Hot Tub and Spa
Brand Reviews

WHY:

A combination of therapy and relaxation. Too many years of sports and the refusal to admit that I can no longer keep up with the young pups makes the therapy side of things more and more important. Plus it is a fun way to relax with friends and family.

EXPECTATIONS:

So far, the J-355 has met all of our expectations. We had been using a friends tub on a fairly regular basis, so we had a good idea of what the tub could do for us.

OWNERSHIP:

1 Month

ACCESSORIES

Taylor test kit-this is probably not an accessory, but a necessity. Also have an ozonator. The cover lifter came with the unit and is definitely a necessity. We have more stuff on the way, such as tables, thermal covers and racks, but will have to wait to post on those

LIKES:

The ability to just unwind and loosen up after work or working out. Plus it is just a nice relaxing time to talk and regroup with the family.

As far as items about the tub itself. One of the main reasons we went with Jacuzzi rather than another brand was for the longer warranty. Hopefully we will not need to use it, but it is there just in case.

The lounger: I was not sure if I would use this or not. We did try it during test soaks, but until we got our own tub, we were not sure how much we would actually use it. As it turns out, I use it a lot, but the wife tends to float out of it.

The LED Lights add a relaxing look to the tub.

DISLIKES

Noise. The Jacuzzi seems to be quieter than some of the other brands that our friends have, but still makes more noise, especially when both pumps are on high, than I would like. There are times we just soak rather than run the pumps. While it is not loud, it would be nice if it was whisper quite. Although moving that much water and air can never be noise free.

Lack of Cup Holders. As funny as it sounds, we miss those. The Jacuzzi has a rounded edge, so there is not a good place to park a cold drink. Some of the other brands we tried had cup holders molded in.

Getting out of a nice warm, cozy tub into the cold air……

CHANGES

The J-355 seats “5-6” people. 4 fits fine, 5 is okay, but 6 would have to either kids or very friendly….I would now go with the next size up. Being 6’1” and 260, I do take up quite a bit of room, but with the wife being 5’5” [and no, I am not going to give her weight!!!!], it does balance out when it is just us.

I would also be more careful as to the orientation of the controls and main seats. We ended up turning the tub so the lounger and main seat faces our lake rather than the back of the house. Of course we had already poured the concrete pad, so now we end up entering the tub from the side.

LEFT OUT

Nothing really. We looked at the factory stereo, but for the cost, we went with outdoor speakers and a remote extender. Although I may use a marine stereo and speakers later on.

UNNECESSARY ITEMS

The wife likes the waterfall, but I don’t think it is a necessity.

PROBLEMS:

No major ones to date. The only problem, if you want to call it that is we set up our power for 240v, 60 amps so both pumps will run on high with the heater on. The factory default is for 50amp, which allows for the heater to be on only if pump 1 is on low when pump 2 is on. The manual does not show how to reconfigure this, so I ended up e-mailing Jacuzzi and got a phone # to call for the instructions.

MISCELLANOUS:

While soaking has helped us sleep better at night, I have noticed that we are going to bed a lot later than we used to…..There is just something about laying there in the tub under the stars that keeps us up later than we should. And during a snowfall…, we almost did not go in that night!...”SPATOPIA” was definitely achieved.

I also need to build some kind of heated cabinet for robe/towel storage. Those robes are just too (%$#% cold to put on after soaking in the tub.