Hot tub or swim spa: how to choose

A swim spa is not simply a bigger hot tub, and the people who are happiest with theirs are the ones who understood the difference before buying. Here is how the two actually compare once they are in a garden rather than on a page.

What each one is for

A hot tub is for sitting in. Everything about it — seat moulding, jet placement, depth, temperature — is designed around relaxation, conversation and easing aching muscles. It is a social object, and most people use theirs in short, frequent sessions.

A swim spa is for moving in. A powerful current at one end lets you swim continuously against it in a fixed space, and the same body of water can be used for resistance exercise, aqua therapy and rehabilitation. Many models pair a swim section with a separate seating area, sometimes at a different temperature, so it does both jobs.

If what you want is to unwind at the end of the day, a hot tub does that better and for less. If you want exercise you will genuinely repeat through a British winter, a swim spa does something a hot tub simply cannot.

Space, and the space you forget

The footprint difference is obvious. What people underestimate is access. A swim spa is long, and getting one down a side return, through a gate or around a corner takes real planning. Before falling for a model, walk the route from the road to the intended spot and measure the narrowest point.

Groundwork and electrics

Both need a solid, level base — see our guide on that — but a swim spa's is a bigger job. More water means substantially more weight, spread over a longer span, and the base specification goes up accordingly. Electrical requirements are usually higher too.

None of this is a reason to avoid one. It is a reason to price the whole project rather than the spa alone, because the difference between the two options is wider once groundwork and supply are included.

Running costs

A swim spa holds more water, so there is more of it to heat and keep warm, and running costs are higher. How much higher depends on the same things as a hot tub: insulation, cover condition, how warm you keep it and how exposed the garden is. A well-insulated swim spa with a good cover can be surprisingly reasonable; a poorly specified one in an exposed spot will not be.

The honest test

Ask yourself how often you will actually swim. Not how often you would like to — how often you will. The swim spa owners who love theirs use it several times a week and treat it as the reason they stopped paying for a gym membership. Those who use it twice a month usually admit they would have been happier with a hot tub and a bigger budget for the rest of the garden.

There is no wrong answer, and both are available to try. It is by appointment, so you can take your time in each rather than deciding from photographs.