Best inflatable hot tubs 2023: chill out in style in the sunshine

Owning one of the best inflatable hot tubs can pay dividends all year round but it is now, here in the summer months, where arguably they offer most. Entertaining with friends and family outdoors is taken to another level with a hot tub, with people able to relax and unwind in them well into the late summer nights.

As such, here we give you a definitive and up to date list of the best inflatable hot tubs you can buy right now. These tubs will give you hours of fun and enjoyment with friends and family, and you don't necessarily have to spend a huge amount of money to get one.

And unlike our best hot tubs list, this one focuses specifically on the models that you can inflate when they're needed and deflate when they're not.

In the winter months – or when you're not at home – these inflatable hot tubs can be packed up and stashed away, so you don't need to worry about them taking up valuable space on your patio and decking when they're not actually inflated and being used.

The factors to consider are the obvious ones: the capacity and the dimensions of each hot tub. We'd also recommend reading up on how each one is installed and supplied with water and electricity, to make sure you're picking the right inflatable hot tub for you.

So without any further preamble, we'll get on with introducing you to the best inflatable hot tubs of 2023. No matter what your needs, requirements and garden capacity, you should be able to find something in our carefully curated list that's the perfect fit for you.

The best inflatable hot tubs 2024

The Dellonda Inflatable Hot Tub Spa scores highly in just about every department, and we reckon it's just about the best inflatable hot tub out there for most people at the moment – assuming you're okay with the six-person capacity limit. It's easy to set up, it's easy to pack down again, and it comes with all of the features that you're most likely to be wanting.

Those features include a 140-bubble jet message system, a digital LED control panel for straightforward operation, and a lid that can keep the heat in when needed. You can also configure the 1,200-litre hot tub to automatically start up the heating again when the water dips below a certain temperature, which means you don't have to worry about it.

On the flip side, the smart pump also switches itself off when the water reaches the required temperature, so you don't have to put your energy bills under any more strain. Everything you need to get this up and running is included, and it's an ideal choice if you haven't used an inflatable hot tub before and are looking to make a first purchase.

When you're buying an inflatable hot tub, you don't necessarily have to choose one that looks like an inflatable hot tub: the Lay-Z-Spa Helsinki Hot Tub has an ultra-rigid exterior with a wood panelling effect, so you can pretend you're on holiday in Scandinavia while relaxing in this. If you actually are on holiday in Scandinavia, then so much the better.

Even with that harder, premium exterior, the Helsinki is still super-simple to setup and operate, taking just five minutes to inflate when you're ready for some hot tub action. The rapid heating system can get the water up to 40 degrees Celsius in not much time at all, and you can put the water heating on a timer as well if that's more convenient for you.

Some of the extra features that make this hot tub worth the relatively high cost are a 180 AirJet system – which gives you a full body massage with thousands of therapeutic bubbles – and Freeze Shield technology that means you can use this hot tub all the year round (the pump will automatically kick in once the ambient temperature starts to drop).

The CosySpa Inflatable Hot Tub Spa is proof that you don't have to spend a huge amount of your hard-earned money to get one of the best inflatable hot tubs out in your back garden – check the widgets embedded in this page for the latest online pricing, but at the time of writing this is one of the more affordable models in what is a crowded market.

Of course if you're going to spend less then there are certain compromises: this particular model only fits four people at once, and a lot of the premium accessories are extra. However, for a lot of people the hot tub comes with everything that you're going to need, and you might have decided that the fewer people in your hot tub the better anyway.

You can get the water inside this hot tub heated up to 42 degrees Celsius, and everything is managed through a straightforward control panel. There's an insulating cover, a ground sheet and a filter included, and the hot tub is suitable for use all year round (just take note of the maintenance tasks that you need to keep on top of for optimum operation).

For a good all-rounder in the best inflatable hot tubs market, look no further than the MSpa Ottoman. It's solidly put together, it'll take six people at once, and it's comfortable to sit in for hours on end. What's more, it comes with an ultraviolet light sanitiser and antibacterial system built in, to help keep bugs and viruses at bay while you're relaxing.

You're also likely to be impressed by just how much this 930-litre capacity inflatable hot tub is capable of via its included remote control: you can set the heating (up to 38 degrees Celsius) on a timer, you can get the hot tub to self-inflate at the push of a button, and you can turn the therapeutic massage bubbles (from 138 air jets) on or off very easily too.

We should also talk about the style of the MSpa Ottoman, because this is one of the best-looking inflatable hot tubs that we've come across – you're sure to have the neighbours peering over the fence with envy (if you've got enough room you can invite them over). It comes with everything you need, including safety buckles and filters.

The party trick that the CleverSpa Manhattan can offer is the strip of LED lighting around the base, which can light up in a choice of seven different colours. If you think you're going to be spending a lot of late evenings outside in the hot tub, then this might be the model for you – and it's a really nicely designed product even before you turn on the illumination.

You'll notice the hot tub is adorned with a picture of the New York skyline, hence the name of the model – it's a look that some people will love and that will put some people off. On top of that, this isn't the largest hot tub in our list, so bear that in mind too. If you think you're going to need to fit in more than four people at once, maybe look elsewhere.

With the light-up feature though, and 40 degrees Celsius top temperature, and the massage bubbles powered by 110 air jets, and the FreezeGuard protection that does exactly what it sounds like, this is a tub well worth considering. It's on the more expensive side compared with other models on the market, but it does enough to justify the price.

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