A hot tub represents a significant investment, and these unique machines are filled with specialised features. It can make shopping for your very first spa a little overwhelming, as you’re met with terms and technologies that you’ve never seen before.
If you’re ready to buy a hot tub in Melbourne, what things should you be looking out for? What considerations and decisions should you make? How much should you pay?
In this guide we break down how to buy a hot tub in Melbourne, to ensure you invest in a machine that adds all sorts of value to your life, for years or even decades to come.
Start with the basics
What is your motivation for buying a hot tub for your Melbourne backyard? By answering the ‘why’ behind the purchase, you can gain a clearer idea of what your perfect model looks like.
There are a wealth of ways that a hot tub can add value to your life, including:
- Health and wellness: Warm water immersion is proven to offer a range of health benefits: relief from chronic pain, improved circulation, better sleep, and lower levels of stress and anxiety, to name just a few.
- Interpersonal relationships: A hot tub is a place where you can disconnect from your devices, and reconnect with the ones you love. A nightly soak is an opportunity for those catch-ups that have become all too rare in our modern lives.
- Lifestyle: If you’re one of Melbourne’s social butterflies, a hot tub is the ultimate weekend drawcard that can make you the host with the most. And a 15-minute solo soak every day can see you capitalise on all the health benefits mentioned above.
- Property value: A hot tub can help you to earn more from your Airbnb or holiday rental, and can increase the value of your home. But you don’t have to say farewell to your machine if you move house, because you can take our fully portable hot tubs with you!
Once you know what you want to get from your hot tub purchase, you should also consider the limitations you need to work within:
- Space: Melbourne backyards aren’t getting any bigger, so you may be limited on space. Identify your preferred spot and measure it up, leaving some extra room around the machine so you can comfortably get in and out, and clean and maintain it.
- Budget: Decide how much you are willing or able to spend on your Melbourne hot tub. Not sure? Read on.
Making sense of cost
It’s important to view your hot tub as an investment, not a cost, because buying a premium model now can actually save you money over the life of the machine.
Why? Because the sticker price of the machine only ever tells part of the story. There are a number of other expenses you need to consider: the delivery, installation and setup of the machine, and the ongoing costs of water, power, chemicals and maintenance.
As a general rule, higher quality machines have lower running costs, because they are more efficient. They also tend to last longer, as they’re built from higher quality materials. When shopping for your dream machine, focus on:
- Energy efficiency: The biggest ongoing cost is electricity. You can use less power by choosing a well-insulated machine like a Hot Spring, which are Australia’s most energy efficient hot tubs.
- Water care: Use less water and less chemicals while doing less work by choosing a hot tub armed with smart water care tech. Take our FreshWater IQ system, which makes your water last 3-4x longer while reducing hot tub maintenance by up to 90%.
- Warranty: You can tell how much confidence a hot tub brand has in its machines by how long and comprehensive the warranties are. At Hot Spring we’ve been proving the quality and longevity of our hot tubs since 1980, and have warranties to match.
Types of hot tubs
If this is your first time shopping for a hot tub, you might be surprised by just how much variety is on offer. A few hot tub options include:
- Permanent vs portable: You can choose to install a portable Hot Spring hot tub, or you can build a permanent model from scratch.
- Seating and sizing: Choose a seat count and size to suit your needs and that will comfortably fit in your backyard.
- Cost-effective vs premium: At Hot Spring we offer four collections built for different budgets: Freeflow, Hot Spot, Limelight and Highlife.
- Installation options: Depending on your property you might choose to install your hot tub in-ground or above-ground, indoors or outdoors.
- Hot tub or swim spa: A Fastlane Pools swim spa is the ultimate swimming and aquacise machine that doubles as a hot tub too!
Features and accessories
Make your chosen hot tub feel like it’s truly yours, by selecting features, accessories and options that turn an off-the-shelf model into your dream machine.
- Colours and styles: Hot Spring hot tubs are available in up to 15 different cabinet and shell colour combinations, so you can buy a hot tub that pairs perfectly with the aesthetics of your Melbourne backyard.
- High-end hydromassage: When comparing hydromassage jets, prioritise quality over quantity. Take the Moto-Massage DX, the world’s first (and only) moving hot tub jet that can do the work of a half dozen or more standard jets.
- Mood-setters: With adjustable features like water fountains, lighting systems and Bluetooth speakers, you gain total control over the mood within your hot tub.
- Functional features: Pillows, umbrellas and spa side enhancements add function, comfort and accessibility to your hot tub, while a quality cover can cut down your power bill.
Ready to buy a hot tub in Melbourne? Our expert team is ready to help you find the perfect machine – one that adds health and wellness, luxury, and all manner of other value to your life.
Get in touch with us today to start your hot tubbing journey.