I Always Thought My Yard Was Too Tiny for a Hot Tub — Then I Found This Brilliant, Affordable Solution

As a runner, nothing soothes the knots and kinks in my muscles faster than slipping into a steamy, bubbling hot tub. I’ve always longed to have one at home, but a giant, traditional hot tub has never been a possibility for my very small backyard. That is, until I was introduced to the concept of inflatable hot tubs. 

A few summers ago, my parents swapped out their big in-ground hot tub for an inflatable one, and I adored it so much I bought my own. It’s now my second summer with this inflatable hot tub I found on Amazon, and I soak in it nearly every day, easing my tight muscles and lifting my mood in the process. Here’s why I love it so much — and why you might want to get one too. 

Made of PVC material, the INTEX PureSpa Greywood Deluxe Inflatable Spa Set is strong and sturdy, and won’t lose its air unlike those baby pools you swam in as a kid. It comes with a cover that keeps all that heat in, and you can even control the various settings (including the jets, temperature, and sanitation schedule) from your smartphone via the app.

I chose the circular “greywood” design — which sports a faux wood grain in a dark slate color — for its sleek and stylish look, though it also comes in other shades like tan and gray, and there’s a square version, too. Designed to fit four people at a time, my hot tub measures 77 inches wide and 28 inches high. The price is currently $620, which feels like a steal when compared to traditional hot tubs that can easily cost thousands. 

There are several reasons why I love this inflatable hot tub I discovered on Amazon.

Setting this hot tub up was a lot easier than I thought it would be. The base unit does a few things: heats the water, filters it, and creates bubbles. It also helps inflate the hot tub and its cover with a special hose, which takes around 5 to 10 minutes. Then, you’ll simply connect the heating and pump unit to the hot tub, fill the tub up to the indicated level with water from a garden hose, add bromine to balance the pH of the water,  and you’re all set.

Unlike an in-ground tub, which would take up most of my little yard, this inflatable hot tub can sit right on my 8-by-12-foot deck. And unlike a traditional hot tub, which would take up that space all year long, my four-person hot tub comes down in the off-season, so I get that deck space back. 

According to Angie’s List, the average cost of a traditional hot tub is around $6,000, making my $620 inflatable hot tub about 160% cheaper. As for the utility bill, mine hasn’t gone up very much since owning this inflatable hot tub — about an extra $25 to $40 per month. The cover that comes with the hot tub and is designed to keep the heat in definitely helps mitigate that cost. It makes my backyard feel like an at-home spa. 

Since I run nearly every day, I often have tight calves, sore shoulders, and generally tired feet. Sinking down into that hot, bubbling water is a surefire way to ease my aches and pains almost instantly. I also find that soaking in the hot tub really helps my mood, bringing down any anxiety and lifting my spirits. Plus, I just love the luxury of having a hot tub at home — it’s made my backyard feel like my own private spa, and I don’t have to sign up for an expensive gym membership to use one.

While I do love this inflatable hot tub so much, there are a couple of things you should know before purchasing one yourself. 

If you live somewhere that gets really cold, you’ll need to uninstall this inflatable hot tub every year, which is perhaps one of this product’s biggest flags: You can’t use it in the winter, unlike a traditional hot tub. The tub’s heating element can’t be exposed to freezing temperatures, and since it heats the water so slowly, it’s nearly impossible for it to keep up with the heat loss. Like any inflatable hot tub, if the temperature outside is too cold, it’ll shrink, which can cause damage. That means that I just take hot baths during the winter, which are still lovely, but not quite as incredible as a hot tub.

When I uninstall it, I drain out all the water, deflate the hot tub itself, and then fold it up to stash it away. The whole process takes about 45 minutes, and I store it in the basement where it takes up about six feet of space.

Although my energy bill hasn’t skyrocketed since having this hot tub, it does use a decent amount of energy. It can take a while for the water to heat up (it takes about an hour to heat it one degree), and at first, the breaker tripped several times because it was drawing the same amount of energy as the refrigerator, which was on the same line. 

Like any hot tub, this one does require some maintenance (adding chemicals, testing the water, changing the filters), but it’s been so worth it. I genuinely look forward to using the hot tub, and every time I use it, I feel like I’m on vacation right in the comfort of my backyard.

Buy: INTEX PureSpa Greywood Deluxe Inflatable Spa Set, $620.09