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Essential Hot Tubs offer a really complete range of luxury spas and plug and play hot tubs that suit pretty well every budget.

They’re manufactured in the United States by Pennsylvania based Strong Spas; one of the top hot tub manufacturers in the world,.

When a company with the pedigree of Strong Spa build a hot tub we expected quality materials, and quality components.

The Essential Hot Tub brand certainly didn’t disappoint us, in fact we were surprised at what they were able to offer compared to competitors for the price.

By some alchemy they’re able to build brilliant, well featured hot tubs and sell them at prices that certainly don’t make your eyes water. If you’re looking for an affordable, good quality spa then it’s pretty hard to see past the range of Essential Hot Tubs

Our team of experts have curated detailed reviews of the most popular, and the most feature rich models in the range.

If you are looking for a great family hot tub, or even a luxury home spa bristling with powerful jets and an array of high end features then you’ll surely find an Essential plug and play hot tub to tick some or all of your boxes.

ESSENTIAL HOT TUB REVIEWS

Essential Hot Tub Integrity 11 Jet

The Essential Integrity 4-5 Person Plug and Play Hot Tub

JETS: 11 x Stainless steel.
PUMP: Fitted with a powerful 2 SPEED 1.5 HP pump. Lower jet count does not affect the hot tub experience.
HEATER: Balboa 1Kw/4Kw stainless steel heater.
COLOUR OPTIONS: Light beige or grey. We particularly like the beige cobblestone option.
POWER: Converts to 240v but it is set up to run off 110v on delivery. A GFCI cord is supplied with the hot tub.
DIMENSIONS: 69 x 69 x 29.5 inches.
WATER CAPACITY: 241 gallons to manufacturers level.
DRY WEIGHT: 285 lbs.
WARRANTY: Hard to beat. At the time of writing, the shell is 10 years. The cabinet and shell surface 5 years, and the plumbing etc 1 year.

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What Owners Like

The free seating of the hot tub was a major reason many owners chose this model.
Because of it’s shape it can easily fit four people in comfort.
A good snug fitting cover.
Powerful jets and simple controls.

What Owners Don’t Like So Much

Some tall folks can find the water a little shallow.
No other meaningful issues with the hot tub!!

Essential Hot Tub Newport 14 Jet

The Budget Essential Newport 4 Person Plug and Play Hot Tub

JET COUNT : 14 x stainless steel jets, all well sited to give maximum coverage. The lounger is well served with jets too.
PUMP: This plug and play tub runs from a 2 SPEED 1.5 HP high output pump. It really provides a great invigorating hot tub experience.
HEATER: Fitted with a 1Kw/4Kw quality Balboa all season stainless steel heater. A similar heater used on higher end models.
COLOUR: Three really pleasant options. Variations of beige and grey.
POWER: Dedicated 110V 15A, or can convert to 240v if desired. A GFCI cord is included with the purchase.
MEASURES: 61 x 70 x 29.5 inches.
WATER CAPACITY: 200 gallons to recommended level. Because it is a smaller tub it heats and reheats quickly using 110v. Switch to 240v and it takes minutes.
HOT TUB WEIGHT: 320 lbs.
WARRANTY: Really comprehensive. At the time of writing, the spa shell 10 years. The spa cabinet and shell surface 5 years, and plumbing 1 year.

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What Owners Like

Works really well hooked up to 110v. Heats up fast enough and is able to maintain temperature well.
A really ideal tub for two but three people can use it in reasonable comfort. Trying to fit four people in was challenging.
Nice comfortable seating. Jet placement well thought out and although it only has 14 jets it gives a great hot tub experience.
Excellent quality for the price. Solid and well built.

What Owners Don’t Like So Much

Some owners found the control panel a little hard to learn and use.
Occasional minor rough spots on tub shell.

Essential Hot Tubs Waterfront 24 Jet

Plenty Of Jet Coverage With The 24 Jet Waterfront Tub

JET COUNT : 24 x well positioned stainless steel jets. This Essential hot tub model is really spacious with lots of leg room so jet coverage is important and it certainly has enough jets to ensure everyone gets an enjoyable and invigorating hot tub experience.
PUMP: The Waterfront uses the reliable series 2 Peak HP, 2-speed highly energy efficient pump.
HEATER: Fitted with 1kW/4kW (120V/240V) stainless-steel Balboa heater for year-round enjoyment. A well tried, long lasting unit that pretty much runs right through the whole Essential range.
COLOUR: Just available in the elegant Charcoal Grey Faux wood finish as shown above.
POWER: Dedicated 110V 15A,or can convert to 240v if desired. A GFCI cord is included with the purchase.
WATER CAPACITY: 360 gallons to recommended level. Quite a large volume of water but because of excellent insulation and cover the tub still manages to heat quickly using 110v. If you switch over to 240v it heats and maintains temperature very quickly indeed.
MEASURES: 82 x 82 x 34 inches.
HOT TUB WEIGHT: 500 lbs.
WARRANTY: At the time of writing it's one year on parts and labor, and the cabinet, structure and shell are warrantied for as long as the original purchaser owns the tub.

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What Owners Like

Excellent array of seating and loungers.
A great family tub. The bench seating makes it perfect for everyone, large or small to enjoy.
Plenty of powerful jets

What Owners Don’t Like So Much

Several owner noted pump problems on this model !!!
Customer service could improve.

Essential Hot Tub Edgewater 28 Jet

Essential Hot Tubs Edgewater 28 Jets Spa

The Well Featured Essential Edgewater 5-6 Person Spa

MODEL OPTIONS: There are TWO Edgewater hot tub models available. The highlighted 28 jet or an optional 40 jet version
JET COUNT: This model has 28 x fully adjustable stainless steel jets.
PUMP: A 2-speed energy efficient pump exceeds our expectations. It is fitted to many Essential hot tubs it's a real work horse but still manages to runs smooth and quiet.
HEATER: Enjoy year round hot tubbing. Fitted with an excellent 1kW/4kW ( 120v/240v ) all season stainless steel Balboa heater.
SEATING: Sculpted contour style for up to 6 persons. There are TWO Captains chairs and an option for a Lounger if preferred. We particularly like the jets placements on the 2 Captain chairs. One focusing on neck and shoulders and the other back.
COLOUR CHOICE: Only available in what Essential calls Driftwood as pictured.
POWER: Wired on delivery for 110V 15A but can easily be changed over and up-graded to 240v when required. Included with the purchase is a GFCI cord of course.
SIZE: 74 x 74 x 35 inches.
COVER: Fully insulated with locking clips. There also a good taper from the centre to stop rainwater pooling.
BLING: Fitted with LED lighting to add a little ambience to evening bathing. There is a waterfall feature too that some folks might like.

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What Owners Like

Amazingly well featured for the price.
Wood grain finish adds a real touch of class to the tub.
Shipping faster than expected.
Economy mode a particularly nice feature.

What Owners Don’t Like So Much

No negative reports so far on this tub.

Essential Hot Tub Adelaide 30 Jet

The Feature Rich Essential Adelaide 5-6 Person Spa

ADJUSTABLE JETS : 30 x adjustable direction stainless steel jets. The Adelaide hot tub is just bristling with jet power. For hydro-therapy in particular the jets being adjustable means you can really customise your spa experience.
PUMP: A quite 2 speed 1.5 HP pump powers the hot tub. So there is plenty of adjustable jet power if required.
HEATER: Fitted with a 1kW/4kW 120v/240v heater. Easily powerful enough the heat this water volume
SEATING: Ergonomic seating space for 5-6 people. A lounger and two captain chairs all completely surrounded by a generous amount of jets. The lounger gives a brilliant whole body massage.
COLOUR CHOICE: There is a light grey version available too if that suits your setting decor more
POWER: Like most essential hot tubs it comes set up for 110V 15A but can be swapped over to 240v quite simply for more efficient heating in the winter.
SIZE: 74 x 74 x 34 inches.
WATER CAPACITY: 300 gallons.
COVER: Heavy duty and fully insulated, but it can still be easily handled by one persons.
WARRANTY: Essential Hots offer an impressive five years on the spa shell, the cabinet and shell surface five, and two years on the plumbing and accessories. This may be subject to change but correct when written.

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What Owners Like

Comfortable seating especially the lounger.
New owners were impressed by the quality and array of features for the price.
The tub hold the heat well when up to temperature.
Good customer support from the manufacturer.

What Owners Don’t Like So Much

The access panel a little tricky to remove.
Hard to find any other meaningful complaints about this tub.

Essential Hot Tubs Polara 50 Jet

Essential Hot Tubs Polara 5-6 Person Spa. Plenty of Jet Power

ADJUSTABLE JET COUNT : 50 in total. 34 x adjustable stainless steel jets plus 16 fixed jets. We particularly like of the neck and shoulder jets set into one of the captains chairs. The rest of the adjustable jets are generally placed around body height. The lounger has particularly good leg coverage.
PUMP: Fitted with an awesome 4 HP 2 speed pump and an additional blower to create a soothing bubble jet experience if preferred.
HEATER: Fast and efficient heating with the 4kW four season stainless steel heater. It is made by Balboa so quality is guaranteed.
OZONATOR: This will cut down on the need for hot tub chemicals. While it may not eliminate tub sanitisers you should notice the difference of water quality.
SEATING: Ergonomic seating space for 5-6 people. A lounger and two captain chairs all completely surrounded by a generous amount of jets. The lounger gives a brilliant whole body massage.
COLOUR CHOICE: A light grey or the expresso colour shown above.
POWER: This tub requires a 240V/50A electrical connection.
OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 85 x 85 x 36 inches.
WATER CAPACITY: 400 gallons.
COVER: A fitted, fully insulated cover. Heavy duty but removal is still manageable by one person.
WARRANTY: This hot tub shares the impressive Essential warranty as detailed above.

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What Owners Like

Each seat is set up to massage a different part of the body. The neck and shoulder jets are adjustable so brilliant for relieving tension.
Between 1 – 2 inches of good interior insulation on the panels.
Builds heat super fast and holds it well. It’s not too power hungry either.
Similar quality hot tubs generally cost twice the price from local tub retailers.

What Owners Don’t Like So Much

Head an neck cushions could be better quality.

Essential Hot Tubs Syracuse 67 Jet

BEST FEATURES vs PRICE. AN OUTSTANDING TUB !!

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What Owners Like

Ozonator a big help in cutting down chemical use. Folks with sensitivity to chlorine particularly benefited.
Reasonable running cost despite having two pumps and a blower.
The 4KW heater plenty powerful enough for the water volume.
Amazing price for array of features and build quality.

What Owners Don’t Like So Much

Controller could be improved. Some folks found it a tad complicated to run some of the functions.
Panel access could be better.

ESSENTIAL HOT TUB CHECK LIST

Plenty of brilliant Essential hot tubs to choose from, but if you do buy there are a few boxes to check to make sure you’re ready for delivery, and that the site is correctly prepared for the tubs arrival.

There’s nothing here that should be a show stopper.

Given the lead time between ordering and receiving the tub can be two to three weeks, there’s plenty of time to get things set up, and hooked up in advance. And you obviously want to figure out how to handle the tub just once between delivery truck and its final home.

It’s a good starting point to find out the rough filled weight of the hot tub combined with the weight of the maximum expected users.
Once we know that we can check our hot tub base is capable of holding the weight. The calculation can look alarmingly high at first but remember the weight is spread evenly over the whole hot tub base so the weight per square foot is not so high. Typically it will run between 100 – 120 lbs per square foot.

Make sure there’s a secure, level foundation for the hot tub. If you are having a new concrete slab laid remember there is a curing time before it reaches final hardness.
If it’s going on decking then it might need to be reinforced to receive the weight. Pavers are usually perfectly fine to site the hot tub on, just make sure they are level and not laid with a drainage fall.

Getting the site ready for the tub is important, but it’s crucial to check out and plan the route from the carrier drop off point to where the tub is going to live.
You don’t want to construct a beautiful base for your tub and find you need a 100ft crane to get it there. Check openings, steps, sharp twists and turns,.
We’ve never come across any show stoppers that a little muscle and pre-planning can’t overcome. Just a little thought beforehand means you won’t be stuck when the big day finally arrives.

You’re going to need to get some power to the hot tub so decide which way you want to go 110v or 240v. With the larger Essential Hot Tubs there’s not a choice, they require 240v to run them.
Many owners of smaller tubs though start out with 110v, and the small tubs will run just fine with that. If you are planning winter hot tubbing ( which we definitely recommend ) then it may be an idea to commit to 240v and run a line before delivery.
The small tubs will all be great on 110v, but if you want to see them at their brilliant best then go 240v if your budget allows.

These tubs have a hidden tiger waiting to be unleashed but it needs 240v to do it.

ESSENTIAL HOT TUB FEATURE GUIDE

Balboa Heater

The Balboa Water Group based in California make electronic controls, world-class pumps, heaters and jets for hot tub and spas. Their products are the considered the gold standard in the hot tub industry. Thats why when a manufacturer uses a Bilboa product they let you know. Comforting to know this heater is fitted throughout the range.

Ozonator

The higher end Essential tubs included this feature. It automatically adds ozone into the hot tub water. Ozone will kill micro-organisms, bacteria and other unwanted guests. It also makes dissolved solids in the tub clump so they are easily picked up by the filter system, result crystal clear, silky water.

Because it reduces the amount of chemicals required to maintain a hygienic tub it’s brilliant for folks with chemical allergies or sensitivities.

Hot Tub Blower

Is a fan to create air flow through some of the hot tub jets. It creates bubble jets which in conjunction with the hot tubs other jets create a relaxing and soothing environment. This is only found on high end tubs.

Lighting

A really nice feature many Essential Spas support is perimeter LED lighting. The colours are chosen and can be cycled from the control panel. There’s four modes to chose from, fade, colour locked, quick change or flashing. The choice of colour depends on the model.

Freeze Protection

All the tubs in the Essential range are equipped and designed for all year round hot tubbing, that’s why there is the option to switch to 240v if desired. With this in mind there are on board sensors to detect if the temperature falls below 44°F at the heater. If so the pumps will activate to build the temperature back up to provide freeze protection.

Read our Using Your Hot Tub In Winter page may be helpful in general terms.

EASILY REDUCE HOT TUB ENERGY COSTS

As you would expect from a quality range like Essential hot tubs they are well insulated, but there are a few extra things that you might consider to reduce heat loss even more.

The main cause of heat loss is using the tub, and obviously we can’t avoid that.

When you’re in the tub the jets are working, the water is bubbling and the tub is open to the ambient temperature. Evaporation, agitation and cool air temperature will always tend to cool the water a least a tad and occasionally a lot.

After our session we want to build our water temperature back up in the most cost efficient way possible, and when we’re not using the tube we want it to retain heat.

We recommend considering adding a thermal barrier between the tub base and the ground. A thermal blanket is fine, very heavy duty polystyrene sheeting could also be considered on the lighter tubs. We are looking to provide a cosy enclosed space for our hot tub water.

Many owners choose to lay a solar blanket over the top of the water after a session. It simply acts as thermal insulation barrier directly over the water surface and it also reduces evaporation. Solar blankets are really cheap, effective, and despite their name don’t need the sun.

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