Hot tubs are amazing things—they can help you relax, help you warm up, and help your muscles recover from injury or intense activity. And if you’re a hot tub lover already, you probably know all of these things for yourself already. But maybe you’re not ready for the permanence (or high price tag) that comes along with a standard hot tub.
Inflatable hot tubs are the next best thing! They’re more affordable than traditional hot tubs, easy to set up and take down as the seasons change, and you can bring them with you easily when you move or go up to the cottage.
If you think an inflatable hot tub is the next stop on your home improvement journey, we’re totally on board. And we’d love to help you choose the right one. Inflatable hot tubs aren’t all created equal, and it can be tough to know what to look for. Things like price, shape, overall size, seating capacity, number of jets, and included accessories will all differ.
This comprehensive guide will investigate the best inflatable hot tubs in Canada right now and outline the criteria you should consider while making your purchase decision. Let’s dive right into our top five products.
The Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub is our top overall pick for a variety of reasons. For one thing, it’s one of the only inflatable hot tubs out there that actually seats the number of people it’s supposed to—that’s right, you can put six people in this tub and everyone will be comfortable. This is a rare thing.
Like most Bestway tubs, this option has both the ChemConnect system for maintaining chlorine levels and the FreezeShield tech to protect all of the inner workings from cold weather. You’ll appreciate these things a lot. We’re also big fans of the cup holders that are right next to the control panel and the fact that you can program this tub 40 days in advance. That’s just plain cool.
There’s only one change we’d make to this option if we could, and that’s rounding out the accessories. You only get a handful of items with this one, and we’d prefer that you get extras like testing strips, a thermal ground cloth, maybe a filter cartridge or two… you get the idea. But in the grand scheme of things, you’re still getting a lot of value.
Reviewers have a really high opinion of the Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub. It comfortably seats six people, the jets are great at giving a noticeable massage, the temperature stays steady for a long time, and it’s the perfect height to be used without headrests.
Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub Specifications
Pros:
ChemConnect system (maintains chlorine balance without a floating dispenser) and FreezeShield tech
Digital control panel has built-in cup holders
Comes with a cover, a repair kit, and a filter cartridge
Can be programmed up to 40 days in advance
Cons:
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Price: 4.5/5
Quality: 4.5/5
Overall, the Bestway 54295 SaluSpa AirJet Honolulu 6-Person Inflatable Hot Tub is incredibly well-rounded and well-priced. You won’t get a full kit of accessories, but you’ve got the essentials, and it has a bunch of helpful features that make up for those missing pieces.
Where do we even start with the Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus Inflatable Hot Tub? There are so many things to share. This thing comes fully loaded, which is a treat. You’ll get two headrests, a multi-coloured LED light, an insulated cover, a thermal ground cloth, two filter cartridges, testing strips, a carry bag, a floating chlorine dispenser, and an inflation hose. Talk about value!
Its built-in hard water treatment system is another thing we love about this one. It protects your hot tub and your bathing suit and your skin… super important, right? The control panel is also great. It tilts up and down to give you a great view at all times, and it’s really straightforward. No guessing which buttons do what. The heat loss with the bubbles on is also minimal, which makes this one even more special.
We’re super happy to report that we have nothing to throw in the negatives column with this one. How awesome is that? Just a heads up, though, you will have to fork over some extra cash to make this option yours. It might be a bit of a deterrent at first, but we promise you, it’s worth it.
Reviewers are very impressed by the Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus Inflatable Hot Tub. The setup was really easy (takes less than an hour to get the tub inflated and the water in), they love the colour-changing LED, and the jets do a really great job of producing massaging bubbles without reducing the water temperature by much. They have no complaints about this one at all.
Pros:
Has a built-in hard water treatment system
Comes with two headrests, an insulated cover, a multi-coloured LED light, two filter cartridges, a thermal ground cloth, a carry bag, testing strips, a floating chlorine dispenser, and an inflation hose
Control panel is well laid out and easy to use
Doesn’t lose heat very quickly even with bubbles on
Cons:
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Quality: 4.5/5
Overall, the Intex 28431E PureSpa Plus Inflatable Hot Tub is a pretty flawless option. Whether you want a hot tub to share with your family, your friends, (or to keep it all to yourself), you’ll love everything about this one. Our favourite things? The colour-changing light and the headrests, of course.
The Intex SimpleSpa 4-Person Inflatable Hot Tub has more to offer than just a super affordable price tag. It’s one of the fastest tubs to set up—inflation only takes 20 minutes, and once it’s full of water, you’ll be able to enjoy it at max temp in less than a day. Some tubs take more than 48 hours to heat up!
This tub also comes with all of the accessories you’ll need to start enjoying it right away—an insulated cover, a thermal ground cloth, a floating chlorine dispenser, two filter cartridges, a test strip, an inflation hose, and a carry bag are all included! Our favourite feature, though, is the control panel. It’s simple and easy to use, it has a protective cover, and it tilts!
Unfortunately, no hot tub can be perfect, and this one does have a couple of features that fall short. Although it generally does a great job heating the water, it isn’t so effective in temperatures below 10ºC. You’ll need an insulated space for that. Also, although it’s advertised as a four-person tub, it’s really better suited to two. Unless you don’t mind squishing.
Reviewers are pretty happy with the Intex SimpleSpa 4-Person Inflatable Hot Tub for the price. Most people find that even three people is pushing the capacity a bit, and it has trouble reaching the higher temperatures in the colder months unless it’s in an insulated space. The setup is really easy, though, and they love the control panel. The relaxing bubbles are a big hit, too.
Pros:
Has a very simple, tilt-adjustable, and user-friendly control panel
Comes with an insulated cover, two filter cartridges, thermal ground cloth, floating chlorine dispenser, inflation hose, test strip, and carry bag
Ready for water in only 20 minutes
Heats up faster than many other inflatable hot tubs
Cons:
Performance: 4.5/5
Usability: 4/5
Price: 5/5
Quality: 4/5
All in all, the Intex SimpleSpa 4-Person Inflatable Hot Tub is our favourite budget-friendly option right now. It might not actually fit four people comfortably, but it’s still got a lot going for it. The highlights? The super user-friendly control panel and one of the fastest heat-up times.
The Bestway 54155E Hawaii Air Jet Inflatable Outdoor Spa is one of the easiest options to maintain, and that’s one of the reasons we like it so much. Instead of a floating chlorine dispenser, this one has a ChemConnect system that looks like a little nozzle inside the tub—it maintains the chlorine levels for you. It has an integrated water filtration system too. How awesome is that?
We really like the FreezeShield technology too. It protects all of the interior components in cold weather—not only does this keep them in proper working order for longer, but it also means you can enjoy your hot tub safely in all weather conditions. This tub also has some of the best jets out there—they actually massage you (instead of just pretending like they do).
There are a few things we’d change about this hot tub if we could. It claims to seat four people, but that’s a bit of an exaggeration. It can fit four adults, but you won’t be comfortable—it’s really much better suited to life as a two-person hot tub. The control panel design also leaves something to be desired, as do the assembly instructions. They definitely could have been done better.
Reviewers have mostly good things to say about the Bestway 54155E Hawaii Air Jet Inflatable Outdoor Spa. Almost all of them had a hard time with assembly because the instructions were entirely unhelpful, but once it was set up, things got better. It took just over a day to be ready, and they’re all happy with how well it maintains the temperature and how powerful the jets are.
Pros:
Has an integrated water filtration system
FreezeShield tech helps protect the inner components from freezing in cold weather
Shoulder/neck jets do a great job of massaging effectively
ChemConnect system maintains a safe chlorine level without a floating dispenser
Cons:
Control panel is a bit busy and can be hard to read in certain light
Four-person seating capacity can be a bit tight—better suited to two people
Assembly instructions are awful
Performance: 5/5
Usability: 4/5
Price: 5/5
Quality: 4/5
Overall, the Bestway 54155E Hawaii Air Jet Inflatable Outdoor Spa has a lot to offer. It’s designed for minimal effort and maximum enjoyment, so you’ll be able to get to the relaxation part really fast. It’s better suited to two people rather than four, but you can squish in the extra bodies if needed.
There are a lot of reasons why we like the Intex 28427E PureSpa Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set. The control panel is one of the main ones—it’s rechargeable, tilt adjustable, protected by a plastic cover, and incredibly straightforward to use. How does it get better than that? We’re also really happy with how durable it is, and it’s sturdy enough for year-round use. Plus, you can sit on the edges without dipping.
You get a lot of accessories included with the purchase price with this one, folks. Your inflation hose, insulated cover, test strips, chlorine dispenser, filter cartridges, thermal ground cloth, and even a carry bag are all included. This hot tub has a built-in hard water filtration system too, so you won’t be soaking in hard water or worrying about complicated maintenance. Thank goodness.
We only have two minor concerns to share with you before we wrap up. You should be prepared for more heat loss when the bubble jets are running—this isn’t ideal, we know, but there’s nothing to be done about it. Also, there are no seats included with the kit, so you’ll need to purchase them separately if you want that extra level of comfort.
Reviewers are very happy with the Intex 28427E PureSpa Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set. It seats four people very comfortably and can fit an extra two people without too much squishing. It only takes a couple of days after setup to reach its maximum temperature, and it stays warm for a while. It does lose heat faster with the bubbles on, but most people don’t mind too much.
Pros:
Has a built-in hard-water treatment system
Comes with three-way test strips, a carry bag, two filter cartridges, a floating chlorine dispenser, a thermal ground cloth cover, and an inflation hose
Control panel is very user-friendly, rechargeable, tilt-adjustable, and has a plastic cover to protect it
Incredibly durable and safe for use in all seasons
Cons:
Performance: 4.5/5
Usability: 5/5
Price: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Overall, the Intex 28427E PureSpa Bubble Massage Inflatable Spa Set is a pretty great choice if you don’t mind spending a little extra on the tub and purchasing seats separately. You can use this one all year round, and it’s got one of the best control panels around.
Many inflatable hot tubs can be purchased for less than $1,200, and most of these will be perfectly suited to the average homeowner. At their cheapest, they can approach $700, and at their most expensive, they can cost nearly $2,000. In general, more expensive models will be larger, will come with more accessories, and will be more durable.
Most inflatable hot tubs will seat either four or six people. This should be considered a general guideline instead of a hard and fast rule, though, because sometimes meeting that seating capacity means squishing all your friends/family members together.
The water capacity should be considered along with the seating capacity. Not all six-seaters are created equal, and the same goes for every other size. For example, one six-seater might have a water capacity of 1100 litres, another might be less than 900 litres. Obviously, this makes a big difference in how much space there actually is to go around.
Every inflatable hot tub will have bubble jets, but the number and power of those jets will vary. You’ll want to check reviews to make sure the jets are as strong or as soft as you’d prefer them to be.
Disclaimer: The prices displayed are accurate at the time of publication. We’ll do our best to keep them as up-to-date as possible, but you may see slight changes. The products in this list are ranked by independent third parties. Rankings are based on both reviews and independent testing.
