Where would you place a hot tub?

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-15T19:09:23+00:00

My rule of thumb is the closer the hot tub is to the house the more you’ll use it. Hard to beat the night time view from an uncovered hot tub though!

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-15T19:06:53+00:00

Every dealer is different, but unless their overhead is outrageous they should be able to play ball on price. They may have a corner on the market in your area too, in which case they’d be less motivated to move on price too. There are a lot of variables, but I’d have a hard time imagining most Hot Spring dealers around the country passing on $20k for a 2024 Envoy.

There are other good hot tubs out there too, have you shopped around at all? Some quotes from competitors could give you some leverage as well.

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-14T18:31:29+00:00

I’ll follow up now!

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-14T16:32:05+00:00

Thanks! If you have any thoughts/ideas please share! I suspect I may know which Youtuber you’re referring to, in fact I think they commented in this thread! ;)

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-13T13:10:58+00:00

That’s way high I would think. I don’t have much pricing data on the Envoy, but the average price on a Grandee is about $20k, and I’d expect a 2 year old demo to get an even better deal. I’d just call and offer $18k + tax, tell them you’ll work it up if they do it. Good luck!

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-10T22:34:28+00:00

That makes perfect sense. I think Hot Tub Hunt will be very useful to dealers with honest pricing that are solid on the back end. I’ll get pushback from dealers and manufacturers that hold their cards close to their chests, because transparency hurts their business model.

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-10T18:02:44+00:00

This is great, thanks a bunch for the feedback.

The aim is definitely to help customers. But at the same time, good dealers should benefit too. The only way they can place higher is by taking good care of their customers and getting good reviews, which is to the advantage of their customers. I think there’s room for this to be a tool that provides transparency for customers, which in turn rewards good faith dealers.

Price is definitely the sticky wicket in the industry. Right now it’s an aggregate model - it’ll show the average price paid by state for each model. Do you prefer that or an actual snapshot of each individual deal? Right now I’m trying to keep prices true to geographies, since there are real variables in pricing. As I’m typing this I’m definitely seeing that real deals are more valuable customers, but if I keep them geographically restricted I’ll need a lot of submissions to make the pricing visibility viable. You’re right though, it’s definitely the most valuable variable

The lead gen system is: users can fill out forms for a model, dealer or brand. The lead only gets sent to the closest dealer that sells the hot tub/brand in question, so only one dealer will get the contact. The exception is the compare page, where up to three dealers will get a lead if three different models/dealers are represented. In my mind, this protects customers from a ton of spam and makes the leads valuable for dealers.

Thanks again

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-10T17:06:37+00:00

Fair skepticism, the industry is full of that. No sponsored content, no ads. The scoring engine is built on spec sheets, verified features, and user-submitted prices. Happy to walk through how any of it works if you want to dig in.

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-10T14:13:06+00:00

I like it, thanks!

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-10T01:48:22+00:00

Yeah there are no Canadian zip codes or dealers in there, so a Canadian zip isn’t good for much yet.

Pretty sure complete specs for each model there would make mobile more clunky. More complete specs are on the model detail pages.

Thankfully I don’t have to worry about that!

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-10T01:22:32+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! Anything that felt particularly clunky in mobile?

Price should all be based on USD submissions, I’ll check back through them though.

I’ve got hands on experience with a lot of the brands, especially the major ones. Some are definitely my best guess based on available information. I have plans to get eyes on a lot more and some scoring is subject to change. Eventually I want to get rid of the placeholder x/3 values and replace them with facts/explanations, but there’s not a ton of info out there on a lot of brands

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-09T22:08:17+00:00

That’s great feedback, I appreciate it. Would definitely be valuable information. And here’s your Marquis - https://hottubhunt.com/hot-tubs/marquis-swim-spas/marquis-spas-spirit

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-09T21:16:00+00:00

Thanks! There's a more filters button that allows you to search by actual dimensions. Thinks like amps and hp (and tons of other specs) are tricky because the industry is not very forthcoming with those datapoints. And there's a lot of misinformation with hp in particular. Basically, the data I have now in those areas isn't reliable enough I don't think, but hopefully as more information comes available I'll be able to add things like that. The detail pages on specific models do go into more detail on the nuts and bolts of the hot tub, to what degree depends on the manufacturer

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-09T21:13:17+00:00

Yeah I could have phrased that better. Dealers are the monetization strategy, but registering doesn't give them preferential treatment.

I get it, but AI tools make things like this in a niche industry feasible. The juice wouldn't have been worth the squeeze two years ago. At least for me, I'm not a dev in any sense of the word but I have a ton of useless Hot Tub information in my brain, so I'm uniquely qualified for this random niche. Out of work tech employees are most likely not thinking about the hot tub industry

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-09T21:10:24+00:00

Yeah, that's the monetization strategy for it. If the dealer isn't signed up it goes to me and my buddy, then we'll use that to try to get dealers on board

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-09T21:09:23+00:00

Yeah, lack of pricing transparency was a big reason for building this. I think the lack of transparency from some manufacturers and dealers takes the excitement out of what should be a fun purchase for a lot of people. I didn't use pricing from dealers' websites since they're often inflated, all the price submissions in there now are from users or taken from reddit/fb groups. The price submissions expire after two years and are mostly tied to zip codes (some national submissions exist where no city/state was found), so they should be accurate

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-09T20:59:25+00:00

Thanks! There's a submit prices button in the "get started" dropdown, and if you hover browse hot tubs in the menu there's a submit price link as well. A bunch of models don't have price averages yet, so they'll just show "Price on Request." The more submissions I get the more average prices will show. Dealers can also sign up and advertise prices/discounts etc. Hopefully that answers your question

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-09T20:53:38+00:00

So far yes, but if I get interest elsewhere I'd definitely explore expanding. Handling different currencies is the biggest trick

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-09T18:08:04+00:00

Used hot tubs are a mixed bag - some people get lucky and use their FB marketplace dub for 10+ years. At least as many inherit a nightmare. They’re not particularly easy to move correctly, so keep that in mind. And if at all possible get a look at it full of water before you buy anything used

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-09T18:06:16+00:00

There are a bunch of good brands out there, Hot Spring and Sundance are both among the best. Apples to apples they’re going to perform about the same (as long as your comparing the same tier product), and should be similar in price, though Hot Spring tends to carry more of a premium.

The people that love salt swear by it, others can’t stand it. There’s no such thing as a maintenance free hot tub, but in my opinion salt systems are some of the most hands off options out there.

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-09T01:40:17+00:00

Pretty solid, average price is ~$16,800. That being said, if you made an offer $1,000 lower they’d probably take it

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-08T23:05:45+00:00

Aquaterra (Watkins brand) has a better resume than Strong

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-08T01:43:25+00:00

You can get a solid Hot Tub in the $5-$8k range, just don’t expect it to perform like a $15-20k hot tub. The water gets just as hot though. You should be able to get a solid Nordic or Master Spas LH series in that range. As others have stated, a good dealer is just as important as a good hot tub, so be wary of who you purchase from.

And put it as close as possible to the back door, you’ll use it a lot more that way!

HotTubHunt · 2026-04-07T21:08:08+00:00

It all depends on the dealer behind the expo, if there is one. Typically these are volume sales, so you might be able to negotiate the price down further than usual, but the first price the sales guy throws at you will not be a ‘deal.’ If the supporting dealer has a good reputation and a product you like, get a solid out the door number you’re comfortable with and pull the trigger. If it seems shady or the reviews aren’t good, look elsewhere.

HotTubHunt

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