Bestway Lay-Z-Spa Hot Tub Spa Review

Overall Rating

It's "plug and play" from a standard household electrical supply - so no complicated or costly wiring. Brilliant fun and great value for money! Ideal as a try before you buy a "proper" hot tub, so you can see whether or not you actually will (or will not) use a tub regularly enough to justify laying out several thousand pounds. That's why I bought mine and I am using it for the third summer right now... I've been so impressed with it that I still haven't bought a proper hot tub (although I intend to) as the Lay Z Spa has proven to me that I will definitely use a tub regularly. I'd hate to have spent thousands on a tub only to discover the novelty wore off after three months and I ended up selling it on e-bay for half what I paid... The Lay Z Spa has definitely saved me from doing that.

The first thing I'd say is that really, for around £300 (or less nowadays), there are no bad points. The heater unit packed up once, but it only needed resetting (some water had leaked internally and caused a short circuit) and I did that myself as well as addressing the leak. The biggest disappointment for me is that you cannot use it all year round (unless under cover) as it must not be exposed to frost/ice.

I agree with the other reviewer that conditioning the water can be a bit tricky, but let's face it, compared to a Catalina, Beachcomber, Arctic Spa etc etc , the Lay Z Spa is really a tough paddling pool with a hairdryer attached... but I love mine to bits and I am in my third year of using it. There are no jets to speak of - simply an air blower pushing air through a ring of holes around the tub - but nevertheless, it is relaxing and effective enough. More like a jacuzzi than a hot tub. I'm not sure that it is any more expensive to run than any other tub, providing you are sensible with the temperature (about 37 degrees seems to me to be the best compromise between cost and comfort) and don't leave it on all day. I find that about 4 hours a day keeps the temperature where you need it as it is pretty well insulated by the air in the chambers. We've had 6 adults in ours at a push, but 4 is plenty in complete comfort. Filters etc are cheap enough and if you buy a decent water testing kit, maintenance is OK too.