The Exciting World of Hot Tubs and Home Spas
The terms home spa, hot tub and even Jacuzzi® are used almost interchangeably, since they all describe heated water tubs with specific equipment and air jets like those found in swimming pools. However, there are a few ways you can tell a home spa from a hot tub, and these are important to remember when shopping. The differences are few, but you'll want to recognize them in order to ensure you receive the type of product you want for your home.
Home spas are operated and used in the same way as hot tubs; the major difference is the material used to construct the tub. Hot tubs are typically made of wood; home spas are made of either fiberglass, concrete or a sand-cement mixture called Gunite. Fiberglass home spas usually have a smooth gel coat or acrylic lining, and some premium home spas have ceramic tile linings. Home spas can be molded into almost any shape and come in a variety of colors, whereas most hot tubs are a basic square, rectangular, or round shape with very few design options.
The style of seating and the seating arrangements are also different. Hot tub seating is usually a simple, wooden bench that runs around all four sides of the hot tub. Home spas offer a variety of seating styles from the simple bench, to molded seats with high backs, to fully molded recliners. Overall, home spas allow more versatility and creativeness than a hot tub can provide.
The first modern spas appeared in Southern California in the 1950s and soon became accessories to swimming pools. Families, who can afford to have both, would build a swimming pool with an adjoining hot tub or home spa in order to provide an enhanced setting in their home or yard.
Since concrete and Gunite are expensive and more difficult to install, fiberglass became the most popular material for home spas. By the 1960s, home spas and hot tubs became more prevalent through all of California and into the rest of the United States and Canada . Today, home spas are an indication of luxury and sophistication and are used in a number of homes all over the world. A comfortable home spa provides a number of benefits and is a great addition to any home or business.
Home spas are operated and used in the same way as hot tubs; the major difference is the material used to construct the tub. Hot tubs are typically made of wood; home spas are made of either fiberglass, concrete or a sand-cement mixture called Gunite. Fiberglass home spas usually have a smooth gel coat or acrylic lining, and some premium home spas have ceramic tile linings. Home spas can be molded into almost any shape and come in a variety of colors, whereas most hot tubs are a basic square, rectangular, or round shape with very few design options.
The style of seating and the seating arrangements are also different. Hot tub seating is usually a simple, wooden bench that runs around all four sides of the hot tub. Home spas offer a variety of seating styles from the simple bench, to molded seats with high backs, to fully molded recliners. Overall, home spas allow more versatility and creativeness than a hot tub can provide.
The first modern spas appeared in Southern California in the 1950s and soon became accessories to swimming pools. Families, who can afford to have both, would build a swimming pool with an adjoining hot tub or home spa in order to provide an enhanced setting in their home or yard.
Since concrete and Gunite are expensive and more difficult to install, fiberglass became the most popular material for home spas. By the 1960s, home spas and hot tubs became more prevalent through all of California and into the rest of the United States and Canada . Today, home spas are an indication of luxury and sophistication and are used in a number of homes all over the world. A comfortable home spa provides a number of benefits and is a great addition to any home or business.
