For those who love the sound of relaxing in your hot tub after a long day, the best inflatable hot tubs can make things a little more accessible. Easily assembled and stored away after use, an inflatable hot tub is an excellent alternative to the best hot tubs that require installation and year-round maintenance.
If you’ve been considering owning your own hot tub, getting one might be easier than you think. The Bestway SaluSpa Zurich is priced under $700 and inflatable, making it perfect for apartment dwellers or homeowners who only want a tub a few months out of the year. But could a $700 hot tub replace the real thing? We put it through its paces to find out.
When you hear the phrase “inflatable hot tub,” your mind probably first goes to an inflatable pool, and the concept is pretty similar. In many ways, the Zurich is an inflatable pool with a pad on the bottom that provides the jets. You inflate the “pool” inside a more rigid shell that gives it more durability and helps keep the water warm inside.
The jets come from a circular pad covering the bottom of the tub with 120 small holes around the rim. When you turn them on, the air is pushed through the pad's permitter, and bubbles form. It sounds like something that won’t work well, but it does.
An inflatable lid with locking snaps on the side covers the tub when not in use. It is much lighter and easier to remove than a cover for a traditional tub and a pump on the side, which looks similar to a boat motor and houses a control panel for the temperature, jets, and more.
It works, and once you assemble it, you might not even realize it’s an inflatable hot tub on your back porch rather than a traditional one.
Emily Price, a seasoned technology journalist, has a diverse portfolio that spans across multiple publications. Her expertise extends beyond just tech topics, proven by her thorough testing and reviewing of inflatable hot tubs for TTR. Her work has been featured in The Guardian, Fast Company, Popular Mechanics, Entrepreneur Magazine, MORE Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, Conde Nast Traveler, Paste Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Esquire, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar.
Bestway SaluSpa Zurich: Key specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
| Type | Inflatable |
| Heat range | up to 104°F |
| Water capacity | 177 gallons |
| Material | Proprietary DuraPlus |
| Fits | 2-4 people |
| Jets | 120 |
| Dimensions | 71in x 26 inches |
Bestway SaluSpa Zurich: Price & availability
The Bestway SaluSpa is available for purchase directly from Bestway and from several different retailers, including Amazon. The tub retails for $729.99; however, it appears to almost always be on sale. As of this writing, it’s currently priced at $547.49 on Bestway’s site and $639.99 on Amazon.
Bestway SaluSpa Zurich: First impressions
The BestWay SaluSpa ships in one large box with individual pieces boxed separately inside. The exterior box has handles built into the side for easier carrying, and we got the box from our front porch, which was delivered to the backyard relatively quickly by two people. If you’re assembling alone, you could open the exterior box and break it into smaller boxes for more accessible transport.
The instructions included for the spa are sparse and similar to those you might get with an Ikea table. There are no words in the assembly instructions, only sparse pictures. My partner, a computer engineer, and I worked together to put this guy together, which resulted in a handful of disagreements and a 3-hour assembly time versus the 10 minutes touted by the company. I’m not going to lie; it was a challenge, but one that was ultimately worth it, and it is something I think I’ll be much more successful with the second time.
Our first struggle was simply understanding all of the parts. The outer shell of the tub comes folded in half, and it took a bit for us to understand not only what it was but also that we needed to open it up so it made a circle. It seemed intuitive, but it wasn’t, and it slowed us down a few minutes.
The most significant issue, however, was inflating the tub. We followed the included instructions, which involved using the pump that would ultimately power the tub’s jets to inflate it. Easy enough, but we kept getting an alarm a few seconds in that would shut the pump off. Ultimately, we had one of us stand by the pump and cancel the alarm before things could shut off. It was tedious and not how things were supposed to go, but it was ultimately a success.
Once we figured out the shell and got the pump running, the setup was relatively seamless—again, a process that I think was compounded by our being novices. The second time around should be a lot easier.
Bestway SaluSpa Zurich: Design
Zurich's inflatable core is made of durable, puncture-resistant "DuraPlus" material, which the company says is 33% more tear-resistant and 56% more stretch-resistant than PVC. This material allows the tub to maintain its shape no matter how many times you inflate and deflate it. It also has winterizing technology that prevents inner components from freezing during colder temperatures and a circuit interpreter to help ground the tub and prevent electrical shocks while it's in use.
A timer allows you to control the tub's temperature up to 40 days in advance, so you can set it to always be ready for use on the weekends or after your late shift on Wednesdays. A ChemConnect dispenser helps distribute a stable chlorine level in the tub, and an integrated water filtration system keeps the water clean.
The box says this can hold 2-4 people, but two full-sized adults are probably the max unless you're happy to brush elbows and kneecaps with your fellow spa users.
Bestway SaluSpa Zurich: Performance
Despite the challenges in setup, The BestWay SaluSpa Zurich is a really great hot tub. The jets in the tub are best liked to perhaps the spray holes on a slip-and-slide. One hundred twenty small holes surround the bottom panel of the inside of the tub, and when you turn on the jets, air comes through all of them, creating a ton of bubbles and a surprising amount of pressure from just a small hole — there are lots of those holes.
I routinely use the hot tub solo and have determined that I can spread out so that most of my body is being hit by a jet at the same time, a feat not possible in a traditional hot tub. I’d argue it ultimately also makes for a better overall experience.
The tub gets up to 104 degrees. We’ve left it constantly at 100 and would turn it up a few hours before planned use. Like traditional hot tubs, you must give yourself a few hours between turning the temperature up and getting to temp.
Once there, however, it maintains temperature reasonably well. I used it in outdoor temps ranging from 30 degrees to 60; in all instances, it maintained that 104 for at least 15 minutes. Afterward, it would typically drop to around 100 but could maintain that for at least an hour, even in colder weather. Also worth noting is that there hasn’t been a significant bump in my electric bill with the tub maintaining that 100-degree temperature outside.
It’s a great hot tub and creates an experience comparable to what you might get from a tub 10x the price.
Bestway SaluSpa Zurich: Maintenance
The SaluSpa has a built-in ChemConnect dispenser. You insert a chlorine tablet into the dispenser, which disperses a stable level of chlorine in the tub.
I took things further and visited my local pool supply store for advice. They recommended bringing in a sample of water from my tub, and when I did, they suggested I add a bit more chlorine. Specifically, I said a Calcium Booster and some Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate for alkalinity and some chlorine. They also recommended using a Shock Oxidizer, which kills off things like body oils and lotions in the water after each use. That was roughly $65 worth of chemicals, but they should last around a year.
If you have a local pool supply store, I'd recommend taking a water sample and seeing what they say. The representative I spoke to was super knowledgeable, and having a sample of my water tested was free. In my city, you can also empty the hot tub twice a year and refill it without paying for the water. The store was also able to help me with that paperwork.
While possibly unnecessary, as a hot tub novice, I felt a little better having someone else test my water for me rather than relying on my novice guesses or haphazard reading of test strips.
Beyond maintaining the water, the only challenge for us is keeping the top of the tub's lid clean. The tub is sitting on our back deck, and the top of the lid routinely collects water and debris from a flowering tree above when it rains. After a significant rain, we had to go outside, remove water from the top, and sweep off all the fallen flowers. It's more of an issue with which we've placed it than the tub itself, but it's necessary. Early on, I attempted to carefully remove the lid with a small amount of rainwater and tree droppings and accidentally dumped it all inside — Long story short, I emptied the whole tub and refilled it.
Emptying the whole tub is worth addressing. To empty, connect a garden hose to a spout on the bottom of the tub. Once you pull a plug inside the tub, water flows through the hose, and you can direct it wherever you want. The tub holds 177 gallons, a significant amount of water to disperse in my yard. It would be ideal if you had a hose long enough to get the water to a drain, which, sadly, I did not. Ultimately, it was not the biggest deal but a journey.
Bestway SaluSpa Zurich: User reviews
Customers who purchase the Bestway Saluspa Zurich are often surprised by how sturdy the tub is. Many note that their experience using it is similar to what they might expect from a “multi-thousand dollar hot tub.”
Overall, users find the tub easy to use and clean, and they’re impressed with its jets and ability to stay hot during use. The one consistent complaint amongst users is the tub’s size, which most find only appropriate for two full-sized adults.
Should you buy the Bestway SaluSpa Zurich Inflatable Hot Tub?
If you’ve debated purchasing an inflatable hot tub, this one is a no-brainer. The tub is an excellent value for the price and provides an experience comparable to what you might get from a traditional tub at a significantly higher price tag.
The tub's inflatable design also makes it an excellent option for renters or people who only want to use it during certain months and store it for the remainder of the year. It’s well worth the price and worth a look.
Bestway SaluSpa Zurich Inflatable Hot Tub compare?
We have also reviewed the Bestway SaluSpa Fiji inflatable hot tub, which is another good option for renters thanks to its smaller size. Another similarity between these two models is that they would struggle to fit four people, as claimed.
Zurich's insulated outer liner and lid make it a more energy-efficient option, too. The brand claims it is 40% more efficient than other models on the market. This will also help it stay warmer in the winter months.
How I tested the Bestway SaluSpa Zurich
At Top Ten Reviews, we are committed to providing our readers with honest and reliable reviews of products, including the best inflatable hot tubs in the market. Our team of expert reviewers conducts extensive research and testing to ensure that we recommend only the top products to our readers.
Our reviewers possess prior experience and industry knowledge, allowing them to identify and analyze the most critical features of each inflatable hot tub. They put each product through a series of tests, including set-up, performance, temperature control, ease of use, maintenance, and more, to deliver comprehensive and consistent reviews.
We test each inflatable hot tub in a real-life setting to ensure that our reviews are accurate and reliable. Our goal is to provide our readers with authentic and trustworthy reviews that help them make an informed decision when purchasing an inflatable hot tub. For more information about our testing protocols, please visit our comprehensive guide on how we test.
- First reviewed: 8th April 2023
