About us - WhatSpa?

Featuring top brands

Man & woman smiling and relaxing in a hot tub

Whether you’re completely new to hot tubs and buying your first spa or if you’re researching the market and looking to upgrade from an existing model, we can help.

WhatSpa? magazine will be your expert guiding hand, full of valuable advice on how to buy, what to buy, installation and even preparing for delivery day and planning your grand unveiling to your family and friends at your first spa party!

Advice you can rely on

A key tenet for WhatSpa? is its independence, which ensures you receive informed, unbiased and impartial advice.

WhatSpa? has a team of respected experts who are on-hand to provide sound, independent advice and the latest hot tub reviews.

We also have a team of ‘Spa Doctors’ who are happy to answer any technical questions and queries that our readers may have.

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Best Buy Awards

Since 2006, WhatSpa? Best Buy Awards have become the industry-standard recognition for hot tubs that achieve the best scores in our rigorous tests for quality and value across all price brackets.

Reef Spas Maluku

Seats 6

WhatSpa? Verdict

Now a three-time Best Buy Award winner, the Reef Spas Maluku has earned its reputation as one of the most feature-packed family spas on the market. With seating for five, including a spacious lounger and two deep Captain’s chairs, it’s designed for serious hydrotherapy with 87 pulsar jets powered by three 3HP pumps. At 95cm deep, it’s ideal for taller bathers or families with teenagers. Standout touches include a 50cm-wide illuminated cascading waterfall, synchronised interior and exterior LED lighting, and a built-in Bluetooth® stereo system with backlit drinks coasters. A striking spa that delivers on every level. Stunning!

Sundance Spas 880 Series Optima

Seats 7

WhatSpa? Verdict

The 17-time WhatSpa? Best Buy Award-winning 880 Series Sundance Spas® Optima is perfect for families who want to mix entertainment with high performance hydrotherapeutic massage. The Fluidix® bearingless jet technology is unsurpassed in delivering maintenance-free hydrotherapy and for deep tissue massage the Accu-ssage® therapy seat is second to none. What’s more, the foot jet dome undoubtedly offers one of the best reflexology massages this side of a spa treatment room. The MicroClean® Ultra Filtration System and the new Spa Sense™ water monitoring system ensure effortless water care. Overall, one of the best all-seaters on the planet!

Vortex Spas Mercury

Seats 5

WhatSpa? Verdict

Another six-time Best Buy Award winner, the Vortex Mercury continues to shine as the brand’s best-selling compact family spa. A smaller sibling to the award-winning Cobalt Hydroplus, it’s cleverly designed with dual loungers - so there’s no more squabbling over who gets to lounge! It comes fully loaded with premium features, including a 24-hour circulation pump, air blower, touchscreen controls, Purezone AOS water purification system and a Bluetooth® stereo system. Vortex’s signature neck collar seat and built-in aromatherapy complete the wellness experience. The Mercury remains a top choice for families who love to lounge. Packed with perks!

Jacuzzi J-475™

Seats 6

WhatSpa? Verdict

The Jacuzzi® J-475 is a bold statement with its dramatic curved high-back profile, designer styling and state-of-the art tech including the SmartTub™ app, which allows you to monitor your hot tub’s status, adjust temperature and track energy usage from your smartphone. The hybrid layout combines the best of both all-seater and lounger models with a comfortable lounger and powerful foot dome for bathers in all of the bucket seats. New features such as the wide-sheet waterfall, Near Infrared (NIR) and red light technology and time-saving True Water™ nanobubble water tech (coming later in 2025) are the icing on the cake. Truly terrific!

Artesian Spas Artesian Elite Pelican Bay

Seats 9

WhatSpa? Verdict

The four-time award-winning Artesian Spas ELITE Pelican Bay packs all the same punch as its smaller siblings, just on a much bigger scale! It's a huge family spa that has to be seen to be appreciated! The Pelican Bay is a stunning nine-seater including a comfortable lounge seat. The scope of the specification and design is also first rate, particularly the unique DIRECTFLOW Personal Control® System, which puts each bather in control of their own massage experience via five individual control panels besides the main touchscreen panel. If you believe that 'size matters', the Pelican Bay certainly doesn’t sacrifice performance for the sake of size!

Our Best Buy Awards cannot be purchased or influenced by third parties, such as manufacturers and retailers, and we take great pride in their independence, which is why they are now held in such high esteem by hot tub buyers.

For a full breakdown of our 2024 Best Buy Award winners across all price brackets, request your free copy of WhatSpa? magazine now and look out for these prestigious logos in showrooms as you start shopping.

Seal of approval

When making any purchase of this size, trusting the manufacturer and retailer is essential. The WhatSpa? Approved scheme is a unique hallmark of quality and is only awarded to companies who meet our exacting high standards.

The Approval Scheme offers the customer peace of mind that comes from knowing companies are reputable, well established, have a professional infrastructure and a good track record within the industry, so they are the logos to look out for.

In order to win coveted WhatSpa? Approved status, hot tub retailers must have a minimum number of display spas and prove that they have all of the insurance requirements and trained staff in both water hygiene and safety as well as technical backup and hot tub maintenance.

WhatSpa? Professional retailers also have to pass a stringent extra set of criteria, including professional training accreditation by attending industry-recognised hot tub technician courses.

Trusted traders

When you request your free copy of WhatSpa? magazine, you will also receive a complimentary 40 page UK Retail Directory that lists all of the WhatSpa? Approved showroom-based hot tub retailers across every area of the UK. These retailers are selling the UK’s best hot tub brands.

To get your free copy of WhatSpa? magazine and your complimentary UK Retail Directory, click the link below:

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