Like thousands of others during the first lockdown, it was unlikely that we were going to be spending much money on a summer holiday. The question was, how could we capture the holiday feel whilst remaining confined to the safety of our own garden? My children and I thought that the answer was simple – we needed to have a hot-tub.

By the time I had persuaded my husband that it was a sound idea, I eagerly tried to visit the website of a well know hot-tub brand, only to find myself in a queue to get onto the website. That didn’t bode well. Having now made a commitment to the family that we were soon going to be the proud owners of our very own hot tub, we had to come good. I spent hours googling and calling local shops who may have one in stock. To begin with, we were very certain of the model we were after. As the days went by – we were willing to compromise.

Eventually a purchase was made and the six week wait for delivery began and at last, the day before my daughter’s 11th birthday our new inflatable hot tub arrived.

The degree that the hot-tub has to be shocked with chlorine and the time it takes to heat up, was matched only by our horror to discover that, with the birthday looming, we were unlikely to be in the hot tub.

Once you have found a level spot for your hot tub and you have filled it with water (not an expensive as you may think) you now enter the world of the alchemist. I had researched in advance what additional chemicals we would need, so I felt very prepared. I won’t go into the steps required to get your hot tub ready, but suffice to stay it takes longer than you expect and a degree in chemistry would be helpful. However, once the temperature is up, your ph is balanced and your dip tests are sound, you are good to go.

Having your own hot tub within walking distance of your back door, does seem like a luxury.   Who knew that sieving out the bits and saving small insects that have fallen from the trees could be so therapeutic. I prefer to go in on my own and ‘invested’ in two drinks holders, sipping a chilled glass of something makes the experience that bit more grown up. ‘Putting the bubbles on’ isn’t quite the experience of a massage in a regular hot tub and the noise is quite prohibitive, but it is definitely fun.

At the start of the summer all went well. Three of our family of four were popping in and out of the tub on a daily basis. It was only when lockdown eased that things started to change. The more friends that can come round, the more people who wanted to go in the hot tub. Teenagers are very happy to run round the garden and then launch themselves into your prize possession, grass cuttings and all. Even though the chlorine was doing its job and the water was clear, it somehow didn’t feel the same.

When autumn came it was time for the hot tub to be packed away, I hadn’t been in it for a while. The process of deflating the hot tub was actually quite sad, but my husband was even sadder when we had to find space in the garage to store it.

So that was last year, our hot tub has been back up now this year for ten weeks and is working perfectly.

Overall my experience has been positive and I may not be writing this whilst in the hot tub but I’m very close to it.  The question is would I buy another?  In a heartbeat.