Hot Tub vs Spa Pool: Pros, Cons, and What’s Best for You

Hot Tub vs Spa Pool: What’s the Difference?

Traditionally, a hot tub is constructed entirely from wood, without the use of glues, sealants, or synthetic waterproofing membranes. This design is rooted in centuries of craftsmanship — think wooden wine barrels or classic timber boats. At Sulis, we honour this tradition by building each tub from premium grade western red cedar using time-tested joinery techniques.

By contrast, a spa pool is typically made from fiberglass, plastic, and epoxy resins, sealed with silicone and often packed with features like jets, blowers, LED lights, and even Bluetooth speakers.

How Does the Experience Compare?

To bathe in a Sulis hot tub is to immerse yourself in a different kind of experience entirely — one that is natural, grounded, and restorative. The warm cedar wraps you in a wooden embrace, free from harsh chemicals, infused with the subtle scent of timber and the antibacterial tannins and resins naturally found in the wood. Your skin feels softer. The water feels more alive.

A standard spa pool, on the other hand, often lacks this connection to the elements. While its jets and features offer stimulation, the synthetic construction and chemical sanitization can leave skin feeling dry or irritated. Over time, fiberglass shells may flake or degrade, especially when water chemistry is poorly managed.

Maintenance: Which is Easier?

Let’s be honest: a cedar hot tub requires slightly more attention than a plastic spa pool. That’s the trade-off for choosing a natural product — and it’s a trade we believe is worth it.

At Sulis, we provide a full maintenance guide along with video tutorials covering water care, cleaning, and seasonal upkeep. Here are the basics:

• Water must always be present in a cedar tub to keep the wood swollen and watertight
• Our electric models only require draining and cleaning every 3+ months
• Cleaning takes 30–60 minutes and ensures pristine water quality
• The wood benefits from a natural oiling 1–2 times per year to preserve its colour and lifespan

With proper care, a Sulis tub can last 15+ years. Without it, 10 years may be your limit.

Spa pools, by comparison, are more forgiving. You can neglect them for a while — leave the lid off, drain them completely, or let the water go cloudy — and they’ll still bounce back. But they won’t age with grace. They won’t deepen with time. And they won’t hold your stories in their grain.

So Why Choose Sulis?

At the end of the day, it comes down to what you value.

Do you want mass-produced convenience? Or a bespoke, made-to-order cedar tub, handcrafted in Aotearoa to bring ritual, restoration, and reconnection into your life?

A Sulis tub isn’t just a product — it’s an invitation.
To slow down.
To soak under the stars.
To turn bathing into a sacred practice, not just a routine.

We leave the choice in your hands.

But we’ll ask you this:
Why settle for ordinary, when you could soak in something timeless?