What are the Pros and Cons of Hot Tub Ownership?

Updated September 2026. I’ve rewritten this with current costs and energy prices, corrected a hot tub injury statistic I got wrong, and added the practical downsides I missed the first time: space, weight, electrics, water care and time.

Hot tubs have been used for relaxation for thousands of years. But before you dip your toes in (does that qualify as a dad joke?), it’s worth knowing what owning one is really like. Everyone’s different, and what’s a pro for one family is a con for another.

This post is about owning a hot tub, whether you buy one or build one. If you’re specifically weighing up whether to build your own, I’ve covered that separately in What are the pros and cons of building a hot tub?

The pros of owning a hot tub

1. Soak away your stress (and sleep better)

Warm water has been used to unwind for about as long as people have had it. Having a hot tub a few steps from the back door means you can let the tension of the day go after work, without booking a spa or driving anywhere.

There’s also decent evidence that a warm soak an hour or two before bed helps many people fall asleep faster. I’ve gone through the research properly, along with who should be careful, in Are hot tubs good for your health?

2. Easing aches, pains and stiff joints

The warmth relaxes tight muscles, and the buoyancy takes weight off sore joints. Lots of people with back pain or arthritis find a soak soothing, and plenty of people use one after sport or a day of heavy work. It’s comfort, not a cure, and if you have a medical condition it’s worth checking with your doctor or physio first.

3. You can use it all year round

A swimming pool (in the UK, at least) is a few-months-a-year thing. A hot tub is the opposite. There’s nothing more relaxing than sitting in hot water after a fresh snowfall, and it’s still lovely under a summer sky with the temperature turned down. Because it’s small, it’s far easier and cheaper to keep warm than a pool.

Winter does bring a few extra jobs, which I cover in winterizing your hot tub.

4. Family time and entertaining

Your family will enjoy it, and so will your friends and neighbours. A barbecue followed by everyone getting changed and climbing in under the stars is a great evening. My kids certainly treat ours as if it’s a swimming pool. We’ve got inflatables, the lot, and it’s lots of fun. It’s also time together without screens, which is worth a lot these days.

If you’re still deciding between a hot tub and something like a plunge pool, have a look at hot tub vs plunge pool: which should you build?

The cons of owning a hot tub

1. The upfront cost

Brand new hot tubs cost thousands, and the price climbs quickly with size, jets and features. To give you an idea, here are some published ranges (these are other people’s figures, and prices vary a lot by region and dealer):

Type	Typical price	Source
Inflatable (USA)	$400–$1,500	HomeAdvisor, 2026
Entry-level to premium hard shell (USA)	$2,500–$11,000, with luxury models up to about $35,000
In-ground installation (USA)	$8,000–$25,000
Hard shell (UK)	£2,800–£21,700	Checkatrade (2024 figures)

Buying second-hand can save you money, but you may inherit problems that aren’t covered by a warranty. If you do go that way, get it checked over properly before you hand over any money.

And, as I’ve said on this blog many times, building your own isn’t nearly as expensive as people think. See what is the cheapest hot tub to build?

2. Running costs

This is the one people underestimate. Your ongoing costs are:

• Electricity, mostly for heating and some for the pumps.
• Chemicals and test strips. HomeAdvisor puts chemicals at around $20 a month in the USA.
• Filters, which need cleaning regularly and replacing now and then.
• Water, for refilling a few times a year.
• Repairs, as pumps, heaters and circuit boards eventually wear out.

How much electricity a hot tub uses varies hugely. It depends on the size, how well it’s insulated, the cover, your climate, the temperature you run it at, how often you use it and how you heat it. So rather than give you a made-up average, here’s what each kWh a day costs at today’s prices:

Average electricity price	Each 1kWh a day costs about…
UK: 26.32p/kWh (Ofgem price cap, Oct–Dec 2026, direct debit)	£8 a month, or £96 a year
USA: 18.31¢/kWh (EIA residential average, July 2026)	$5.60 a month, or $67 a year

So a tub using 5kWh a day would cost roughly £480 a year in the UK or $335 in the USA, before chemicals. Check the energy rating of any tub you’re looking at, or measure your own with a smart meter. For comparison, Checkatrade estimated £1–£2 a day to heat a hard-shell tub, and noted that inflatables can cost far more because they’re so poorly insulated.

The good news: running costs are the con you have the most control over. A good, tight-fitting cover, proper insulation and an air source heat pump make a massive difference. I cut my own costs by 66%, and I explain how in How I reduced the running costs of my hot tub by 66%. There’s more on heat pumps in my guide to air source heat pumps for hot tubs.

3. Water care takes a bit of time

A hot tub isn’t hard to look after, but it isn’t zero effort either. Expect to:

• Test the water and top up the sanitiser a few times a week, and more after heavy use.
• Rinse the filter regularly and deep-clean it every so often.
• Drain, clean and refill every few months (see how to drain and clean your hot tub).

Get into a routine and it’s ten minutes here and there. Ignore it and you’ll get cloudy, smelly water, and potentially skin rashes or worse. My beginner’s guide to hot tub maintenance is the place to start.

4. Space, weight and a proper base

Water is heavy. Every litre weighs a kilogram, so even a modest tub holding 1,500 litres is 1.5 tonnes of water before anyone gets in. Mine holds around 2,800 litres. That needs a solid, level base: a concrete pad or a properly engineered deck, not a bit of lawn or an old patio. See my guide to hot tub bases.

You also need space around it for access, for the cover to lift off, and for somewhere to put the pump, heater or heat pump. And think about the neighbours. A heat pump makes some noise, and a hot tub right under their bedroom window won’t win you any friends.

5. Electrics and permissions

Some small tubs plug into a normal socket, but most proper hot tubs need a dedicated, hardwired supply with RCD (UK) or GFCI (USA) protection, installed by an electrician. Budget for that. It’s covered in A guide to hot tub electrics.

In England, the Planning Portal says you typically won’t need planning permission for a garden hot tub, unless you’re in a listed building or a conservation area, but the electrical installation must meet Building Regulations. In the USA, rules vary by city and county. See Do I need a permit for my hot tub?

6. Health and safety risks

When I first wrote this post, I quoted a 2009 study as saying it looked at 80,000 hot tub accidents and that 10% were down to heat. I’ve gone back to that study and I had it wrong. What the researchers actually found was that hot tub injuries treated in US emergency departments rose from about 2,500 a year to more than 6,600 a year between 1990 and 2007. About half were slips and falls. For children under 6, near-drowning made up more than two-thirds of injuries, and the most severe injuries to children came from getting caught on suction drains.

So the biggest practical risks are:

• Slips and falls: use sturdy, non-slip hot tub steps and a handrail.
• Overheating: keep the water at or below 40°C (104°F), which is the maximum the CDC recommends. Get out if you feel dizzy or unwell.
• Children: the CDC says no children under 5. Always supervise older children, and keep a locking cover on when it’s not in use.
• Alcohol: the CDC advises no alcohol before or during use.
• Health conditions: if you’re pregnant, have a heart condition or blood pressure problems, speak to your doctor first.

I also said in the original that people with blood pressure problems shouldn’t jump from a hot tub into a cold pool. That’s still sensible advice, because a sudden plunge into cold water can make your heart rate and blood pressure jump. If contrast therapy interests you and you have any heart or blood pressure issues, talk to your doctor first.

7. Infection risk if the water isn’t looked after

A badly maintained hot tub is a great breeding ground for bacteria. The two big ones are hot tub rash (Pseudomonas) and Legionella, which can cause a serious lung infection. The CDC recommends keeping free chlorine at 3ppm or more, or bromine at 4–8ppm, with pH at 7.0–7.8. Don’t get in with an open wound, shower before and after, and if the water smells strongly of chemicals or looks cloudy, fix it before you use it. See the ultimate guide to balancing chemicals in your hot tub.

8. Visitors: insects and rodents

Some uninvited guests come with owning a hot tub. Standing water and warmth can attract insects, and a warm equipment bay is a cosy home for mice. Keep the cover on, the water sanitised, and the control room or cabinet sealed.

I’ve had my share of “visitors”, living close to fields. It’s not a huge issue as long as you don’t mind removing the odd one from the control room now and then. If you’re building your own, design the control room with that in mind.

9. It won’t make you money when you sell

When I first wrote this, I said a hot tub can be a good selling point. That’s true for some buyers, but it’s not a reliable investment. A US appraiser quoted by HomeLight said he’d seen little value added even by built-in hot tubs, and that freestanding tubs are usually treated as personal property. Some buyers love them, and others worry about maintenance. Buy or build one because you’ll enjoy it, not for the house price.

Pros and cons at a glance

Pros	Cons
Stress relief and relaxation	Upfront cost
Many people sleep better	Electricity and chemical costs
Eases aches and stiff joints	Weekly water care
Year-round use	Needs a strong base, space and a dedicated electrical supply
Family time and entertaining	Safety risks (slips, heat, children, alcohol)
Something the whole family can enjoy	Infection risk if neglected, plus the odd rodent
Running costs are very controllable	Rarely adds much to a house price

Buy, build, or something else?

If the pros win, the next question is where your hot tub comes from.

• Buy one if you want it quickly with a warranty, and a standard size and shape suit your garden.
• Build one if you want a tub designed for your space, in-ground or with a proper finish, and you enjoy a project. I’ve listed the honest pros and cons in the pros and cons of building a hot tub.
• Something else: if you’re not sure yet, 5 alternatives to buying a hot tub is worth a look.

Planning your own build?

If you decide to build, my DIY hot tub plans come with CAD drawings, the plumbing layout, a parts list and a video course, so you can get your costs sorted before you start. Designing it yourself also means you can build in the insulation, cover and heat pump that keep running costs down.

FAQs

Is owning a hot tub worth it?

If you’ll use it regularly, most owners would say yes. It’s worth it when you have the space, a budget for running costs, and are happy to spend a few minutes a week on water care. If you’d only use it a few times a year, it probably isn’t.

How much does it cost to run a hot tub?

It depends mainly on insulation, the cover, your climate and how you heat it. At current average prices, each kWh a day costs about £96 a year in the UK or $67 a year in the USA. A well-insulated tub with a good cover and a heat pump costs much less to run than an inflatable one.

How much maintenance does a hot tub need?

Test and adjust the water a few times a week, rinse the filter regularly, and drain and refill every few months. Once it’s a routine, it’s a few minutes at a time.

Does a hot tub add value to a house?

Rarely by much. Portable tubs are usually treated as personal property, and even built-in ones tend to be valued as part of the landscaping. Some buyers love them, and others see maintenance.

What are the risks of owning a hot tub?

The main ones are slips and falls, overheating, children getting in unsupervised, and infections from poorly maintained water. Non-slip steps, a locking cover, water at or below 40°C (104°F) and proper sanitising deal with most of them.

Own a hot tub already? What’s the biggest pro or con for you? Tell me in the comments below. I read them all.

Cheers,
Andi

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Thanks - Andi

 

Hi, Andi here. I own Buildahottub.com and also write all of the articles and info pages on the site. Some years back now, I built my own hot tub but struggled to find the information I needed. So, once my tub was complete, I started this website to help others in their own pursuit of hot tub and plunge pools DIY building information.

Fast forward to 2025, I've helped over 1400+ DIY customers just like you all over the world build hot tubs and pools. Have a good look around the site, there are lots of resources here. Please do get in touch if I can help you. - Cheers, Andi