Vita Spa · 500 Series
Vita Spa Trio hot tub
Room for 2 to 3. Suits one or two people.
- Seats: 2 to 3 seats
- Size: 6′ 11″ × 5′ 6″
- Power: 240V
Price on requestWhat it costs
Free. Your price range, then one dealer near you.
Sit in it. 2 to 3 seats.
What it costs.
Price
Price on requestThis maker doesn't post its prices, so we don't print one. Ask, and we'll send you the price range.
To keep it hot
Standby in California’s test, at the US average 18.19¢ per kWh. Heating fresh water and using the jets add to it.
What owners say.
From owner reviews and forums across Vita Spa tubs, not just this model.
Owners like
- Comfort, seating layout and jet feel win wet tests
- More features per dollar, lower price than premium brands
- "Decent middle-of-the-road" build using standard components
Owners complain about
- Insulation and running cost in cold climates
- MAAX hard to deal with, for dealers and owners
- Thin steel frame and a shell that isn't self-supporting
All themes, and complaint records
Owners like
- Comfort, seating layout and jet feel win wet tests. Shoppers who wet-tested against Bullfrog, D1, Caldera and Hot Spot preferred the Vita for seat comfort, jet power and placement, and open seating; a technician posting on a forum calls the Grand a tub buyers will like for open seating and power.
- More features per dollar, lower price than premium brands. Quotes often come in $1,000 to $1,500 below comparable Bullfrog, D1 and Hot Spring tubs while including ozone and UV, Bluetooth audio, lighting and water features, steps and a lifter.
- "Decent middle-of-the-road" build using standard components. Several industry posters rate Vita as a solid mid-tier brand: better built and backed than value brands such as Strong, but not premium. One dealer notes off-the-shelf components (Waterway, Balboa, Gecko, Aqua-Flo), which suggests generic parts are available.
- A few satisfied long-term owners. A Grand review on Vitaspa.com (3 years, family of six), a Prestige owner on Hot Tub Insider ("best tub I have ever owned"), and a Canadian owner of a MAAX 480 (sister brand, same factory) who reports the tub held temperature at -38°C.
- Steel frame, lighting and water features draw shoppers. Shoppers cite the zinc-coated steel frame and the lighting and waterfall package as reasons the tub stood out. Dealers of other brands dispute the frame benefit.
Owners complain about
- Insulation and running cost in cold climates. The most repeated criticism. Dealers and techs say the blanket-style perimeter insulation (recycled-denim and foil batts) is less efficient than full foam and costs more to run in cold regions; one Minnesota tech says MAAX lost that market because competing tubs cost less to operate. In contrast, a Canadian MAAX 480 owner reports good performance.
- MAAX hard to deal with, for dealers and owners. A Caldera dealer who knows the line says repeatedly that MAAX is difficult to deal with from the dealer side, and another dealer repeats this second-hand. Owners report the same: Hot Tub Insider reviewers were bounced between dealer and factory, and one owner's dealer dropped the line.
- Thin steel frame and a shell that isn't self-supporting. Competing dealers argue the galvanized steel frame is light-gauge and can rust at connections (one claims to have seen it first-hand); a shopper worried that a shell relying on many braces could crack over time. Others say any frame outlasts the tub.
- Control board and circuit board failures. One owner, across three threads, reports a pump replacement, leaks from a hose rubbing the motor and two burnt circuit boards on a small Amour, with a $1,500 repair quote. A 2009 Duet bought used had a burnt lower board and a persistent Pb (power-board communication) code. A 2007 tub blew fuses with REL/F2 relay errors.
- Orphaned warranty from the 2009 bankruptcy. Owners of pre-2009 tubs lost their factory warranty when DM Industries failed. This matters to used-tub buyers and to trust in the brand, not to current coverage from MAAX and American Bath Group.
- Missing or inaccurate owner documentation. Two 2026 Hot Tub Insider reviews (Joli, Rendezvous) complain of no model-specific manual and a wrong electrical-entry diagram; a PissedConsumer call log shows repeated requests for manuals, model numbers and filter information.
- Touchscreen topside unresponsive when wet. A 2021 reviewer says the touchscreen would not register wet fingers and the factory advised drying hands; a 2022 reviewer dismisses this as normal touchscreen behavior. The owner of an older L200 reported a topside panel fogging and dying after a splash.
- Factory assembly misses on delivery. A new display-model Cabaret arrived with the aromatherapy line not connected (connector missing), needing a tech visit. A Rendezvous owner had a diverter valve blow off twice in the first months.
Vita Spa as a company
How it’s built. The 8 build checks, in plain words.
The same eight checks we run on every brand, answered from Vita Spa’s own documents. Tap one for what it means and the evidence.
Self-supporting shellDoes the shell hold itself up?Partly
Fiberglass-backed shell, but a wood or steel frame carries it.
Every model sits in a perimeter frame: wood on the 100 and 300 Series, steel on the 500 and 700. Vita warrants the vessel and the frame as separate parts. No foam holds the shell up either, but nothing published shows it standing on its own.
Applies to: All models: wood frame on the 100 and 300 Series, steel frame on the 500 and 700 Series
Clamped plumbingAre the hoses glued and clamped?Not published
Vita Spa doesn't publish this. Ask the dealer.
Vita never says how pipe is joined to its fittings, and no teardown photos are public. The manuals only mention hand-tight unions at the pumps and heater. These tubs are not foam-filled, so a dealer can pull a side panel and show you the joints.
Applies to: All models
Manifold-fed jetsDoes each jet get its own line?Not published
Vita Spa doesn't publish this. Ask the dealer.
Larger models split their jets across two or three pumps with diverter valves, so seats run on separate zones. Nothing says whether each jet gets its own feed off a manifold or runs in series. The open plumbing bay makes this checkable in person.
Applies to: All models
Standard partsCan any repair tech buy the parts?Partly
Balboa and Gecko inside, rebadged, with proprietary jets and panels.
Electronics and pumps come from Balboa and Gecko, so boards, heaters and topsides are parts an independent tech can buy. The jets, side panels and control branding are Vita's own, there is no public parts catalog, and the warranty voids if a non-authorized tech works on it.
Applies to: All models
Compression-fitted jetsAre the jet bodies held by a nut, not glue?Partly
Older jet bodies bolt in with a nut; newer ones press into a grommet.
Parts sellers list Vita jet bodies with a nut, gasket and compression ring. Newer bodies shared with American Whirlpool press into a rubber grommet with no nut. Vita doesn't say which current tubs use, and nothing shows glued bodies.
Applies to: All series
Adjustable jetsCan you turn each jet up or down?Yes
Directional and rotating jets each adjust on their own.
Turn the outer ring on a directional or rotating jet to set its flow, and aim the nozzle where you want it. The Euro jet stays open because ozone feeds through it. Air controls on the lip work in groups, not per jet.
Applies to: All models; most jets adjust, but ozone, Euro and some high-flow jets are fixed
Service networkCan someone near you fix it?Partly
Sold and serviced only through dealers; coverage isn't listed publicly.
Vita sells through pool and spa retailers, and your dealer handles delivery, install and warranty work. The locator is a contact form rather than a map, so you can't check who covers your area before handing over your details. Labor and travel can be billed on covered repairs.
Applies to: All models
American made?Built in Chandler, Arizona and Ottumwa, Iowa.Yes
The full Vita Spa build-quality report, ranked against every brand →
Also on this model
Full-foam insulationIs it foamed all the way through?Other method
Warranty
- Shell structure
- 7 years
- Shell surface
- 3 years
- Equipment
- 3 years
- Plumbing
- 3 years
- Cabinet
- 1 year
- Heater
- 3 years
What you get.
500 Series. Mostly two-pump tubs with named massage seats (Shiatsu, Petrissage, reflexology, calf), a steel frame, Northern Exposure insulation and the TP740 LCD topside.
What stands out
Similar tubs. Same size, any brand.
More like it:Tubs for 2 to 3Hot tub weightHot tub electrical requirements
The detailsAll 92 specs, the energy filing and every source
Every specification
Everything Vita Spa publishes for the Trio. The dot after a value opens the document it came from.
Size & capacity
Build & insulation
Feature guides:InsulationWi-Fi appsLightingWhich features are worth paying for
Doesn’t have: 120V plug-in.
Energy filing
- California’s limit for its size
- 174 W
- Typical for its size
- 158 W (the middle of 75 tubs this size)
- Water in the test
- 213 gallons
Standby is what the tub draws just holding its temperature, measured to California’s test method ↗. Your bill depends on your weather, your rate and how often you soak.
Where Vita Spa’s documents disagree
Two of its own documents give different answers. Check these against your quote.
Ask the dealer
Vita Spa doesn’t publish the heater size, pump horsepower, filter area, cover thickness or number of filters for the Trio. Ask for them in writing.
Sources
- Vita Spa’s page for the Trio ↗
- Vita Spa’s warranty ↗
- vitaspa.com: document 1 ↗, document 2 ↗, document 3 ↗, document 4 ↗
- leisureconcepts.net: document 1 ↗
- res.cloudinary.com: document 1 ↗
What’s a good deal on the Trio?
We send you the price range, by call, text or email: what a great deal, a good deal and market value look like. Then we introduce you to one Vita Spa dealer near you, who reaches out knowing what you expect to pay.
Get a price on this tub
Free. Your price range, then one dealer near you.
Get a price on this tub Free price range, then one dealer