Are you interested in buying a swim spa? Swim spas offer a combination of health-focused swimming and relaxation, making them a fantastic choice for homes that lack the space for a separate swimming pool and hot tub.
While all swim spas allow you to train and relax, there are several different types of swim spa available, each of which offers a range of advantages and disadvantages:
• Swim spas with a single volume of water, in which resistance is created by jets to allow swim training.
• Swim spas with two volumes of water – one for relaxation, and the other for swim training.
• Swim spas designed only for exercise, which have a large exercise area and no hot tub features.
• Swim spas designed only for exercise that use a swim rod instead of jets to create resistance.
Are you unsure which type of swim spa is right for you? Read on to learn about the unique advantages and disadvantages offered by each type of swim spa.
Swim spas with a single volume of water
In a swim spa with one volume of water, the exercise and relaxation area shares a common spa. Single volume swim spas are quite popular due to the ease of moving around in the spa and their affordability.
The biggest advantages of single volume swim spas are ease of movement – since there is no barrier between relaxation and exercise areas, you can move freely in and around the pool.
However, since there is only one volume of water, it’s impossible to maintain two different water temperature for relaxation and training. This means you’ll need to plan your use of a single volume swim spa for either training or relaxation.
Swim spas with two volumes of water
Swim spas with two volumes of water offer a great mix of training and relaxation with none of the downsides of a single volume pool. These swim spas feature two separate units: one for exercise, and a second unit with seats for relaxation.
A significant advantage of a two volume swim spa is that you can set each area to a different temperature. This means you can keep the exercise area at a moderate to low temperature for productive exercise and the relaxation area far warmer.
Two volume swim spas tend to be larger than single volume models and require a greater amount of space for installation. Due to their larger size, they’re also more expensive than smaller, single volume swim spas.
Exercise-only swim spas
Exercise-only swim spas are built solely for swimming, with a large open area for swim training and no seats. Most exercise-only swim spas have more in common with a swimming pool than a hot tub.
Most exercise-only swim spas offer a larger area for swimming than their single or two volume alternatives. They’re also usually deeper than exercise and relaxation swim spas, making them a better choice for serious swimming training.
While exercise-only swim spas aren’t designed for relaxation, it’s possible to install a hot tub next to or near the exercise-only swim spa, offering a good combination of relaxation and functional training.
Exercise-only swim spas without jets
These swim spas are also known as “passive resistance” swim spas. An exercise-only swim spa without jets uses a swim rod or similar resistance system to allow users to swim in place without the resistance provided by jets.
Swim spas without resistance jets tend to be less expensive to purchase, and also far less expensive to run. Thanks to the resistance systems that are included with these swim spas, it’s still possible to get a full swimming work out without any jets.