Review: AquaRest Discover AR150 Hot Tub

My wife is convinced that there are two types of people in the world: “Soakers” and “Non-Soakers.” While she would consider a leisurely day a six-hour hike with 20 kg backpacks in the Himalayas, I consider it a day spent lounging in the water.

I have, like any self-respecting Soaker, always wanted a proper hot tub to enjoy my biweekly tubbing, but I never wanted to buy an inflatable tub (I am as clumsy as I am lazy), nor spend thousands on a proper “home spa” from a local retailer.

Enter this AquaRest, the cheapest hard-sided hot tub I could find on Wayfair. It arrived on a pallet, plugs into my normal 120-volt outdoor outlet, and was hot and ready in two days. It costs about double what you’d pay for an equivalent inflatable, but feels significantly more robust, and can even be upgraded to a 220V outlet if you want more “traditional” hot tub heating.

The four-person tub means a good time for friends and family. Even my wife is coming around to joining me for the occasional dip on our back patio. I have used it for months at this point with no issues to speak of, save the one time my power went out and I forgot to turn it back on. If you’re after a nice, durable hot tub that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, I highly recommend it.

Super Soaker

The AquaRest comes on a pallet, completely wrapped in plastic. This worked out amazingly well for me, because when it arrived I was in the middle of a remodel and needed to leave it outdoors for a couple months (covered). It survived that wait just fine, and I unwrapped it and moved it to a permanent location on a level (ish) patio that we had.

You’ll want to make sure that you have a good level space that can handle the thousands of pounds a full hot tub weighs before you place this thing there: it’s not light, and it absolutely shouldn’t be placed on an unreinforced deck or a raised patio you don’t want sagging into the ground. My location was disused and very nearly level, with pavers over sandy soil that can take the weight. Make sure you investigate this before even considering a hot tub.

The only real assembly, apart from making sure you have enough power (either a standard 120V circuit or 240V dryer outlet will work, with 240 being noticeably faster to heat), is installing the lid. It’s a normal flip-top style hot tub lid with foam insulation. It comes with drillable clips so that you can make sure it stays secure on windier days.

The tub has 12 jets and four clear seating positions, with a common footwell for everyone to share once inside. It’s a bit tight with larger folks, but you can pretty comfortably fit four adults in the tub, and very easily fit two (and a baby, my wife and I discovered, if the temp is low enough).

Controls are simple buttons on the side of the tub, with a temp readout that tells you what the current temp is, with the set temp adjustable by arrow keys, as well as the small spa light, and the jets.

The jets themselves are easily turned on and off with said switch, unless the spa is heating, at which time they remain on to circulate the heated water. You can adjust how strong the bubbles are with clever little knobs on top of the tub rim next to the cupholders (essential for a hot tub).

Hot Tub Life

If you’re a new hot tub buyer, it’s essentially as easy as filling up the tub, then waiting the 24-ish hours it takes to heat up water to your desired temperature. I set the tub to its maximum 104 degrees Fahrenheit for a proper heat soak, and it took a bit over 24 hours to heat the tub from tap-cold water on 120V in the middle of winter. Your mileage will vary, but plan on a day or two until it’s properly rocking.

Because this tub heats so slowly on 120V, it does cool down a bit when you get inside and usually ends up running the jets for the majority of the time you’re in the tub to maintain the temp. I imagine that would be different if I upgraded it to 240vV where it could more easily hold temp, but it’s really a nonissue for me when I’m using the tub. You’ll usually want some amount of water circulation when you’re in there, and the knobs for the jets can be turned down so they’re really just moving water with no bubbles.

Hot tubs are notoriously maintenance-heavy, but this one has been relatively simple for a newbie like me. You’re supposed to check the tub with test strips daily and adjust the water as necessary, with a weekly shock to clean the tub. I was able to order everything I needed on Amazon for about $100, which offered enough chemicals and strips to last me about a third of the year, given my current minimal treatment needs (my tub doesn’t get a ton of use, so the water remains pretty stable with biweekly checks and treatment the day before I plan to use it). There is a simple filter that is easy to install and replace as needed, but otherwise there is really nothing to do to the tub but use it and check the water.

I was worried it would make a huge dent in my electric bill, but I haven’t noticed a significant change, likely owing to the fact that it’s simply a 120V system that sips power to keep warm. The foam insulation in the tub and the lid seems more than adequate for my temperate climate in Oregon.

The thing has been running for months now at my home with no issues whatsoever, and I think it even looks pretty great given how cheap it is. If you’ve been in the market for a way to relax in these stressful times but also know you’re not the inflatable type, I highly recommend you give this model a go. It’s really much nicer than it has any right to be.