A neighbor had teased about getting one of these inflatable spas for the summer, and just keeping it set to a cool temperature, when at the height of the pandemic and no pools could be found anywhere.
That got me casually browsing for an inflatable spa for the next couple months, but most of these were around $600. I kept watching the prices, reading the reviews (which were shockingly all very positive), and then this one went on sale for about $350 and DiscoverMyStore offered payments over time.
OMG, how could one not spring for it in that scenario?! I figured heck, even if it lasted 3 months, that would be about $100 per month for seasonal fun. WOW have I ever gotten my money’s worth! This is the coolest (well, hottest) thing I have ever spent some discretionary funds on! I honestly feel like some of my friends who spent thousands of dollars on a regular spa got chumped.
But, I also realize that the tradeoff is that this spa is not solid-sided or insulated, and likely won’t keep its heat in the dead of winter. But heck, who REALLY wants to be trapesing out in the snow in the dead of winter to get into a spa, anyway? That’s what indoor ones are for, in my mind (And no, I would definitely NOT recommend using this, or any other portable spa, indoors! You’d get lots of water from your feet and swimsuit on the floors, bromine fumes in the air, and potentially mildew in your room without proper ventilation!).
And, here in Chicago, we get massive snow falls, and I don’t plan on shoveling a path on my deck to this sucker. So, it will be enjoyed from summer through late fall, at which point I will drain it,.
dry it out, and store it for the winter. A lot of people are complaining about delivery dates in the reviews, which is a bit inane, in my opinion. It’s like the people who complain about receiving damaged items.
Sorry, but issues with shipping carriers and logistics are not product-related. Keep your reviews related to product features and customer service! If you place an order, and then you get word that the product is not going to arrive on time due to a delay, cancel the order.
It’s your prerogative. I got lucky, in that I placed my order at the beginning of August and it arrived within a couple of days. It all depends on manufacturer output and local availability at the time you order! Keep checking!As far as product features go, again, this is really cool for the money.
Watch a YouTube video on how to use the blower to properly inflate it, be extremely careful with all the parts, since they are plastic, and you probably should use plumber’s tape like I did on the connections for a bit of extra watertight security (No, do NOT use permanent pipe adhesive!).
This particular two-person model fills extremely fast with good hose pressure. Mine was up to the minimum line in about 45 minutes. If you have good local water quality, like I seem to have here in the Chicago area (Lake Michigan water), your water should be almost the ideal chemistry level to start with.
Remember, it always revolves around PH levels! I used to sell pools and spas as a teenager, and if your PH levels are not in line, nothing else will be! If you do start buying chemicals for this, make sure your PH is balanced (using small amounts of PH up or down) first, before messing with anything else.
Definitely invest in a small bottle of test strips from a local pool company. Always keep the spa covered (for safety, water chemistry, and heat-retention) and note that if rain water ever gets into your spa, it’s going to throw off your water chemistry.
Invest in a cheap (sub $10) floater for this and don’t put more than two bromine tablets at a time in it. That, coupled with about two bromine tablets in the built-in dispenser seem to keep my bromine levels perfect and sanitary in this.
I replace the cartridge filter upon draining and refilling every two months. Just my own sanitary preference. Regarding heating, when starting from hose temperature water in August or September in the Midwest, it takes about 6 to 8 hours in summer or fall weather to get up to the max.
104 degrees. I typically keep the filter on 24/7 for sanitation reasons, but turn the heater off over night to save energy. Since I work from home, I go down at noon to turn the heater on, and by the time I am ready to use it after dinner, it’s already at 104 degrees – every time! Keep that top on when heating it so ambient air does not battle the heater and nothing is escaping! The lid is your friend.
Related to actual use, it’s so, so, so flippin’ cool for the money! The jets are amazing! Powerful, even, and really makes you feel like you’re in a several thousand dollar spa when in this thing. Every time myself and some friends are in it, we talk about how we can’t believe it was only $350.
The 104 max temperature feels amazing, and usually lasts for about the first 30-minute jet cycle. The only drawback to this, is that the air being circulated for the jets is not heated. So, when you’re in it, and the jets are running, you can reach down and feel almost cool air coming out.
So, that tends to lower the temperature, which you can see on the amazingly accurate digital display. In my experience, in summer and fall Midwest ambient air, it looses about 2 degrees in water temperature for every 30 minute cycle you are using it.
So, by the time we get out after about 1. 5 glorious hours, it’s down to about 98 degrees. That’s not bad at all!I invested in a circular foam base for this spa, but honestly, the stock bottom of it was so comfortable on the deck, I almost didn’t need it.
I do hope that the foam base provides a little extra insulation as the fall gets colder, though, for heat retention. Will this put powerful jets on the muscle areas that you need therapy most? No. Will it stay hot and satisfying all winter long in the Midwest or up North? Probably not (but I don’t know for sure!).
Will it take up a small amount of space, be easy to maintain, fill quickly, heat quickly, and provide you with hours of fun? ABSOLUTELY! Even if after I drain this in late fall and pack it away, should it not fire up again next summer for any reason, I would gladly just buy another one in a heartbeat.
One of these purchased every year beats $8k to $10k for a regular spa prone to lots of maintenance issues any day!.