Buying a Hot Springs Vista Hot Tub

I purchased my first hot tub from my parents in the spring of 2007. At the time I really didn't know much about hot tubs except that it sounded fun. It was a Coleman hot tub that was about nine years old. My parents hadn't used it for several years so it sat out empty in the hot sun of Barstow California. Evidently, my parents didn't know much either as they thought they were giving me a killer deal by only charging me $500. As a result, I rounded up about eight friends and we man-handled the hot tub to my yard. I then filled it up and found that it was leaking like the titanic. As a result, I listed the hot tub on Craigslist and sold it for $300 and felt lucky to have gotten rid of it after several failed self-attempts of fixing the leaks.

From my first hot tub experience I learned that one should not buy a used hot tub unless you can see it up and running without leaks. Letting a hot tub sit empty in the sun is a sure way to wreck a good hot tub.

I still wanted a hot tub and I didn't want to throw down what it would cost to buy a new one. As a result, I turned to Craigslist to find another hot tub. This time I found a Pacific West Hot Tub for $4,000. The listing pictured it full and operational. As a result, I went to see it and found it in good working order (no apparent leaks). It seemed like a really nice hot tub so I offered the lady $3,000, which she accepted.

From my last experience I learned not to use friends to move a hot tub. Even if you and your friends are careful you are likely to cause a leak to develop since you don't have the right equipment. A professionally moved hot tub minimizes the strain on the tub and the possibility of developing a leak. I simply searched Craigslist again and found some guy with the right equipment who agreed to move the hot tub across town to my house for about $300.

Once the hot tub was put in place I filled it up only to find that the tub was leaking. This was extremely disappointing as I thought I did everything right. I saw the hot tub operational with apparently no leaks and I had the tub moved with the proper equipment. As a result, I called the guy who moved it to ask him what he thought. He then informed me that he knew the tub was leaking the minute he moved it off the original slap. Evidently, the slab was cracked in the middle and the water was going through the crack. That seemed to make sense as I remembered that the lady stated she had to regularly add water to the tub due to evaporation. In reality, she had a leak and didn't realize it. I decided not to contact the lady that sold me the tub since she seemed to be going through a tough time and she didn't knowingly sell me a leaking hot tub.

To fix the leak I hired a professional who tipped the tub up and dug into the Styrofoam.   It took him about three hours to find and fix the leak, which cost me another $700. The tub then ran well for a couple years and then it developed a second leak. This was especially disappointing since I just purchased a new hot tub cover off the internet. Buying a hot tub cover off the internet worked really well - just be sure to measure carefully. Anyway, I decided to sell the hot tub to a friend for $500. This was a good deal since I just purchased the new cover for $550.  

Even though I had experienced two leaky hot tubs I realized that having a hot tub was actually really fun. The convenience of soaking in a nice tub combined with the social aspect makes owning a hot tub irresistible. My hot tub did not sit on the patio laughing at me - it was well used and enjoyed. As a result, I knew that I still wanted own a hot tub only this time I was going to buy new. Buying new would guarantee no leaks plus I would have a nice warranty.

In my search for a hot tub I looked at the following brands: Cal Spa, HotSpring, Jacuzzi, Bullfrog, Clearwater, Marquis, and Sundance. After wet testing several we decided to buy the Hot Springs Vista hot tub and we couldn't be more pleased. This tub is extremely comfortable for a tall person, the jets are incredible, the lighting is unbelievable and the sound system is decent.

Here's a full list of things that I really like about the Vista Hot Springs hot tub:

•  The hot tub has a really cool lighting system. You can control the lighting behind the head rests, around the cup holders and down under. Friends are very impressed.

•  The Hot Springs Vista hot tub has the most comfortable seats and head rests. The head rests flex in making them very comfortable. I'm 6'3" and the seats fit me perfectly. My wife is unfortunately 5'3", which means the seats are a little too deep for her.

•  The filtering system is pretty strong with five filters. I like that you can put the filters in the dishwasher to clean them. This makes life a lot easier.

•  I'm using the Silk Balance Spa Water Care System, which seems to be working well. I do have to add enzymes once in a while to combat foam and dirt. The enzymes are a must. I have three kids so the tub sees heavy use.

•  I purchased the speaker system with sub woofer. I was a little disappointed in the sound. It only comes with two speakers and the sub woofer isn't very strong. That said, I'm glad I have the sound system as it's pretty cool to sit in the tub and listen to your favorite music. I definitely recommend the indoor wireless docking station for your ipod. You don't want to be messing with this outside. The wireless system allows you to setup and start your ipod from the comforts of your home. From the hot tub you can do the following:

•  Turn it on and off

•  Adjust volume

•  Skip tracks

•  I like that the cabinet of the Vista Hot Springs is synthetic requiring no maintenance.

•  The Lift 'n Glide system makes opening and closing the tub really nice.

•  The water feature is extremely relaxing. At night the water out of the water feature changes colors with the lighting system. It's beautiful.

•  The Hot Springs hot tubs have what they call a Moto-Massage. This is really nice if adjusted so that the water is not too strong. It took me a while to figure this out.

•  The Vista Hot Springs hot tub has tons of room. The lounge chair is huge and the floor space is great - you rarely touch feet with others in the tub.

•  The heater is really strong. In fact, you can feel the heat coming up from the floor. You learn not to step on the heater cover.

•  The ozonator isn't a light bulb; hence, it will never need to be replaced. I like low maintenance.

In addition, to the aforementioned points, I was drawn to the Hot Springs hot tub due to the fact that my neighbor owns one that is fifteen years old and still running. Buying a reliable tub with a lot of great features was just what I needed. I highly recommend the Vista Hot Springs hot tub. I purchased my hot tub on 2/12/10 from IHT International Hot Tub Co., Inc. for $10,000. Good luck!