With many of us now enjoying hot tubs all year round, basking in the bubbles under the sun and soaking in the snow, it begs the question how hot should my hot tub be?
This is one of those questions that we perhaps feel shy asking as it seems an obvious one. Yet it causes confusion for many new hot tub owners. Hot tubs have a control system that allows the maximum temperature to be around 40℃ with a freeze protection function that is triggered when the water starts to drop below 6-7℃. This function starts up the hot tub’s pumps to prevent the water from freezing over.
This simply presents a range of temperatures available, leaving it up to your personal choice to set it to the level you prefer.
Toasty Tub
Although the maximum temperature of a hot tub is 40℃, this is only recommended to use if you are bathing on a cold evening as the temperature will soon fall with use to a more comfortable 37.5℃.
It seems to be the ladies that prefer to bath in warmer water, opting for around 38-39℃. The optimum temperature over the summer months for your tub is 37℃, body temperature, anything above that will seem very warm for the season.
A Cool Pool
A hot tub can also be a cool tub! When the sun is blistering down and you just want a dip to cool you down, think hot tub. Turn the temperature down and as long as you keep the tub sanitised as normal it will work perfectly as a cool pool. This is a great way to save on the heating costs in the summer months too. If you are not sure of the chemical levels for your “cool pool” discuss it further with your hot tub maintenance engineer.
Health First
Before you go diving into your nice toasty hot tub you should be aware that there are some people that should use either with caution or not at all.
Children:
Young children are not able to control their core temperature effectively so there is a risk of them becoming both overheated and dehydrated when using a hot tub. If you are going to allow children to use your spa make sure you keep the temperature at body temperature or lower.
Pregnant Women:
Due to hormone changes in the body you are likely to feel warmer than usual during pregnancy. The use of a hot tub or indeed sauna raises your body temperature and when pregnant your body can not lose the heat by sweating. This makes your core temperature rise which could affect the development of your unborn child, particularly in the trimester. This rise in temperature could also make you feel faint and dizzy which could lead to a fall. Best to enjoy the spa after baby has safely arrived.