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How Hot Should A Hot Tub Be?

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How hot should you keep your hot tub? Should you lower the temperature after each use or when you go on vacation?

These are the age old questions new and veteran hot tub owners have pondered throughout the history of hot tubbing. Let’s break it down and get to the actual facts!

Hot Tub Temperature

How hot you keep your spa depends on personal preference.  The majority of users find 100° F – 102° F degrees comfortable, but some folks prefer the maximum 104° F.

Now, you may have heard someone say, “104°, that’s kids’ stuff!” To that, I say hold your horses there tough guy, 104°F is pretty darned hot. So hot, in fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has determined it to be the maximum temperature any hot tub can achieve.

how hot should a hot tub be?

NOTE: Even with overheating protections built into your tub, we recommend using a separate water thermometer to verify the temperature before getting in.

Maintaining A Set Temperature

Who doesn’t want their spa to be as energy efficient as possible? On the surface, it seems like turning down the temperature when you’re not using the tub, then turning it up before use is a good way to save money.

Turns out though, this has the opposite effect of saving money. Not only does it cause more wear and tear on your heater element, but it also causes unnecessary stress to the circuit board, ultimately costing rather than saving money.

hot tub cover

The best and most efficient way for the spa to run is maintain a set temperature. If your spa cover is in good shape and well insulated, it should have no problem maintaining heat at a low expense.

The exception to this rule is a vacation or any long(ish) period of disuse. In those cases, turning down the temperature can save you a few dollars. Some spas even have vacation or away modes designed to minimize energy consumption.

One more thing – If your hot tub cover is in bad shape, waterlogged, or doesn’t fit well, all of your precious heat is going up in smoke (or steam, as it were). Replace it immediately.

We’ve got replacement spa covers for all weather conditions and budges.

Not Always a Hot Tub

Using your spa to warm up in the cooler months is amazing, but lots of people don’t realize that their spa can also be used in warmer weather to cool down! Turn the temperature down to 80° or less (if applicable) and use your spa year-round.

Health Concerns & Children

Are you are pregnant? Do you have a health condition such as heart disease, diabetes, high or low blood pressure, or any other serious illness? Talk to your doctor and verify the appropriate temperature for you.

Happy family enjoying hot tub

Children are more sensitive to overheating, so exposing them to water over 95° is a bad plan. Talk to a physician for guidance before children use the spa.

Have additional questions or need help? Post a comment here!

38 comments

  2. Hi Maria, The water temperature will not have any effect on testing your sanitizer or any of the other chemistry in your tub. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks, Amie The Spa Depot

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  3. Great Article Amie! In the Hot Tub Yoga program I recommend 96-100 degrees, as people generate internal heat with the movements.

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  5. We live in NC and use our tub at cool water temperatures (85-90) when it gets warm in the summer. We like to say we use our tub 900 times a year, because we both use it at least once each day. But in our area to maintain that low of a temperature we have to remove the insulation panels, because the sun will warm the tub and it will maintain at about 102 degrees with the heater off! Luckily our tub does not have blown in insulation 🙂

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  6. I have a hot tub in my back yard in the canadian Rockies. If we do not use it for 4 winter months what is the lowest possible temperature setting in order to reduce electric consumption without compromising the maintenance?

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  7. Hi Luisa, Thank you for writing! The very lowest I would recommend keeping your tub is at 80°. This will prevent your tub from freezing, as well as reduce electric consumption. If the worst were to happen and something in your spa did break, the warm water should allow you enough time to repair the spa without the water freezing. We have more information on winterizing your spa here: http://www.spadepot.com/spacyclopedia/winter.htm#Winter Use Please feel free to give us a call if you have any further questions: 1-800-823-3638 M-F 8am-5pm Pacific. Thanks, Mark The Spa Depot

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  10. In our resort have a out door jacuzzi, i want to know that what is the standard temperature in the summer and winter. Shahenur

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  11. Hi Shahenur, Great question! Typically water temperature during any time of the year will be personal preference of the user. Often times, people typically keep their hot tubs between 95° and 102°. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Thanks, Bonni The Spa Depot

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  12. HI, I just moved in to a New place it’s been 8 months now and has Hot tub and the owner had it set at 104 . my bills were higher then the lady next door to me . so how do I lower my bill it was 455.00 and her was 190.00 and we have the same squares footage of house ?

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  13. Hi Joan,
    Great question! There are several things you can do to lower the electricity expense of your hot tub.
    The most common cause of additional expense is lack of insulation, which is causing your spa to try and heat more often. If the spa cover is in bad shape, waterlogged or doesn’t fit well, a replacement cover is an investment that will immediately pay off in saved energy.
    You can also add insulation by using a ThermoFloat Blanket, which eliminates evaporation and prevents the tub from needing to heat as often: http://www.spadepot.com/shop/Floating-Blankets-Coveralls-C637.aspx
    You may also lower the temperature setting on your hot tub if you know you will not be using the spa for a few days or weeks.
    I hope this is helpful. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
    Thanks,
    Kaisa
    The Spa Depot

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  16. Hi Robin,
    Thanks for your post. 10-20 minutes is the recommended maximum for adults to stay in the hot tub.
    Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
    Thank you,
    Kaisa

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  17. Hi, I have a 8 thousand liters pool/spa on my rooftop and I would like to heat it up faster, like in 20min to 30min ideally. Outside temperature is about 63 F. Any tips regarding best equipment to get above 100 F that fast? Thank you! Daniel

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  18. Hi Daniel,
    Thank you for your question. A few factors are at play here, including what temperature your pool is kept at initially, and what kind of pool equipment you have. Please give our Technical Department a call at your convenience, one of our experts will be able to set you in the right direction.
    (800)823-3638 M-F 8am-5pm Pacific
    Thanks,
    Bonni
    SpaDepot.com

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  19. HI, WE LIVE ON A TRPOICAL ISLAND IN THE CARIBBEAN AND JUST BOUGHT A HOT/Cold tub, what chemicals are needed? Average outside temp is 32C thanks! Best water temp ?

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  20. Hi Catherine,
    Thank you for your question. First you will need to balance your new hot tub’s water; this includes testing pH, Total Alkalinity & Hardness. Once you get these within the proper range you can establish a sanitizing system. You can read here which sanitizer might be best for you:
    https://hot-tub-blog.spadepot.com/2015/04/what-is-a-hot-tub-sanitizer-and-which-sanitizer-is-the-best.html
    You will also need a chlorine or non-chlorine shock which we recommend using after each hot tub use. For a complete guide on setting up and maintaining your spa water, you can see our “Spa Preparation & Water Maintenance” page in our Spacyclopedia:
    http://www.spadepot.com/spacyclopedia/hot-tub-maintenance.htm
    The best water temperature for your tub will be what is most comfortable for you, although we do not recommend exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Please let me know if you have any further questions!
    Thanks,
    Bonni
    SpaDepot.com

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  21. We live in Tucson AZ & during the hot summer months we can’t keep the temperature of our spa under 107° despite having it set at 80°. Should we leave the top open & maybe just cover it with some kind of screen?

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  22. Hi,
    Thanks for the comment!
    You can remove the cover to allow the water to cool down. I recommend doing this in the evening, when the outside ambient temperature is cooler and while you can keep an eye on the hot tub.
    For safety reasons, it is important never to leave the hot tub unattended with the cover off.
    I hope this is helpful. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
    Thank you,
    Kaisa
    SpaDepot.com

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  25. Jimy,
    Do some research on potentiometers. You could add one to the thermometer wiring. This will alter the current sent to the digital board / controls and it will think the temperature is lower. Calibrate your modification using another thermometer. Be careful and don’t allow the potentiometer to be accessible by anyone unintentionally.

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  26. Get an insulating blanket that floats on the top of the water. Close the lid while the jets are on high and the temp will go above 104 degrees maybe to 107.

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  28. I wasn’t aware that the maximum temperature for a spa was 104 degrees. It seems like this temperature would be plenty hot, but I suppose some people would want more. I’m curious to know if there are spa replacement parts that would allow a higher temperature. My wife and I have wanted to install a hot tub at our house, I think it would really help us unwind and relax at the end of most days.

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  29. Hi Jake,
    There are no replacement parts that will allow a higher temperature for your spa. The National Spa and Pool Institute considers 104° F to be the maximum safe water temperature to prevent possible health risks.
    If you are looking to install a hot tub I think you will find 100-102° optimal for end of day relaxing. These temperatures will also allow you to soak a bit longer than higher temperatures, so you can really bask in the relaxation.
    Please let me know if you have any further questions!
    Thanks,
    Bonni
    SpaDepot.com

    Like

  30. Hi Guys,
    I use a Bromine solution for my Hot Tub, can I use any “Shock” product or do I have to use one specifically designed for Bromine? A few months ago I bought a Clorox-Spa product that stated it was “Suitable for use with chlorine or bromine treated spas”, the problem is that I ran out and now I can’t find it anywhere. Even on the Clorox website I can’t find this product. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance….KC

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  32. I would love to go to the spa. I could use a long nice dip in hot water and a nice massage. However, my skin has been really sensitive to heat. I want to know how hot the water usually is in hot tubs. It’s good to know that spas don’t heat higher than 104 degrees.

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  33. Hi Jessie,
    Most spas heat to 104 degrees as a maximum temperature, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep yours that hot! Most people use their spas between 100-102 degrees.
    Since hot tubs have adjustable thermostats, you could turn the temperature down to 96 degrees(or whatever feels good to you!) and get the benefits of hot water without harming your sensitive skin. Just remember to turn the heat down a few hours before you get in, so the water has time to adjust.
    Thanks,
    Sarah
    SpaDepot.com

    Like

  36. I wanted to thank you for helping me learn more about hot tubs. It’s good to know that maintaining the set temperature is important,e specially since during down the tub won’t save much energy. It also seems important to keep, especially if having a consistent temperature is important for making the hot tub stay in good condition much longer.

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  37. I live in Southern Utah and my hot tub was set at 103 but has soared in the last few days to 112 ( the ambient temperature was 106F . Besides leaving the cover off what else can I do to keep the temperature down this summer.

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  38. Hi John,

    Try reducing the duration of filtration cycles. If you’re running 4 hours, reduce it to half. Another trick is to leave the air control valves open when you’re not in the spa. This will draw air into the water, which should help to cool it.

    Thanks,
    Brian
    SpaDepot.com
    800-823-3638

    Like

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