Your Complete Guide to Inflatable Hot Tubs

Not all hot tubs are the same. You’re at a party and your neighbour shows his off: But it looks plastic, not shiny like most of the ones you’ve seen. You’re at Costco, and you see it again there: It’s a hot tub there for a low price, but it has what looks like an outboard motor on the outside of it and its brand name is from a company that sells camping gear. It says it’s an inflatable hot tub. 

Should you buy an inflatable hot tub? Is it any good? Are they energy efficient? 

All fair questions. That’s a tough spot to be in and it’s one we know many people face when hot tub shopping. We see that when people come into our stores at Hydropool, especially when they are first-time shoppers.   

That’s why we wanted to write this article to try and simplify the process, so that people can understand what’s really out there. 

There are three main types of hot tubs you can buy today:

• Inflatable hot tubs
• Roto mold hot tubs 
• Acrylic hot tubs (these are what you most likely recognize as a traditional hot tub)

These are in order from the least expensive to the most. While there are other elements, such as size, features, engineering and quality, what your hot tub is made of ultimately determines price more than any other single factor.   

It may surprise you that the most expensive type of hot tub is the most popular. It’s not particularly close. Nearly 80 percent of hot tubs sold are acrylic hot tubs (these are the only kind Hydropool makes). 

In this article, we want to focus on inflatable hot tubs, which are the least expensive way to buy a hot tub.   

What is an Inflatable Hot tub?   

These hot tubs are the ones you see at mainstream stores like Wal-Mart or Home Depot or online at Amazon or Wayfair with brand names like Coleman or AquaSpa or Bestway. 

They are often round, and usually have what looks like a little outboard motor attached to them. You see them, and you wonder: Could I just get one of these?

There are pros and cons to this kind of hot tub. Cost is certainly one of the pros: It’s your cheapest path to owning a hot tub. So let’s check that box right there. Inflatable tubs are routinely sold for around $1000 in Canada.  

Hydropool doesn’t make or sell these tubs. So now is the part where we tell you they are junk, right? Well, we won’t. 

There are good reasons why you might want a tub like this: 

• If you’re just starting out and want to try it, it’s a cost-effective way to get into hot tub ownership.  
• If it’s for the kids, and you want them to have a place to splash that’s bigger and better than a plastic pool, then it’s a logical choice.  
• If you want one at a property you won’t use that frequently but want the choice to get into a hot tub. 
• If your backyard has ongoing landscaping work and you know you need to move the tub, then inflatable tubs make good sense.
• If you want to “plug and play” – buy a hot tub, inflate it, plug it in to the nearest outlet and jump in, this is the closest you’re going to get (they do actually work on normal plug-ins). They are as easy and as cost-effective to maintain as any other tub, simple to put together and they work.  

Sound great, right? So why do they cost less? Why haven’t they taken over the entire market?  

What are the Pros and Cons of Inflatable Hot Tubs?  

Inflatable hot tubs are made out of PVC or reinforced vinyl, so they are comparatively inexpensive to make, and those savings are passed on to buyers.  

There are tradeoffs from this process though. 

• Inflatable tubs won’t heat as fast as tubs with more powerful motors and it’s harder to set their water temperature. 
• The tubs don’t retain heat either, which means their ongoing operating costs are higher. 
• In Canada and the Northern U.S., they often become summer tubs, as many aren’t ever built to work in the winter or they become comparatively more expensive to run, because of the consistent heat loss.  
• You need to store the tub somewhere if not in use.  
• While moving a hot tub sounds like a good idea in practice, most people find they end up in one spot. If you build a platform or concrete pad to support your hot tub – which we’d recommend – then you’ve essentially made it a fixed element anyway. 
• Like owning a tent, if you poke a hole in it, you have a serious problem.
• An inflatable spa usually offers air jets which create bubbles, but not massage. It’s not a luxury experience. It’s more like sitting in a large kiddie pool.   
• Most don’t have seating – you sit on the floor of the tub, which is padded, which is fun for accidental toe touching, but not for everyone. 

Who Should Buy an Inflatable Hot Tub? 

Call it a classic hot tub experience. Inflatables are easy to maintain and operate, which keeps costs down and your kids will likely love it. But life with an inflatable is just not the same as a permanent tub. Which is why some people choose to pay more and buy either a rotomolded hot tub or an acrylic hot tub (we have separate articles on each of those if you want to read them). 

Are Inflatable Hot Tubs Worth It? 

In all honesty, we don’t recommend buying them. For the price you pay, the usability and durability are quite limited, despite advances over the years. We know we are biased.  

We aren’t the only ones who feel this way though. The review site Wirecutter, which is owned by the New York Times, feels the same way:  

Inflatable hot tubs can be a tempting alternative, but we can’t recommend them. Many get overall positive reviews. But every one we looked at also had an alarmingly high number of negative reviews—averaging 10% of the total—with almost all of them centering on five complaints: faulty construction that creates leaks; pumps that rapidly fail; heaters that don’t work; control panels that register error codes and stop functioning; and abysmal customer service, including non-communication, un-honored warranties, and exorbitant return fees (shipping and restocking costs can reach several hundred dollars). And many reviews say that inflatable hot tubs are terribly undersized—you’ll find lots of comments that a supposed four-seater can comfortably seat only two. Given that even a cheap one costs $500 to $600, we think they’re not worth the risk of frustration. - How to Shop for a Hot Tub, Wirecutter

If you do buy one, we recommend you pay as little as you can and don’t expect a lot, and you’ll have the best chance of being happy. 

Even if you do like it, we think you will like a rotomold or acrylic hot tub even more, as these more permanent hot tubs have more to offer. We have found most people who want hot tubs wind up buying one of these types over time, so we don’t mind saying that we recommend them over inflatables.

We hope this article helped you come to an opinion on inflatable hot tubs. If you have any questions about them or that we can help you with at Hydropool, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your local dealer.