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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
- 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.
on Amazon.com
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Essential Hot Tub Newport 14 Jet
- 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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Essential Hot Tubs Waterfront 24 Jet
- 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.
on Amazon.com
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Essential Hot Tub Edgewater 28 Jet
- 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.
on Amazon.com
on Amazon.com
What Owners Like
What Owners Don’t Like So Much
Essential Hot Tub Adelaide 30 Jet
- 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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Essential Hot Tubs Polara 50 Jet
- 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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Essential Hot Tubs Syracuse 67 Jet
BEST FEATURES vs PRICE. AN OUTSTANDING TUB !!
- ADJUSTABLE JET COUNT : 67 in total. 51 x two tone adjustable jets plus 16 bubble jets. Both captain's chairs have padded headrests and brilliant rollover neck & shoulder jets. Good jet placement around the rest of the hot tub.
- DOUBLE PUMP: Fitted with an real arsenal of pump power.1 x 4HP 2 speed PUMP and an auxiliary 1x 4HP 1 speed plus blower. This ensures an equal power spread throughout the hot tub no matter where you are sitting.
- HEATER: A 4kW Balboa four season stainless steel heater.
- OZONATOR: This spa is equipped with an automatic ozone generator, it can't be used as the sole means of maintaining spa water hygiene but it will cut down on the amount of hot tub chemicals needed.
- SEATING: A 5 bathing chair configuration. Each has a different jet set. The lounger as you would expect has full back and leg coverage, and two captain chairs offer neck and shoulder massage.
- COLOUR CHOICE: A light grey or tan as highlighted in review photo above.
- SOUND SYSTEM: Bluetooth connected brilliant quality sound system, a sub-woofer and 2 speakers
- POWER: As you would expect this tub needs 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: The comprehensive Essential Hots warranty plan covers the spa shell for five years, the cabinet and surface for five, and two years on the plumbing plus one year on labor. Correct as of when the review was written..
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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.
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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