SpaFilter: Jacuzzi, CalSpa and L.A. Spa -- what are the qualitative differences?

March 31, 2007 1:50 PM

SpaFilter: Jacuzzi, CalSpa and L.A. Spa -- what are the qualitative differences?

The missus and I will be replacing our broken-down, 16-year-old, above-ground spa with a brand new one. We've done the due diligence, and are now casting out to AskMe for additional opinions about these three brands.

What are the real qualitative differences between them? Any horror stories out there? Why does CalSpa seem to half as expensive as the actual Jacuzzi brand and L.A. Spa? Does the fact that Costco Home Stores carry CalSpa say something positive/negative about CalSpa quality?

I'm not looking for differences like number of jets and features. I'm looking for opinions on workmanship and integrity of materials.

posted by frogan to Home & Garden (1 answer total)

Since you are replacing an older spa, I will be slightly off topic and warn you that "modern" spas are regulated to a maximum temperature of !04F. When grilling the CalSpa guy about this, I was told "the human body does funny things over that temperature!"

Sure, if your *core temperature* gets over 104 you are in trouble. But if humans seriously couldn't survive in higher temperatures, Las Vegas wouldn't have homeless people, and ending the problems in Iraq would be as simple as waiting for summer.

On topic, however, I think Jacuzzi costs more because they were first and have the biggest brand name. Costco carrying CalSpas says that there is a certain minimum quality level (they don't want unhappy customers) and that CalSpas can crank out enough of them to keep Costco in stock.

A little googling shows there are several forums dedicated to related subjects, and I'm sure confusing and contradictory opinions abound. These same forums may have advice on "hotrodding" your new spa, as you may used to something toastier.
posted by ilsa at 4:54 PM on March 31, 2007