Swimming is Great Exercise But…

Maybe you’re a lifelong swimmer. Or maybe your back is giving you trouble and your chiropractor recommends swimming. It could be that your last physical was less than stellar, and you need a way to get a full-body workout in a minimal amount of time. 

The bottom line is you want to swim on a regular basis, but you need somewhere to do it. The local rec center is nice, but the lanes are often crowded and it’s too easy to make excuses not to go. Lakes around Longmont or Loveland? Forget it. You look at your property, but the expense and logistics of installing a pool big enough to swim laps in just isn’t feasible. 

Don’t give up. There is an answer. 

The Swim Spa Advantage 

A swim spa is part swimlane and part hot tub. 

It’s about the size of a hot tub, but instead of using it to soak in hot water you swim in it. 

Of course, you don’t make mini laps. Instead, the spa creates a current you swim against. The current is just strong enough that you can do a full swim stroke and keep a stationary position in the spa. 

The major advantage of a swim spa, of course, is that it takes up far less space than a pool. Just about anybody with a backyard can have a swim spa installed. 

Physically, a swim spa is like a small pool. They are more or less the size of the mid-sized above ground family pools you buy at department stores, and they can be enjoyed in the same way for a cool dip. 

However, when you turn on the jet, the current requires you to engage in a swim stroke to hold your position in the water. 

People report that the workout from a swim spa is similar to swimming laps, although you can increase the strength of the current in some models to make swimming more strenuous. 

Can I Use My Swim Spa as a Hot Tub? 

One of the most common questions we get at our Longmont and Loveland CO spa stores is whether or not a swim spa and a hot tub can be combined into one unit. People ask this because a swim spa looks a lot like a hot tub. 

The short answer is no. 

The reason is not that the jets for both couldn’t be installed in the unit. Rather, it’s because of water temperature.

The water temperature you enjoy in a hot tub is not suitable for a swim spa. It’s simply too hot to get a swimming workout of any length. 

On the other hand, the swim spa’s water temp is too tepid for a spa soak. You have the jets but not the relaxing heat level. 

There is a solution, which is a split unit with one side as a swim spa and the other as a hot tub. These are excellent units for homeowners and still small enough to install inside your home or on the back patio. 

The joys of swimming and hot tubbing in the privacy of your Longmont area home are within your reach. So take a deep breath, look up at Longs Peak, and take the plunge. Afterward, enjoy a relaxing drink. This is living!

We’re here to help you get the swim spa or hot tub of your dreams. Visit Mountain Mist Pool and Spa in Loveland or Longmont today.

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