4 minute read
The Fall Warmup
Your Hot Tips For Buying A Hot Tub
The Fall Warmup
The weather is turning crisp and it’s time to turn up the heat in your hot tub. What’s that? You don’t have a hot tub? Well, why not? At Mountain Hot Tub, they have heard all the excuses in the book. “My yard is too small.” “It’s too expensive.” “It’s a pain to maintain.” “I don’t have the right electrical system.” To dispel some of those myths, Max Blaser, General Manager of Mountain Hot Tub, chatted with us about what you really need to know when it comes to hot tubs. Mountain Hot Tub has been serving the Bozeman community since 1979, when two high school buddies started hand-building cedar hot tubs. From that first foray in wooden tubs, Bozeman was hooked on the hot water oases. “Bozeman has always been an incredible hot tub community,” Blaser explains. “Between the climate and the active lifestyle, it’s just a perfect fit for hot tubs. In fact, we internally refer to (Bozeman) as ‘The Hot Tub Capital of The World’. That being said, the recent interest in hot tubs is totally unprecedented.” In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, consumers’ appetite for hot tubs grew as insatiably as it did for a second season of Tiger King. And with stress levels ratcheting through the roof, everyone was looking for ways to decompress at home. “Lately we’ve seen that many hot tub buyers and users are focused on emotional wellbeing,” Blaser says. “It goes without saying that for many, stress levels are running high. So, having a place to escape, unplug, and relax with family has become the primary benefit for most hot tubbers right now.” Additionally, Blaser says hot tubbing offers physical benefits like improved circulation and deep tissue massage. “We hear from new customers on a daily basis saying what a terrific investment the tub has been,” he says. “Not just to help with an ailing back or muscle soreness but because it’s given them a place to spend time with their kids, with no cell phones. For many of our customers and most of our employees, hot tub time is family time.” If de-stressing, getting the family to put down the devices, and a deep tissue massage were enough to pique your interest, Blaser says there are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for a hot tub. The biggest consideration for customers right now should be timeframe. “With demand where it is currently, and production offset from COVID complications and supply chain issues, some spa models are pre-sold until Christmas and some brands are well into 2021,” Blaser says. “So, if you’re considering a hot tub and you want to be soaking while the snow flies this year, the time to buy is now.” After you decide when to buy, you need to decide how big a tub
you’ll need and where to put it. When considering where you want your hot tub, Blaser says to put it as close as possible to an outside door. “A setting far from the house may look picturesque, but believe us when we say that you will use the tub more if you can quickly scamper to a warm robe when the temperatures drop below zero,” he advises. When it comes to size, don’t scrimp. “An RV dealer once told me, spend some time in each model, figure out what you think is the smallest size you could comfortably enjoy, then buy one size bigger,” Blaser says. “We’ve found this to be similarly true when it comes to hot tubs. With the efficiency of our modern tubs, energy costs don’t vary significantly by tub size (a common concern). But it’s always true that you just can’t fit four adults in a three-person spa.” A misconception Blaser and his team still run into is that hot tubs are for seasonal use. He explains that hot tubs are indeed meant to be used year-round. In fact, Blaser says, some of the spas the company installed in the 80s are still up and running outdoors. Since you can hot tub all year, the Mountain Hot Tub team is committed to delivering spas all year, too. “No matter the conditions or location, we can find a way to get you soaking more and worrying less,” Blaser says. “Simply put, there is no reason to wait until spring to start enjoying a tub.” And finally, the electrifying part of the story. Oftentimes, customers think the electrical requirements for hot tubs are complicated. Blaser and his team recommend 220V hookups when possible. But if your home isn’t “pre-wired” for a hot tub, it’s typically an easy and inexpensive process, Blaser explains. “Also, if you don’t want to make any changes, we have plenty of ‘plug n’ play’ tubs that run on standard outlets with no modifications,” he says. Mountain Hot Tub offers a range of prices, with new spas sold at $3,000 to $20,000. That price tag includes delivery anywhere in the company’s service area – about a 90-mile radius from Bozeman, Butte or Helena.
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Showroom: M-F 10-5, Sat 10-4 40 Spanish Peak Drive, #103, Bozeman, MT 59718
