Inspiration · Frequently asked questions
The questions we hear most often.
What it costs, whether you need a permit and how much maintenance comes with it: those are the questions from almost every first conversation. Below, every question gets the answer first and the nuance after.
SUNSPA ’T GOOI Wellness at home.Beforehand
Rather everything on the table in one conversation.
The order follows the questions as people type them, from what it costs to what happens in winter. Where the answer is set out more fully elsewhere, we point you to that page. If you would rather go through everything in one go, book a consultation.
What it costs.
How much does a hot tub cost?
You can find prices per model on our spa page, including VAT and an insulated cover. Where several configurations are available, we show a starting price. Request a no-obligation quote directly for your preferred spa. We are happy to help you choose and welcome you to our showroom to see the models.
What does a hot tub cost in electricity per month?
There is no fixed monthly amount. Insulation, water temperature, weather and use affect consumption. Multiply the measured kWh by the rate in your energy contract. With a dynamic contract, use the rate at the time of consumption. Our article explains how to make your own estimate.
What does a sauna cost?
A barrel sauna starts at € 3,495. For indoor saunas and bespoke work we deliberately quote no starting price, because the range runs from small and simple to a cabin drawn to measure. Eleven saunas are on display at the Loodijk, and we go through the price of each with you.
How much does hot tub maintenance cost per month?
With a Wellness plan you pay € 32.50, € 59.95 or € 99.95 a month, plus a one-off € 365 for the first service, and you can cancel each year. Select is one service a year, Prime two; none of the three charges a call-out fee on a fault, and with Elite the labour is included. A major replacement, such as a complete pump, falls outside the plan with Elite too. We also take on a spa you bought elsewhere, and the three plans are set out in full on Maintenance & service.
Before it arrives.
Do I need a permit for a hot tub in the garden?
It depends on your address and plans. Before buying, use the permit check and map-based rules in the Dutch Omgevingsloket. Listed buildings and conservation areas can be subject to additional restrictions. We help you check the situation; ask the municipality for clarification if anything is uncertain.
What kind of base does a hot tub need?
A flat, load-bearing surface, usually a concrete slab; properly founded decking works too, as long as it carries a filled spa without subsiding. We assess your garden during the site survey, and if something needs doing first, you hear that in advance and not on delivery day. How the placement runs after that is set out step by step on Delivery & installation.
How do I get a hot tub into the garden?
For most gardens we wheel the spa through the gate on a trolley. If it does not fit, we bring in a crane; it is a separate line in the quote, so you know the cost in advance. We measure the passage during the site survey, or ask you for the dimensions.
What power connection does a hot tub need?
It depends on the model and configuration. Before installation, ask a qualified electrician to assess the installation manual and your distribution board. We provide the requirements for your chosen spa or swim spa and coordinate the preparation.
Can I install a hot tub or sauna indoors?
Yes, both can stand indoors, in a wellness room, bathroom or basement. Allow for ventilation, because a spa releases vapour and a sauna dry heat, and for a floor drain for maintenance. In Bussum we fitted an infrared chair in its own alcove in the bathroom. We are happy to assess the space before you choose.
What it needs.
Is a hot tub a lot of maintenance?
A spa needs regular attention. Check the water balance and care for the filters according to the instructions for your model and water treatment. A Wellness plan covers the agreed service visits and support. Routine water care is still needed between visits; we explain your part at handover.
How often do I need to change the water in a hot tub?
You fully change the water a few times a year. How often exactly depends on how intensively you use the spa and on the water balance. In between you only top up evaporation with the garden hose. At installation we start a water file, so your readings are to hand the moment you call.
Can I maintain my hot tub without chlorine?
We do not work completely chlorine-free, but we do work with less chlorine. Our line is chlorine with pH agents, supplemented by AquaFinesse, which tackles the biofilm in the pipework; less biofilm means less chlorine. We deliberately do not supply automatic dosing systems or salt electrolysis. Bromine is permitted in the Netherlands, but it is not part of our line.
How do I get cloudy spa water clear again?
Measure before you add anything, then adjust in this order. First the alkalinity, between 80 and 120 ppm, because that keeps the pH stable. Then the pH, between 7.2 and 7.6, and only when that is right does chlorine do its work; keep free chlorine around 2 ppm and do not drop below 1. If it stays cloudy, give us a call and we pull up your water file.
Can I do the maintenance myself, without a plan?
Yes, many clients do it themselves. At handover we go through the water and the filters with you, and after that you get us on the line whenever something comes up. Rather no plan, but one check a year? Then you book a one-off annual service.
Can I use a hot tub outdoors all year round?
Yes, and in winter many clients actually use it most. A well-insulated spa stays at temperature even in frost. Consumption is higher in those months, because the gap with the outside air is largest then. Keep the cover closed when you are not in it; water loses its heat mostly at the surface.
Two kinds of heat.
Infrared cabin or Finnish sauna: what is the difference?
The temperature and the connection. An infrared cabin works between 45 and 60 degrees on a normal 230 V socket; a Finnish sauna goes to 80 to 100 degrees, with a heater with stones and water poured over them. Infrared is therefore the shorter session for a weekday, Finnish the long evening. In the showroom the infrared cabins are switched on, so you feel that warmth right away, and the Finnish saunas stand dry.
Does a sauna need three-phase power?
It depends on the sauna, heater and power rating. Check the electrical requirements in the installation manual for your chosen configuration. We discuss the preparation with you; a qualified electrician assesses your distribution board and makes the connection.
How much maintenance does a sauna need?
Less than a spa, because there is no water service involved. The work sits mostly in the heater and the controls, equipment we know from our own installations, such as the wood-fired Harvia in Zaandam. If something stops working, you call us and the engineer who knows your sauna comes out. What we do for saunas is set out on Maintenance & service.
How often a week is the sauna healthy?
There is no standard for that, but the best-known study compared four to seven times a week with once a week. In 2015 JAMA Internal Medicine published the Finnish Kuopio study: 2,315 men, followed for more than twenty years, and those who went more often fared better. It is observational research, so it shows association and not cause. We give no health advice; the study is written out with all the small print in our knowledge base.
First swim, then choose.
What is the difference between a swim spa and a swimming pool?
A swim spa does not have to go into the ground. You swim against the current and stay in place; a pool gives you a real lane and open water. Against that, a pool is dug in, more often does need a permit, and frequently costs a multiple. On the swim spa page we set the two side by side, including where the pool wins.
What does a swim spa cost?
Swim spas start at € 12,995. Where you land depends on the length and the configuration; the range runs up to 8.55 metres. Delivery, installation and the work around it, such as the three-phase circuit or partly sinking it into the ground, are separate lines in the same quote.
Do you have a swim spa on the showroom floor?
No swim spa is on display. You can book a consultation in the showroom. We arrange test swims at an external location, where you can compare jets and a turbine.
Can I try a swim spa before I buy one?
Yes, a trial swim is part of the process. We make an appointment at an external location where you try both jet and turbine technology; that is usually possible to schedule within two weeks. You swim against the current yourself while we explain the differences. That way you choose a swim spa you have already swum in.
Once you choose.
How quickly can a hot tub be delivered?
Models from stock are often available at short notice, because we usually keep around four hundred spas in stock. Almost all barrel saunas are there too. Other outdoor saunas and bespoke work are built after you order, and commissioned work takes time; we do not promise a lead time for that. The schedule that goes with your model comes up in the consultation.
Can I visit the showroom without an appointment?
Yes, during opening hours you can walk in freely: Wednesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00 and Sunday from 12:00 to 16:00. Visits on Monday, Tuesday and outside opening hours are by appointment. Spas and saunas stand side by side, and the infrared cabins are switched on. If you are coming for a full consultation, book an appointment; then we keep time free for you.
How much warranty do I get on a hot tub?
For the Sunspa Benelux lines (Sunspa, Fox Elite, MySpa, Maxicuzzi, Vogue), from the installation date: five years on the shell, two years on pumps, controls, cabinet and plumbing, and one year on the heater. Bullfrog specifies terms per component and per series; we go through those terms with you at the quote, and on signing you receive the warranty card in writing. Covered are manufacturing defects, material defects and faults that occur through no fault of your own. The full table and the exclusions are on Warranty & aftercare.
Do you work outside Het Gooi as well?
Yes. We do installation and service throughout the Netherlands, from ’s-Graveland, without regional boundaries. With a Wellness plan you pay no call-out fee, however far away you live. For the showroom you do drive to the Loodijk, and the driving time per town is listed on our service area page.
Who do I turn to when something breaks?
Contact us directly; we have no central service desk. You call 085 070 41 71 and get one of us on the line, or you are called back within one working day. Every installation is registered at placement, with serial number and water reading, so your file is to hand. Before anything is replaced, there is a written quote.
Can I trade in my old hot tub?
Trading in is not a standard part of what we offer. Sometimes we know of clients selling their spa because they are upgrading; if you are looking for a good second-hand one, do ask.
Call
Or just call
085 070 41 71. We pick up personally.
Showroom ’s-Graveland
Rather in person
Book a conversation in our showroom. Wednesday to Sunday.