Nothing beats summer nights in your garden. The smell of food cooking on the BBQ, the lingering heat in the air and the beautiful long nights that make you forget about winter are even one thing – total bliss!
As these warmer months approach, we are all looking for ways to improve our outdoor space. Whether it’s upgrading the barbecue, investing in new garden furniture or even treating yourself to a fun new edition.
One of the best editions to any garden is of course a hot tub. What can compare to the total luxury of sitting in your own hot tub and gazing at the stars?
But of course, hot tubs are definitely on the high end of luxury, and that’s not something most people can afford. Hard shell hot tubs can cost upwards of £2000 which is not ideal.
What about inflatable spas? They are much cheaper to buy and easy to install. But are they worth it?
Lay-Z-Spa Helsinki review
We decided to test them! We tested a Lay-Z-Spa model, one of the top rated inflatable hot tub suppliers, here’s what we thought.
Helsinki Lay-Z-Spa
The set up
Lay-Z-Spa boasts effortless installation, and I have to say the ease with which I was able to install it made me rethink my career as a journalist and ask the first engineering question instead (d okay, maybe not quite, but it was really Easy).
All items have been securely packaged and easy to install, with online instructions and accompanying videos to help you.
The instructions are picture-based, which can be a little tricky, but pairing them with the online videos really helped.
In the box you get everything you need to install: the tub itself, the pump, an inflatable cover and all the filter accessories.
The tub itself inflated in seconds, then it was just a matter of arranging the pump and filters.
To protect the tub, I laid a protective mat underneath. Lay-Z-Spa stocked a few varieties and it made me feel much safer installing the tub in my backyard.
An excited pup didn’t slow things down too much…
The mat fits together like a children’s play mat, nice and easy. Even when you have a pup zooming around with you.
With the pup safely stowed inside, the next thing to do was fill it up! The whole installation process took me less than 30 minutes and then the hose was left to fill the tub which took just under 4 hours.
Lay-Z-Spa says tubs can take between 12 and 24 hours to heat up when first filled. Since mine was installed on a fairly standard cold Scottish day, it took closer to 24 hours.
Once filled I sorted out a shock dose of chemicals (this is done to break down organic waste and contamination) which is highly recommended when filling your tub for the first time.
Blow up and fill
Success! The tub was in place, filled, and I have to admit, I felt very proud of myself. If I can put it together, anyone can…
We rate the ease of setup at 4/5!
Design
The Helsinki model is one of the brand’s most popular bathtubs, and we understand why! Although it is inflatable, its attractive drop stitch design gives it a hard shell look that will fit in any garden.
Its unique Nordic design gives it a realistic wood print design, you would never know it wasn’t a hard shell bathtub.
The material is also strong and durable. If you have a fairly busy garden space, you don’t need to worry about damaging the tub or tearing the material.
Above the spa pump there are also two handy cup holders, so your drink won’t overheat while you bask in the warm bubbles.
Cup holders keep your drink from getting too hot in the tub
Its beautiful design adds a touch of character to a garden, so we rate the Helsinki design 5/5.
Heat the tub
Wanting to spend our nights relaxing in the bubbles, we decided to install the tub in March, a Scottish March when temperatures rocked around 10 degrees Celsius.
Despite the low temperatures, heating the tub did not take as long as expected.
When first filled, it took 24 hours for the water temperature to drop from 6 degrees to 35. The tub was then held at 35 degrees and brought to 39 (max is 40) during these nighttime swims fresh.
The lid is elegant and effective!
When not in use during the week, the tub was set at 20 degrees Celsius for energy efficiency. Warming it up to pleasant temperatures only took a few hours of preparation, even in cold weather.
The insulated tub cover is definitely to credit for that. The inflatable cover helps maintain water temperature when the spa is off and helps it heat up faster.
Heating the Helsinki tub turned out to be incredibly simple, so we rated it 5/5.
In the bathtub
After waiting the recommended 24 hours after a shock dose and bringing the temperature down to 37 degrees, it was time to take a first dip! And the timing was perfect with my husband and I having tested positive for Covid-19 a few hours earlier, what else were we to do…
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Source: www.times-series.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-19 06:57:00
