Hot tubs are BIG things. Even a two-person tub needs a fair-sized space. So how do you pick the right size hot tub in the first place and once you’ve decided, how do you get it into the garden? Here’s what you need to know.

Hot tub choices – Size matters  

There’s a lot to think about. The right size hot tub depends on your garden as well as your taste and budget. You need enough room for the tub itself. You want to think about room for drainage – 30cm on each side and 40cm for the entrance – and the entertainment area you want to make around the tub. If you want to enclose it or build steps around it, factor that in. Do you need to leave room to create privacy, maybe another 50cm to fix a decorative panel or build a wall? How big is your garden dining set / lounge set / BBQ or whatever else you’ll have out there? How will it all fit together, working well practically while looking good?

Next, the people. If it’s usually just you and the other half, focus on that. For people with frequent big hot tub parties in mind you can go as big as a tub for seven or eight, and of course that’ll need more space than a two or three-seater.  Make sure you check out the images, which tell you a lot about the tub’s size, and always get full accurate measurements from the manufacturer as well. Then you’re fully armed to make the best hot tub size choice.

Hot tub sizes

Small hot tubs are designed for 2-3 people and smaller spaces. A good rule of thumb: the bigger the people, the less room there is.

• Two person hot tubs are usually less than 200cm across and a maximum of 82cm deep, perfect for two average size adults. For a more spacious, luxurious experience for two, or for one adult and a couple of little kids, maybe pick a three seater.
• Three seater hot tubs are designed for three but again, it depends on who’ll be using it. If it’s two adults and a fast-growing teen, a three seater might quickly start to feel too small. But two adults will find it nice and roomy. Three seat hot tubs tend to fall into much the same size range as the two seater models, depending on the maker and model
• Use the same thinking for a four person hot tub and you won’t go far wrong. They tend to be anything from 200 to 220cm diameter and as deep as 95cm. The same goes for five seater hot tubs, which fall into roughly the same size range depending on the model and manufacturer

Medium hot tubs fit six adults, the most popular size.

• Six full-size people can fit comfortably in a six seater, making it perfect for families with teens or who want to buy the ideal sized tub early rather than scale up in a few years’ time. They usually come in at 200 to 240cm diameter and as can be as deep as 95cm.

Large hot tubs are great for entertaining and take 7 or more grown-ups.

• The diameter and depth varies by model and maker but they’re often a full metre deep. Go for an eight person tub and it can be as wide as 2.5m, a whopper of a thing. 

How to lift a hot tub into the garden

It’s so important to think about how to get the tub into the garden in the first place. Maybe you live in a terraced house with a back alley, tricky but not impossible. If your side passage is wide enough for a person but not a lot more, a hot tub won’t fit through.

Things like this are common enough, and there are solutions, but here’s a cool tip for hot tubbing novices: even if you’ve adored the experience on a holiday, hen or stag week, spa or honeymoon,  you can’t really know whether a hot tub at home is what you want until you give it a go.

If that’s you, avoid unnecessary hassle’lifting a permanent tub into the garden. Suck it and see with an inflatable hot tub. By the end of the summer you’ll know for sure if you want to invest in the real deal.

What’s the solution when you can’t get a hot tub into the garden because there’s simply no access, or the access isn’t good enough? Luckily hot tubs aren’t madly heavy, mostly under a tonne. It’s the size and shape that make things awkward.

If the only way is through the house or across next door’s garden, you’ll probably have to crane it in. You can do it in two ways, either hire a Contract Lift or just hire the actual crane and operator.

Contract Lifting services cost a lot more but the company does everything for you: the site survey, risk assessment and method statement, handling the authorities, providing all the equipment, the crane driver, a banksman or signaller to manage the project safely, and the right insurance cover for property and liability.

Your other option is basic Crane Hire, which costs dramatically less but you do everything except the lifting yourself. Strict Health and safety legislation means you mustn’t cut corners and there are formal, official ways of doing things at every stage. All this is your responsibility. 

In a world where a hire crane overbalanced lifting a hot tub over a house and demolished the place, crane hire could easily be a false economy. It’s unlikely an accident like that will be covered by ordinary home insurance, so don’t skimp on cover. Your home insurer might be able to advise you, or provide insurance under a separate policy. If not, find a specialist insurance broker online or a walk-in broker on the high street.

 Cranes come in different sizes. The hire company or contractors will advise on the best crane size for the tub and the context. It depends on the tub’s weight, obviously, but it’s also about the lift’s radius, in other words the distance between the crane and the tub’s final destination. The building’s height matters as well, since it’s a whole lot easier to lift a hot tub over a bungalow into a back garden than heave it over the roof of a two storey house.

The price for the job depends on the service you go for and the crane size, plus how far away the crane’s depot is.  

Make your mouth water with marvellous hot tubs

Small, medium or large, we have a beautiful selection of quality hot tubs available on our site, made to make your mouth water. We hope you enjoy the journey!