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Are you looking to level up your hot tub? Here’s the perfect list of the best hot tub accessories. There are some real surprises here that will make your hot tub ambiance even more luxurious.
Creators & Guests
What is Hot Tubs 101?
A podcast for hot tub owners covering hot tub maintenance and water chemistry.
Everyone, and welcome to Hot Tubs 101 by Swim University, where we help you keep your hot tub clean and clear all year. My name is Matt, the founder of swimuniversity.com. And on this episode, we're talking about the best hot tub accessories in 2024. Let's jump in. Real quick.
Matt Giovanisci:If you want more help taking care of your hot tub, be sure to grab our free hot tub cheat sheet at swimu.com/spasheet. Alright. So are you looking to level up your hot tub? Well, that's great because I have the perfect list of the best hot tub accessories. And there's some real surprises here that'll make your hot tub ambiance even more luxurious than it already is.
Matt Giovanisci:Alright. So let's just jump into this. Right? Number 1, we have a waterproof Bluetooth speaker. Now, I see a lot of people recommending floating Bluetooth speakers as one of the best spa accessories, but I think they all suck because all floating speakers sound pretty bad because they're floating in water.
Matt Giovanisci:Alright? Now I'm a bit of an audio nerd. I do this podcast. I've been recording music my whole life. And for my money, I'd invest in a real Bluetooth speaker that can be used anywhere, including near your hot tub.
Matt Giovanisci:And my favorite speaker is one that I actually own. It's called the Bose SoundLink. And they make a waterproof version, which you can find on Amazon. So if you want our full list of accessories that we talk about here on the show, go to swimuniversity.com/hot swimuniversity.com/hotdashtubdashaccessories. Right?
Matt Giovanisci:Or if you just look up hot tub accessories on Google, you'll probably find us. Alright. The second one is this is gonna sound like duh, but it's hot tub steps. But here's the kick, it's hot tub steps with storage. So they make plastic hot tub steps.
Matt Giovanisci:The ones that I like the most are made by Confer in 2024. They're super durable. I used to sell them all of the time on at the store, but we never sold the ones that had storage in them. We had wood ones that had storage, but we never sold the copper ones. These are these are new to me.
Matt Giovanisci:So what's great about them is they're weatherproof, they're UV resistant, and the top step, and when you open the lid, it's got storage. You can put your chemicals in there. You can put your accessories in there. You can put all kinds of stuff in there. So that's my number 2 pick steps and specifically with chemical storage.
Matt Giovanisci:Plus, the if you add stuff to the steps, add chemicals to the steps, it'll keep your steps from blowing away in the wind, if if you have that problem. I live in a very windy area, we have that problem. Alright. So number 3 is I have a quick drying outdoor rug. Now, the one that I recommend is actually a quick drying bath mat because it's super absorbent and it's anti slip.
Matt Giovanisci:Now I would probably if you if you experience a lot of weather where your hot tub is located, I probably wouldn't leave this out because it's technically not an outdoor rug, but it's great because before you get into the hot tub, and this would be a great thing to store in your little step storage area, right? It's basically this, quick drying rug, again, used for you can use it, you can buy one for your shower or your bath, right? So same thing, when you get out of the hot tub, you're not gonna walk and be soaked. Your feet are gonna dry very quickly, and then you can, you know, walk back to your house or wherever your hot tub is located. So you just don't wanna slip.
Matt Giovanisci:That's the that's the real reason. And I don't think a lot of people have these. You might have some kind of towel that you lay lay down. That's just not gonna absorb as good as like a quick drying rug. Alright?
Matt Giovanisci:Number 4, and this one's a little expensive, but it's ridiculously cool. It's an automatic hot tub cover lift. Now, I have no affiliation, by the way, with any of these companies. These are just products that I recommend. But I keep seeing this, and it's made by Covana.
Matt Giovanisci:And it is essentially this 4 pillar automatic cover that looks that has a roof, and you can click a button and the hydraulics bring it up and down. And what's cool about that is, 1, you have an automatic cover, so you don't have to worry about the, like, lifting the cover. It's not one of those, you know, insulated foam covers that gets heavy over time. It's sturdy. It's got a roof.
Matt Giovanisci:It's tapered so water runs directly off of it. And when it lifts up, it turns into basically a private little cabana for your hot tub. It's really cool. I I recommend you go check it out. Just go to Cabana.
Matt Giovanisci:I believe it's, let me see here. Yeah. Covana.com. That's covana.com. Check it out.
Matt Giovanisci:Super cool. Number 5 is a towel warmer. Now this is gonna this is like one of those, you know, nice to have, super luxurious. Most people will just have like a towel rack by their hot tub. I actually didn't include a towel rack in this list because I'm like, yeah.
Matt Giovanisci:I mean, like, yeah. Sure. Right? But it's not gonna elevate your hot tub experience. However, you get out of a hot tub, especially, you know, we're and I get out of the hot tub, I'm gonna be freezing, okay, I want a warm towel.
Matt Giovanisci:That would be really nice. So, I I think a towel warmer is an excellent choice for a hot tub accessory because it is that, like, level up a bit. You know, live a little. Number 6, and this one is, I gotta give credit to the hot tub lady for for showing me this. I never thought that I would didn't even know these things existed, honestly.
Matt Giovanisci:And I'm like, oh, duh. Of course, you need this. Snow melting mats. So if you live in an area, like I live in Colorado, we get a lot of snow. Alright?
Matt Giovanisci:And if you got a shovel if your hot tub's outside and it's not right directly next to your door, and even if it is, and you wanna go in the hot tub when it's snowing out, yeah, you're gonna step bare legged, barefoot in in deep snow. No. No. No. No.
Matt Giovanisci:No. That's insane. Get a couple of snow melting mats. They're pretty cheap. Plug it in, melts the snow, and then you have a clear pathway to your hot tub even when it's snowing out.
Matt Giovanisci:It's great. Especially if you, I know a lot of people own hot tubs that are up in the mountains and, you know, if you have a rental home, I think this is great. Limits liability. You know, no one's slipping and falling on an ice and snow. It's pretty great.
Matt Giovanisci:Number 7, and this is for the older crowd and, you know, people who have trouble getting in and out of their hot tub. Obviously, you need stairs to your hot tub, but if you have stairs, you probably want a handrail. Now, the handrail that I recommend, there's a couple. There's a couple that actually screw into the hot tub itself, you know, like screw into the side. And all of the things that I recommend, by the way, when it comes to hot tub cover lifts or even this handrail, steps, I do not like drilling into the hot tub cabinet.
Matt Giovanisci:1, I don't wanna void my void my warranty if that's something I'm worried about. And 2, like, what if it breaks or I wanna change it, then I got a bunch of holes in my hot tub? No, thank you. So the hot tub handrail that I recommend actually is a handrail that's all the way to the floor and it has a long black plate, like a flat plate. And so you can just slide it underneath your hot tub.
Matt Giovanisci:Now, if you can't get it underneath your hot tub because your hot tub's full of water, it's a good time to install it when you drain and clean your hot tub, have a couple of people help you just lift it up. All you need to do is lift it up like a tiny little bit, like, probably like a 16th of an inch, and then slide it right underneath. Takes it wouldn't take that many people to lift, honestly. And again, you don't really need to lift the hot tub. It's just, you just need a little bit of a crack so you can slide it underneath.
Matt Giovanisci:Alright? Number 8 is a booster seat. Now, in the past, I've recommended booster seats that were inflatable. The one I recommend now is a 100% polyester cushion, and it is it has, this 3 d air mesh weaving technology, whatever whatever, ensures breathability, it's quick drying, and it doesn't inflate. It's just a pad.
Matt Giovanisci:And it and it and it it's built specifically for hot tubs. So you put the pad down, it's nice and wide, and you can sit on it. And that's if you're, you know, shorter or you're a child, it's a great little accessory to have in your hot tub. Maybe a couple. Maybe a couple of them.
Matt Giovanisci:Number 9, and this is nuts. This is like, you wanna talk about luxury. I actually know a lot of people who have this. Waterproof outdoor TV. You can buy, yes, you can, outdoor waterproof TVs.
Matt Giovanisci:I use them for bars, you know, things like that. Outdoor bars. Now, if, let's say, you don't wanna spend 1,000 of dollars on a new TV that's waterproof in and of itself, maybe you have an existing TV that you bought, maybe you got it, real cheap, Black Friday deal, maybe. And you're like, yeah, I'm not using this in the house. Maybe I could use it out by the hot tub.
Matt Giovanisci:Well, guess what? They make an outdoor weatherproof hardcover that you can put around your TV, and then you have a waterproof TV, even for a cheap TV that you got on a Black Friday deal. So those are 2 that's a 2fer right there. Waterproof TV or a waterproof cover for an existing TV. Number 10.
Matt Giovanisci:I got 12 here, by the way. Number 10, pretty simple. But, again, this is one of those things, like, you don't realize you need until you have it. Fast absorbing towels. There's these fast absorbing waffle towels that I like that we use for our our bathroom and our hot tub, and you're dry.
Matt Giovanisci:You're dry instantly. It's really good when it's cold out. Right? Especially warm. You got the towel warmer, you got quick absorbing towel, you get out of the hot tub, you're freezing, you wrap that warm towel around you, it gets all the water off, boom, good to go.
Matt Giovanisci:Number 11, if you don't have a canopy or your hot tub's not covered. Right? Where we're at, where our hot tub sits, it's it gets a lot of sunlight. And, you know, in the summertime, it's not that great. In the wintertime, sure, it's fine.
Matt Giovanisci:Summertime's not that great. So we have a cantilever umbrella. The one that I have is from Midtown. I love it. It is it comes with this big base that I just fill with water.
Matt Giovanisci:And I actually have a picture of it on our website, and it goes up and down, and you can set it so that it blocks the sun when it's out and bright, or you can have it go over you if it's actively raining or snowing, so you can still use your hot tub. And it's a really affordable option if you don't wanna get a gazebo, or you don't wanna get an enclosure, or you don't wanna get a roof. It kinda acts also as a privacy screen, so it kills a lot of birds with one stone. And so that's why I like this cantilever umbrella rather than, you know, a privacy screen or investing a ton of money into, you know, a permanent structure. With With the cantilever umbrella, you can move it.
Matt Giovanisci:You can move it in any direction and solve multiple problems. Again, lots of birds, one stone. Finally, if you're not doing this, I think you should. It's fun. It's a fun little thing to do when you have people over, if you're, you know, trying to be romantic.
Matt Giovanisci:Number 12, spa fragrances fragrances or aromatherapy pods. Now the ones that I've been selling for years, they're called Inspiration. Alright? See they put the word spa in the middle of inspiration? Inspiration.
Matt Giovanisci:Now, they make big bottles of this stuff so you could commit to a specific scent, or they make little tiny pods that you can just pop open. They look like Tide pods, but don't eat them. Right? Don't use them in your in your anywhere else, just put them in the hot tub. But they don't dissolve, you tear it open and then you squirt the liquid in the hot tub, and it smells good and then it dissipates and it goes away.
Matt Giovanisci:And then you can try a different scent next time you soak in a hot tub. So it's really great. So those are my 12 hot tub accessories that I recommend. And remember, if you need more help with hot tub maintenance, not just accessories, grab our free hot tub cheat sheet at swimu.com/cheatsheet. And if you found this episode helpful or interesting or entertaining, please subscribe for more hot tub maintenance tips on your favorite podcasting app.
Matt Giovanisci:And when you do, please leave us a review because your support will help more hot tub owners just like you find this show. That's it. Thanks again, and happy soaking.