or have current systems that create a massive amount of turbulence in the water, as they feature lots of power, but not enough engineering to keep the water from turning into a torrent. The average price range for a mid-range swim spa is between $25,000 and $40,000 Cdn.
• While the price tag is higher, top of the line swim spas deliver an exceptional swim experience. The highest quality parts are used with careful design planning to deliver a strong, challenging and ultra-smooth swimming experience. These swim spas are also more spacious and can offer dual-temperature zones where one side of the spa can be a comfortable temperature for working out while the other end can be warmer so that another person can be enjoying a hydrotherapy massage. A top-of-the-line exercise pool begins around $40,000 Cdn and can go up to $60,000 Cdn.

Are There Any Other Costs to Installing an Exercise Pool?

While buying an exercise pool is the main expense, there are other initial costs to consider as well. The installation price can vary depending on how you choose to install your new exercise pool. Placing on a concrete pad is more cost-effective than an in-ground installation, for instance.

For a simple installation, expect to pay between $3,000 to $5,000 to cover the concrete padding and electrical installation. For a complete story on pricing, including everything, click here.

Is an Exercise Pool Right for You?

We hope you’re closer to an answer now. We are biased, but we are big fans of the flexibility that exercise pools, or swims spas, can offer. We know they are less expensive than pools, while combining the best elements of a pool and a hot tub into one unit.

You can work out in an exercise pool, swim in one, and then take a break and unwind while you recover. When you’re not using it, your kids can play in it, just as they would in a pool.

We could go on and on about how much we like swim spas, or exercise pools (or fitness pools, or whatever you’d like to call them). But we’d rather hear from you if you have any questions that we haven’t answered here. Don’t hesitate to contact us at the closest retailer to you.