Hot tub vs Jacuzzi vs spa: what is the difference?

Jacuzzi is a brand

Jacuzzi is a company name, taken from the family that founded it in the United States. The company became famous for whirlpool baths and hot tubs with water jets, and the name stuck as a general word for any tub with jets. Today Jacuzzi makes hot tubs, baths and showers, and the name is a registered trade mark.

So when someone says they have a Jacuzzi in the garden, they usually mean a hot tub with jets, which may or may not be made by Jacuzzi. Inflatable tubs from Lay-Z-Spa, Intex, MSpa or Wave are not Jacuzzis in the brand sense.

Hot tub and spa

Hot tub is the everyday word in the UK for a tub of heated water, usually outdoors, that several people sit in. It stays filled between uses, with a heater, filter and sanitiser keeping the water warm and clean. Most have jets, but the defining features are the heat and the shared water.

Spa is the word makers and retailers often use for the same thing, especially in product names. Bestway calls its tubs inflatable spas, and MSpa and Wave use the word too. In listings, spa and hot tub can be treated as the same product.

Hot tub vs whirlpool bath

A whirlpool bath is an indoor bath with jets. You fill it from the taps, use it once and drain it, just like a normal bath. It does not need a sanitiser, because the water is not shared or kept. A hot tub keeps the same water for weeks, heated and filtered, so water care is part of owning one.

This difference matters for running energy and upkeep. A hot tub holds hundreds of litres at around 37 to 40 °C, so it needs a heater, a cover and regular chemical checks, while a whirlpool bath uses hot water from your boiler for one session.

Where inflatable tubs fit

An inflatable hot tub is a portable spa. It has an air filled wall, a ground sheet, a cover and a pump unit with a heater, filter and air blower, and it plugs into a 13 A outdoor socket. It does everything a hot tub does, keeping water warm and filtered between uses, but it heats more slowly and loses heat faster than a hard shell tub.

Most inflatables use air bubbles rather than water jets, though some, such as the Lay-Z-Spa HydroJet Pro models, add water jets. See AirJet vs HydroJet for how they differ.

See the best inflatable hot tubs →

What to look for, whatever it is called

Names in listings can be loose, so these facts tell you more than whether the product is called a hot tub, spa or Jacuzzi style tub.

• Seats and water litres, which set legroom and heating time.
• Heater rating in kW and the electrical supply needed.
• Jet type: air bubbles, water jets or both.
• Wall build and cover, which decide how well heat is kept.
• Freeze protection if it will stay up in cold weather.

Note:Whatever you call it, a hot tub needs a safe electrical supply on an RCD protected outdoor socket, a lockable cover and supervision whenever children are near it.

Frequently asked questions

Is a hot tub the same as a Jacuzzi? In everyday speech, often yes. Strictly, Jacuzzi is a brand and hot tub is the general word.

Is a spa the same as a hot tub? Yes, in product listings the two words describe the same thing.

Is an inflatable hot tub a real hot tub? Yes. It heats, filters and keeps water like any hot tub, but it is portable and runs on a 13 A plug.

Do I need chemicals for a whirlpool bath? A bath that is filled and drained each time does not need a sanitiser like a hot tub. Follow the bath maker's cleaning guidance.