It is highly amusing when you get some so called hot tub specialists (usually the ones with sun glasses on) talking about the number of jets in a Hot Tub with out having even taken into account the strength of the pumps which are going to power those very Jets..
So these many jets (not that many really) do not have enough power to actually make these Jets perform properly, So for performance in a Hot Tub it is just not a simple question of the number of Jets but it does come down to things like engineering and design and the combination of the Jets with the correct motors and water pumps to produce the better product.
More often than not these Hot Tubs with lower rated motors have to have a diverter valve fitted so that other parts of the spa can be turned off so as to get any decent power where one is actually sitting.
I know a few UK dealers who sell spas like this which they describe as unbranded models as the manufacturer has deliberately produced a cut down model. That's fine as long as they are priced accordingly and the consumer understands that he is not buying the top of the range model nor indeed a middle range model but a bottom of the range model.
Quite often many vendors (with or with out sunglasses) keep stressing that their Hot Tubs have air when all they really mean is the venturi effect of air being mixed with the water Jets not in fact an independent air blower. Air is great for blue or varicose veins. The basic idea of air coming out of those pepper pot type jets in a Hot Tub Jacuzzi is too provide air blower therapy which increases the natural blood circulation to your skin and medical Doctors that I have spoken to have confirmed this train of thought. . Our skin represents by far the largest component of our body which helps us to remove poisons and the like.
When our skin is invigorated, naturally our overall health and feel good factor is increased and improved and this goes a long way to help to remove toxins from our body and this has a direct result on increasing our personal vitality as both our mind & body receive the natural rejuvenating treatment.
It is a well known medical fact that the lower legs, the Tibia & Fibia areas, between the knee and the feet and ankles are the longest distance from our hearts. That is why if you break your leg below the knee the "lower third" is the area which is the hardest to heal often needing bone grafts to get the healing process on its way. I speak with personal experience having spent more than a little time with my leg in traction with a broken femur and the leg below the knee in a plaster cast with a broken Tibia & Fibia. This lack of circulation is also why the ankles can get those blue looking spidery blood veins, and then of course our legs often get varicose veins. Air Jets go a long way to helping to reduce them.
In the same way that people and families vary in size so of course does the sizes and shapes of Hot Tubs just as much.
They also vary when it comes to the question of how many people they can accommodate.
For example there are some that are just small enough for two to three people. Some people, usually a couple, often think a small tub is a better buy but this is always a mistake unless space is a limiting factor. If space is a limiting factor then clearly a small tub is the order of the day. The reason for this is that well designed 4/5 seater Hot Tubs have different seat designs both in terms of depth so that one seat will be much deeper for more buoyancy and another not so deep. Also four / five seater will have more and varied massage positions and choices which a smaller Hot Tub will not have. Then of course there are those that will seat eight people and others that can seat four to five people and those that can seat five to six. Often these can be suitable for ones family together with friends or indeed perfectly suitable for just a couple.
A typical two seater would be say 81" long and 55" wide with a depth of 30" or in metric terms some 2.06M x 1.4M with a depth of 0.75M. This Hot Tub would hold in the region of some 190 gallons of Water (US) or say 720 Litres. This type of Hot tub would probably have something in the range of 12 to 18 Jets with a two speed 2HP motor with a 2HP air blower.
Always look for the Air Blower and if its not there then ask why,
Moving up to say an eight sided / Octagonal Shape a typical size would be 80" by 80" with a depth of 34". This would have the same pump configuration as the two seater referred to above but would accommodate six people and have a much larger water capacity of some 400 US Gallons or 1,500 Litres.
One of the most popular types is a five seater with one lounger usually say a size of 82" by 80" with a depth of 32" and some times you can get a deeper version with a depth of 40" or again in Metric it would be some 2.08M x 2.01M with a depth of 0.79M and for the deeper version the depth would be just over one Metre. The standard size would hold some 400 Gallons US (1,500 Litres) and the Deeper Tub Some 425 Gallons US (1,600 Litres).
You can also get very clever designer shaped spa's with a stretched lounge seat that will take five people and with a size of 79" by 73" it's slightly smaller than the one immediately above and you can see that in the water capacity is smaller at 300 US gallons or some 1,135 Litres.
Obviously as one moves up the scale in the terms of cost you tend to get more and more extras like a waterfall and neck / collar jets. This kind of size of Tub would have a 2 speed 3.5 HP motor for the European market and 5 hp in the United States and a 2 HP air blower.
In a brief article one can only highlight a few ideas or choices so I have restricted this to just a few Hot Tubs as obviously the choice is pretty wide. There are of course more exotic Hot Tubs with much more Jets say 98 and 130 Jets together with underwater perimeter lighting systems. Now one of the key questions has to be how one chooses the right Hot Tub and not end buying a pig in a poke or the Dog Fish Tub or indeed a Wing Wang Wah Tub. Well the answer is to buy from a well established western manufacturer who has been making Hot Tubs for say 20 years and whose product has stood the test of time. Buy a product with recognized controls like Balboa from California... Avoid Hot Tubs that are made in the East. They are of course very highly skilled at making copies but remember the recent Toy incident and of course their products are made in somewhat difficult labour conditions in what many people consider an oppressive regime that persecutes its own people and does not allow freedom of speech. I often am asked to repair older Hot Tubs and the western made products stand up very well where as the eastern made products are suffering after a very short time in the field. We find it quite easy to source spare parts for American made products. It makes sense does it not - not only are they the developers of Hot Tubs more than forty years ago but they also speak our language and use the same alphabet!!!
As I have explained above the choice is very wide.
Some Hot Tubs offer multi-level seating for people of different body types. Some feature comfortable built-in lounge seats. It's very important to choose the Hot Tub that matches with what suits your own idea of perfect relaxation and is made to a proper high western standard so that it will provide you many years service... It is best to avoid cheap imports from the east no matter how well they are packaged or disguised. Our experience in the field is that certain key components FAIL with in quite a short time. Usually just outside the warranty!!!
John E Lewis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Shopping and Home Security. The author supplies Luxury American Hot Tubs from Estepona in Spain on the Costa Del Sol In Spain and his web site is at . John E Lewis's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.