The weather outside may be frightful, but that doesn’t mean you need to sit in the house and complain about it! You can don your swimsuit, throw on your parka and snow boots and dash toward the hot tub! Maybe you won’t want to wear a parka, but if there’s snow you probably will want boots.
Hot tub and spa owners who live in the cold and snowy parts of the country will want to invest in a towel or robe heater. These accessories allow you to put your towel and/or robe into it, turn it on and it will warm your towel — just like a blanket heater in a hospital. Then when you get out of the heated hot tub water you wrap yourself in a warm, toasty robe or towel and dash in to the house or into your heated and cozy outdoor living space.
Start a new family tradition by starting your day or ending your day with a hot tub soak. This is a great way to warm up and relax from the busy holiday season.
Christmas In The Hot Tub!
Why should you keep your hot tub or spa open this winter?
A hot tub or spa is used even more, by most people, when the heat of the summer has faded. It’s a great way to get the chill out of your bones. Anyone who lives in the frozen parts of the country understands bone-chilling cold.
Ease body pains
If you have a cold or the flu, a soak in the hot tub can warm you up and clear your sinuses and just might make you feel better. When you soak in a hot tub your chest and lungs get warm and that helps you breath easier and allows you to take deeper, fuller breaths. When you breathe in the steam from the hot tub water your opening your sinuses and soothing your throat. Consider adding a few drops of eucalyptus to the water to help clear your sinuses even more.
Cold weather also makes arthritis and other aches and pains worse. A soak in a heated and jetted hot tub will bring relief to body and well as mind and soul. When you spend at least thirty minutes a day soaking in your hot tub whether you’re working out or just need relief from cold-induced pain, you will feel relaxed and rejuvenated.
Better digestion
Let’s be honest, part of the fun of the holidays is eating and eating and eating! Your body has to work overtime, though to digest the foods you’ve been eating. A soak in the hot tub will help warm your blood vessels and help the blood flow more easily and circulate better and that will help you digest your heavy meals.
Besides, a soak after a meal is relaxing and a great way to unwind.
If you’ve had a bit too much eggnog, hopping in the hot tub will open your pores, improve blood circulation and help remove the toxins from your body. Your hangover may go away more quickly.
Winter hot tub care
Caring for a hot tub or spa in the winter isn’t much different than caring for it in the summer, but you will need to take care to keep the snow off the hot tub cover and remove standing snow or ice before you remove the cover.
If the hot tub hasn’t been used for a while and you’re planning to host a hot tub party this winter, make time to clean the hot tub. Call your swimming pool service provider and ask him or her to come and service and clean and maintain the hot tub water before you have a party. You may also want to schedule your post-party hot tub maintenance visit, too.
Your hot tub contractor may recommend a complete draining of the hot tub — this is a common practice. The spa shell will be thoroughly cleaned, the jets and filters will also be cleaned. The hot tub will then be filled with water (either from your hose or by trucking in water). Chemicals and sanitizers will be added and once everything is in line and balanced, it’s time to soak.
How to truly enjoy a winter soak
- Turn up the water temperature a degree or two. This will combat the cooling effect the cold winter air will have on the spa water and on your enjoyment
- If you’re going to use it regularly throughout the winter you will need to keep the water chemistry in balance and you will want to check it regularly. If you haven’t used it for some time, plan to shock the water prior to use (several days before use)
- A winter spa cover will keep the snow and water from getting into the water, will protect the shell and will also be better able to trap heated water and save electricity on heating it.