Let’s jump right in to share allllllll the details about the Master Spas Clarity Hot Tub we purchased in January! We moved into our home 3.5 years ago and the best selling point for me was the beautiful pool! We have loved every bit of it and decided last year it would be worth the investment to turn our backyard into a more livable/entertaining space. During the spring when it was still super cold, we spent nearly every night in the hot tub as a family. And when the pool was almost, but not quite warm enough, the kids would go between the hot tub and pool and play for hours! Aaron loves the therapeutic back relief from the massaging jets and heat. He’ll often jump in at night for 20 minutes if his back is feeling extra tight.
When we started looking at hot tubs early last year, they all had a 6+ month waiting list. Ugh. We also were saving up for the backyard renovation (extending the patio and fire pit space), so I put the hot tub on the back-burner considering the waiting list. Well, for Christmas, Aaron scheduled a surprise visit to a local hot-tub dealer for us to take the plunge. He had been secretly researching all the different brands and he knew how much I wanted this! We looked at all the hot tubs and learned about the different colors for the inside and outer shell, sizing, jets, etc. We loved darker grey color for the exterior and a white on the inside. If you get a dark color on the inside, you won’t be able to see the glowing lights as well. A white interior was a no-brainer! We chose the Clarity Balance 8 to comfortably fit our family and for its 48 massaging jets. As far as the timeline, once we put in the order it would take 6 months for it to be delivered to our home. BUT, Master Spas looked at their inventory and saw they had 1 grey hot tub with a white interior shell that was in stock. It could be delivered to our home in 2 weeks. DONE. YES.
Most Common Hot Tub Questions:
- Monthly price to run?- Average electrical cost over a year is about $30 each month in north Texas. Chemicals adds $5-10/ month. We leave our spa at the same temperature all the time so we never have to worry about turning it up before getting in, and apparently it tends to be about the same cost to leave it on the same temperature compared to adjusting the temperature up and down.
- Maintenance?- Once per week, it takes 10 minutes: We remove the filter and spray clean with a hose. We bought a hand-held water vacuum and spend a couple minutes getting the dirt from the bottom that the kids track in from going back and forth from the backyard to the hot tub. Finally, sprinkle in the chlorine and the total care product. Every couple of weeks we’ll test the water pH and other levels and rarely have to add other chemicals to correct.
- Installation Process?– You have to have a solid pad to place it on (so we set aside a section of our travertine for it to sit on) and a 220 electrical line run (same as a washer/dryer or AC units). The price to run that varies depending primarily on how far away the hot tub is from the home breaker box. Our spa was about as far away as we could possibly be from our breaker box, so the price was $1800 to run the new line. You’ll need to have that done prior to the delivery. After that, Master Spas takes care of everything: sends out a professional to deliver, install, fill, and teach you how to use and maintain the spa.
- What Hot Tub did you get to fit your family?– We did the Balance 8. We chose that one because it would fit our family of 6 and also has the lay down- lounge seat which is amazing. It’s 8’x8′, so plenty of space for our big family, or for entertaining.
- Hot Tub Cost? – Ours was about $10,000. You can obviously get smaller and less expensive ones, or get bigger and fancier (more jets) ones, so the price point can vary. We did a lot of research on quality, reliability, and comparing pricing, and this is a very nice brand that makes a great spa that’s also reasonably priced. 100% of all their swim spas and hot tubs are made in the USA. That makes Master Spas America’s largest hot tub manufacturer. They’re also the largest swim spa manufacturer in the world. There are tons of models and sizes, so going to a local dealer is the best place to start!
