Both are a good option, but a spa can be used year round so your not limited on the time you can use it.

I live in Georgia and have a nice home but I don't have much space to install a pool. So I prefer to use Hot tub and really this is awesome. I can not carry out my regular routine without taking a dip in my hot tub. I also make my all efforts to keep it neat and clean by using chemicals, spa filter, spa cover etc. The cartridge filter is the best and my preferable choice for any spa or pool.

I don't like public hot tubs. Gross...too many things can grow in those temps. I manage just fine with a bath tub at home for a lot less ick factor. Hot tubs are a pain to maintain and expensive. So many people I know got rid of theirs.

A hotsprings in the mountains is nice.

I'd rather have a small lap pool about 10 feet deep. Deep enough to do flip turns in plus a safety buffer. My husband had several in-ground pools before we married. So far I can't bring him around to having one in our yard. It would cost us about 150-200k. He's lining up at the pool store right now...sigh.

I'm looking forward to our new water feature. That will be awesome when it's done. I can pretend it's a pool. ;-)

Pool because you can get great exercise and it's not too hot like a hot tub!

Pools and hot tubs are both great, but it might be a good idea to consult with a local realtor who can provide advice on which will add the most value to your property.

Both have their places in our life and it completely depends on your needs, time, space and budget. Where our business is in the Santa Cruz Ca. region, swim season is very short due to the weather. We have sold swim spas for years and they too have their place in aqua therapy.

The main advantage of hot tubs is their smaller size, therapeutic jets and the healing power of hot water. You can turn them down to their low setting of 80 degrees in the summer if you live in hot regions with no detriment to them.

Pools are a larger body of water and will require more product to maintain, but hey, we all love pools!

Swim spas are a great alternative to anyone wanting the benefit of swimming but needing a smaller profile. Our manufacturer of the Hot Spring Spa line (Watkins Manufacturing) has acquired Endless Pools and will be releasing newly redesigned swim spas this June. Look for them in with your local Hot Spring Spa Dealers if you are interested in a high quality swim spa from the largest spa manufacturer in the world.

I recommend pool and hot tub both. Both have their own value you can not judge without knowing their benefits. The only advantage that makes hot tub different is portability. I am not saying pools are not portable but not as efficient as a hot tub.

I have wanted a pool my entire life, and it's still a dream. I have to drive one hour to find a pool in Idaho, so having an above the ground swimming pool would definitely be my choice. Both water aerobics and swimming are excellent exercise. It's so difficult to find a two person lap pool.

A pool can be a showpiece for a home, and also the ideal place for family and friends to gather and socialize.

Karla, the answer for you is a swim spa or fitness pool.. if you look at my photo above you will see there are options. With a unit like the Endless pools offer, you can swim against a current which gives you the benefit of a pool but in a smaller footprint. Other options are lap pools which will also be more efficient than a regular large pool. If you are interested, go to the Endlesspools.com site and check out what they have to offer. If you put your zip code in the dealer locator, you will find a local company that might be able to help you get the product that fits your needs!

Thank you Hot Springs Spas. I've been looking at the Endless pools for over 10 years, but alas, where I live I would need to cover it as I have no garage or outside building to put it into, and it won't fit into our basement. Winters in Idaho are extremely harsh. The cost of an out building plus the endless pool is more than I could afford. Plus, I started swimming at age three, and I really love to swim fast and flip turn and I don't think the endless pool is long enough.

Like the hot tub for apres ski, soak out the kinks after a full day skiing.

I wanted to put this out there since it was very hard to find what a hot tub should cost.

A Thermospas Chesapeake 200 with 22 jets, 1 pump, cover lifter 200, and steps.

All in w/tax was $9,888.

I found it very strange that an industry, can operate in this day without transparent pricing.

Richard, I understand the frustration about pricing. We have a huge obstacle when it comes to putting pricing on the internet. Most consumers know very little about hot tubs and what makes one sell for $3000 and another $13K. What they know is size, number of jets and maybe some features. Unlike cars or tvs, hot tubs just don't have a huge base of common knowledge.

Manufacturers have confused this even further by touting 'we are the best' with really no objective data base to make that claim. Thermospas is one of the only companies who post pricing because they have never been sold through retail stores with service staff and knowledgable salespeople to help customers buy the product that fits their needs.

I think you will see more price ranges on the web soon, but without talking to a trained professional, and until there is some 3rd party helping to define the industry better, your best option is to go on line and request a quote from a local dealer, with local service and support for the hot tub. Then go see the product, wet test if possible and find out what the unique features each manufacturer offers.

If I told you I sell a spa with 2 jet pumps, water fall, multi colored lights fits 7 people delivered to your backyard for $6000 and also one for $13000, which would you choose? Which would be the best product for your lifestyle? Price is NOT the defining quality in this industry and we love to educate customers about the many options that are available.

If you told me the R value of the insulation, the jet BHP, the shell and support structure of each, the valve and clamp components of the tubing, the brand and model of the heater, I could make an informed decision as to which works for me. There is no list of components like that in this market. Yes a KIA is not a Mercedes but I can see the detailed differences of the specs clearly.

I would say the above components won’t really determine the experience you will have in different hot tubs. R value, sure. In California we use the CaEnergy Compliant measurement CEC as a indicator but I don’t know anyone who talks about the clamp and valves as a way to choose a hot tub. Jet pumps are rated by most all manufacturers and you can find BHP on specs + number of jets and shell material (90% are acrylic backed with either fiberglass or ABS).

The reality is, there is nothing that compares to the experience of seeing, hearing and testing when it comes to hot tubs. Water quality, the noise of pumps, the filtration system, the ease of maintenance, the availability of support and parts, the actual feeling of the jets, the variety of therapeutic jets and the comfort of seating is crucial for customers. None of this can be determined by specs, only by in store exposure.

Many parts are manufactured by the company making the spa so comparing heaters for instance wouldn’t help much. I strongly support the idea of local businesses as the only place to purchase these products. We deal with hundreds of customers every year who need additional handholding until they figure it all out. Something you only get with local stores.

I’ve been in this industry since 1979 and I can tell you there re major differences between products. Sadly there just aren’t enough hot tubs sold to support alot of the consumer research that you can find on cars or appliances.

This industry still needs a TRUE Car for each manufacturer and model.

I’ve had both, once both of them. I agree with Bryce, like him, I too live in coastal So California, further south ( Newport Beach j where temperatures are in the 60’s & 70’s year around, a hot tub makes more sense. However, in the desert a pool is nice. One thing I absolutely hated about having a pool is when younger children were visiting, I watched them constantly to make sure they weren’t near the pool. Ours wasn’t gated off from the rest of the yard.

I want both and have both. I'm in Oklahoma and we have a relatively short pool season as compared to S Texas, Florida or S. California. But when it is hot here it is very hot and my whole family loves the pool. However often it is nice-spring, early summer and fall but not warm enough for getting in the pool. I can heat the spa and use it for water aerobics or running in place ( I have a lot of orthopedic problems and have to do joint sparing, low impact ). Or I can heat it more and relax. My little grandson can swim and play even when it is not warm enough to be in the pool itself. I use it into the fall. Winters are quite cold here and can be brutal on the prairie. If it is 40 and you are trying to heat it outdoors to 100 it will cost money.

Some advice if you have options. An integrated spa which spills into the pool has advantages. It has a waterfall which cools your garden and makes a pleasant sound. Because the water is always circulating between the large pool and the small spa -except when the spa is in use and heated- you have good dilution and cleaning. Believe me if 4 or 5 people have been hanging out in the spa for hours you want to empty it into the larger pool and clean them both.

Cheaper is not better. I see those cheap hot tubs often marooned in back yards and never used but difficult to remove. Spider heaven under the cover I'm sure.

I would not want to make this choice. We live in South Texas where it is hot for much of the year, but even when it's cold the pool is visible right outside the living room and makes the house itself feel luxurious and pretty. The hot tub is wonderful for our joints and muscles and creates a special relaxing space. Using it is like a mini vacation. We use the pool almost every day for 8 months a year and the hot tub several times a week year round.