Hot Tub Care for Cold Michigan Winters

The Benefits of Winter Hot Tub Use

You could winterize your hot tub for the winter months — going through the work of draining, cleaning, and protecting it from the freezing temps — but it’s time-consuming and complicated. The better option is to keep the hot tub running, and you’ll even experience some perks unique to the cold winter months.

Enjoying the Winter Weather: Instead of being stuck inside during the freezing weather, you can soak in your hot tub and spend time outside in warmth and comfort.

Cold-Weather Hydrotherapy: Soaking in a hot tub doesn’t only feel good, it’s actually good for you. Cold muscles and joints are more likely to sustain injuries like pulls or strains during physical activity. A soak in your hot tub before exercise will warm up those cold muscles and help to prevent injury. And after that workout, you can soothe your tired muscles.

Winter Social Events: The holidays go hand-in-hand with celebrations with family and friends. A hot tub can serve as a unique gathering place for a festive winter get-together.

How To Get the Most Out of Your Hot Tub In Winter

There’s no reason to close up that hot tub for the cold Michigan months. Following these tips will ensure you can protect your hot tub — and you — when the snow hits the ground.

Purchase a Good Cover: You need a well-insulated hot tub cover that has a tight-fitting seal. This will help your hot tub maintain a constant high temperature, even when the outdoor temps hit a bone-chilling low.

Monitor the Water Levels: If water levels fall too low, components are at risk for freezing. This could damage your hot tub, so add more water as necessary.

Keep the Water Clean: You should always make sure filters and water are clean, but it’s especially important during winter months when problems become even more difficult to fix in freezing weather.

Change Your Water Early: Drain, thoroughly clean, and refill your spa before the temperatures get too cold, as changing it during subzero temperatures can be particularly challenging and can even damage your spa.

Enjoy Your Soakings Carefully: While it’s tempting to stay in the comforting warmth of your hot tub when it’s so cold outside, try to limit your soak time to about 20 minutes. The longer you soak, the higher your body temperature climbs, and moving from extreme heat to extreme cold can place dangerous stress on your body.

Have an Exit Strategy: Make sure you have footwear, towels, and some clothing close by in a container to protect them from the snow. When you’re done soaking, get dressed quickly and head inside as soon as possible to the warmth of indoors.

Watch the Jets: The jets work by blowing air into the water, which can lower the water temperature, as do the cold weather temps. This means your hot tub has to work harder to stay warm, so use the jets to a lesser extent than you normally would, and don’t forget to turn them off when not in use.

Michigan winters can be long and frigid, but the luxury of a hot tub will make those snowy months something that everyone can look forward to.

Emerald Spa and Billiards, right in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is your one-stop shop for brand new Sundance Spas, covers, chemicals, and everything you need to make your winter hot tubbing experience the best it can be. Stop in and talk with our expert staff today!