Review: SaluSpa Ibiza Inflatable Hot Tub

When I agreed to test a SaluSpa Ibiza hot tub for work (it’s a hard life, I know), I figured it would be a relatively simple process. I thought I’d just put it on my deck and fill ’er up—you can just put them anywhere, right? Wrong. At 222 gallons of water, this thing would weigh over 1 ton if you put two average-size adults in it, let alone the four to six that the gigantic box says it can hold.

So no, you can’t just place it on a deck, unless your deck is specifically built to withstand a literal ton of weight and water. In my backyard, straight on the grass, it would be. My going-to-native-prairie, raccoon-filled backyard, surrounded by shady oak trees with a penchant for raining branches and walnuts the second the wind hits more than 3 mph.

I figured I could just plug it in anywhere. Wrong again. Technically, it’s supposed to be on an isolated circuit. The manual recommends having a professional electrician come and set up an outlet dedicated to your hot tub and your hot tub alone. Even with the plug having built-in GCFI, similar to a hair dryer, you don’t want to mess around with mixing water and electricity. I just plugged it into a heavy-duty outdoor extension cord (another no-no, please do not do this) and crossed my fingers, running to unplug it from the wall on my back porch every time it rained because I was terrified of starting a fire—but not so terrified that I listened to the instructions in the first place. I digress.

Photograph: Louryn Strampe

Speaking of rain, I thought that the cover would protect my hot tub from the elements. Third time’s the charm—I was wrong again. The SaluSpa Ibiza has a nifty floating square that does give the tarplike cover some structure, but water, acorns, ants, and mosquito eggs still pooled on the top whenever it rained. In August in northern Illinois, this happens frequently. Don’t get me started on the earwigs. To quote World of Warcraft, I was not prepared. There were no string lights, no romantic citronella candles, no relaxing under the stars and watching the snow fall peacefully. I was a sweaty girl in the middle of a heat wave with a job to do.

And one other snafu—when the hot tub arrived in late December, I did not anticipate that two weeks later, I’d slip on ice and snap my ankle. Pesky Midwestern weather at it again. After months of rehabilitation, I finally got the tub set up in late summer—exactly the opposite time it would’ve been ideal to do so. None of these factors are a detriment to the hot tub itself. But my review requires several grains of salt.

On to the Lede

The SaluSpa Ibiza is easy to set up, but the instructions are bad. I followed a lot of the setup alongside this YouTube video and puzzled my way through the rest. You basically set up the pump, use it to inflate the 6-by-6-foot body of the tub and the floating cover, and then fill the tub up with water. The tarplike top cover snaps around the tub with carseat-style clasps that aren't the easiest to unclip with wet hands, but that's nitpicky. They work fine. My tub filled faster than I thought it would, in around 90 minutes, but it took nearly two days to heat up, even in the summer heat. I can imagine this would take much longer in the brutal Illinois winters.

Photograph: Louryn Strampe

The touch controls on the pump are not the most intuitive, and I wish they were labeled—in order to set the jets, timer, temperature, and whatnot I just found myself referencing the manual every time I had to adjust something. But there is a way to set the heating time—from 0 to 999 hours—and a delayed start option. You can set the temperature up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, though a quick internet search says people prefer it to be around 100 to 102 degrees. If you don’t want it running all the time, keep in mind that you’ll need to anticipate your hot tub use in order to let it heat up. The spa also includes a filter and chlorine dispenser, though you need to supply your own chlorine tablets, lest you want to replace the unfiltered tap water every three days. Have you seen the kinds of bacteria that can grow in a hot tub? Please make sure your water quality is up to snuff.

One minor-ish note: Make sure you keep all of the various parts and accessories that arrive in the box. Those hoses and caps might not seem relevant upon setup, but you'll need them for efficient refilling, draining, and drying.

A Simple Soak

Photograph: Louryn Strampe

Once my water was all heated up, I took a dip, and for maybe the first time in my 31 years on this planet, I wished it was winter. I could so easily picture myself sprinting from the back door to the hot tub, lounging and reading a book on my Kindle while fat snowflakes fell around me—being the kind of person that casually says, “Oh yeah, I have a hot tub in my backyard” as if that isn’t the most amazing thing in the world. There’s a fancy airjet massage option that froths the water and lends to the general ~vibes~. I didn’t really find it massage-y, but it was still nice to be soaking in a little cauldron in my backyard. I think getting some floating LEDs would lend to the ambiance.

The bottom is a bit slippery, so if you take advantage of the pump’s built-in cupholder to enjoy an adult beverage or two, be careful getting out. The sides of the hot tub are rigid enough to perch on, which is nice since there aren’t any built-in seats. I am dubious about the claims that it could fit six adults—I think you’d have to be really good friends if you crammed six people in there. Alas, this claim is untested, because I could not persuade any of my loved ones to get in a hot tub in the dead heat and humidity of summer.

Photograph: Louryn Strampe

Overall, the hot tub seems durable and it's easy to clean. There’s even a built-in Freeze Shield that protects the hot tub from damage when it’s cold outside—a feature I am excited to test. I did experience some deflation once temperatures shifted to being cold at night, but it wasn't difficult to add more air. Setup wasn’t too difficult—I’m a small person and I handled it almost completely by myself—and I’m very much looking forward to putting it to use when the heat index isn’t 105. If you’re looking for a relatively affordable hot tub to use at home, I think this is a great option. Just beware falling branches.