Is a hot tub worth it?

The cover comes off, you soak, the cover goes back on. Between soaks the tub keeps itself hot and filters on a timer. Looking after the water takes three habits: test and adjust it for a few minutes several times a week, clean the filter about once a month, and drain and refill every few months. See the hot tub maintenance schedule.

The value is in the use. A tub you use four nights a week costs the same to keep hot as one you use twice a month, so count the soaks you will really take.

• Keeping it hot: about $27 a month, $323 a year, for a median 6-seat tub at the US average rate. Your rate and climate move it; see hot tub running cost.
• Water care: sanitizer, test strips and balancing chemicals, plus fresh water a few times a year. See the hot tub chemicals you need.
• Filters: cleaned monthly and replaced when the manual says. See when to replace a hot tub filter.
• Parts that wear out on a schedule: the coverCoverThe insulated lid: a tapered foam core in a vinyl or fabric skin. Plan on a new one about every five years, and read the warranty's rules on covers.In the glossary → after about five years, an ozonatorOzoneA small generator makes ozone gas and draws it into the plumbing, where it breaks down oils and germs, then turns back into oxygen. It cuts chlorine use; it doesn't replace it.In the glossary →, if fitted, after about three, a UV bulb every year on Jacuzzi's ClearRay, and a circulation pump, if fitted, after roughly 7 to 9 years.

The Energy Commission cites an average portable spa life of about ten years. Across the tubs we track, the median warranty is 10 years on the shell structure and 3 on equipment. Build quality decides how many repairs you add; see how long hot tubs last.

The tub is the biggest number. Many makers publish no price and the dealer quotes one; where a maker or its dealers publish a price, it is on hot tub prices. Add delivery, a pad and the electrician; see hot tub installation cost.