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In my four-part series on hot tubs, Part One addressed electronics and controls. Now, in Part Two, I look at cabinetry changes. You might ask, why would I dedicate an entire writing on hot tub and spa cabinets? I call it the 99% reason.

99%?

You have a great hot tub and love your sessions and marvel about how beautiful it is inside. The platinum shell finish seems to magically change colors with every new light color you pull up. In your thirty-minute session, you refresh and rejuvenate, already looking forward to tomorrow’s escape from the daily grind. Yes, you have a real winner here.

That feeling is reinforced when you get out and replace the hot tub cover. The tub looks great on the outside, too. Despite the hot tub being several years old it still looks like a showroom model due to the cabinet. It graces your deck and looks as good as it did the day it was delivered. Best of all, you’ve done almost nothing to keep it looking this way.

Face it, you only see inside the tub when using it, but you see the cabinet all the time. Approximately 99% of the time, it serves as deck or patio furniture. It hasn’t always been the best of views.

Way back when.

I got my first hot tub in 1986. Like many other tubs sold in that era, it had a cedar cabinet. It looked quite nice until it started to fade. Redish cedar was becoming colorless, brown. Time for maintenance! First, I did a gentle sanding, careful not to gouge the soft wood. Then came the new stain finish. It was a little darker than I wanted, but once started, I couldn’t switch. I’ll admit, it looked good. At least for few more years until it was time to redo it again. Some might suggest that sweat equity makes user sessions more appreciated. Trust me. It doesn’t.

Down the road, my second hot tub had mahogany skirting. It was much more durable, but still, it required the same sanding, staining, and sealing as the original cedar cabinet. It just lasted a little longer. Plus, it had a trim rail around the top that started to rot. That was a major issue and required costly repairs.

Hot tub #3 was my first experience with synthetic cabinetry. Today, it is rare to find any hot tub that does not have a synthetic cabinet. However, not all are the same. Both Sundance Spas and Mira Hot Tubs have panels that are UV resistant to fade and never require re-staining or painting. Some manufacturers use thinner sheets that are susceptible to cracking or breakage if bumped or accidentally kicked. Some manufacturers save money by using structural foam skirting with woodgrain patterning. It looks good but is more likely to fade and crack than nicer synthetics.

I had that third hot tub or ten years, and it looked almost as good on its last day as it did the first. In short, it aged well, both inside and out.

In summary.

While the words ‘hot tub’ and ‘spa’ are basically interchangeable now, they are traditionally different. Today’s ‘spas’ are what you will find on the Eastgate Pools & Spas showroom floor. Google ‘spa’ . You’ll get listings where they put hot stones on your back while you sip guava juice, chilling to sitar music. Or something like that. That’s why I prefer ‘hot tub’.

Go deep enough in the search and you may find old-school hot tubs. I’m talking the type that traces to the infancy of the industry. Most are round, and almost all still come with real cedar or redwood skirts. But even there, some manufacturers are introducing maintenance-free synthetic cabinet options.

I have always been a hot tub fan, but never of sanding and staining. No matter how I tried, the re-do never looked as good as the original. I no longer worry about that.

Next up in Part Three, I’ll examine jetting.