Coleman Lay-Z Spa Inflatable Hot Tub Review

Coleman Lay-Z Spa is a great choice if this is your first time buying an inflatable hot tub for 2 reasons: it’s cheap and it’s from a well-known outdoors brand. This same product is also listed on Amazon as Coleman SaluSpa Inflatable Hot Tub.

Slapping in the brand name doesn’t make this spa instantly popular, though. Aside from being affordable, it’s the experience that mostly counts.

Do you know that the materials used in this model are very durable that you can even sit on the walls without deforming or deflating it?

We will be expanding on all of its features and the actual benefits you’ll get as you read this review further. By the end of the article, you should be able to confidently decide if this is the right model to purchase.

Coleman Lay-Z Spa Inflatable Hot Tub Features

There are several reasons why this hot tub is very popular and not just because it’s from a known outdoor brand. Its features all add up to allow an almost authentic spa-like experience at home.

While price plays an important factor in most of our buying decisions, the actual benefits you receive are especially more significant in products like this.

The Coleman Saluspa Inflatable Hot Tub is able to accommodate up to 6 adults. Soaking together with your friends and loved ones surely have its merits. Its built-in heating system is able to raise the water’s temperature up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, which is perfect for relieving muscle tension.

Aside from the heating system, every unit also has an integrated filtration system which makes it easy to keep the water clean. You don’t need to be an expert in water sanitation at all.

The most prominent feature that this model has is its Lay-Z Massage System. Jet blowers line up the bottom edge which produces a lot of air bubbles for a gentle and light massage.

We’ll discuss all of these features in detail in the next sections, along with its limitations. We’ll leave no stone unturned so you can easily choose if this is what you really want.

Capacity

Sitting alone in a hot tub while being massaged by air bubbles is a very relaxing experience.

There are times though that having someone to share this experience with can double the fun. This model is actually one of our top-rated inflatable hot tub for 2 persons.

Coleman Lay-Z Spa is advertised to fit 4 to 6 people. In reality, you can have the best comfort for up to 3 to 4 people only. 5 to 6 if your height and frame are smaller.

You can still push to having up to 6 people in the tub, though. The hot tub can accommodate it without getting deformed or broken, but there will not be enough legroom to sit comfortably and relax.

The inflated walls are actually made from tough leatheroid materials, similar to large rubber tires, which is able to support a person sitting on the sides.

Heating System

Coleman Saluspa is designed to have a rapid heating system. It’s able to heat up the water at a rate of 2 to 3 °F per hour (1 to 1.5 °C per hour).

The amount of time to reach the maximum heating capacity of 104 °F (40 °C) will largely depend on the initial temperature of the water and the ambient temperature.

If you’re planning to use the tub on the weekend during the winter months, worst case scenario is that you may need to start filling up and heating the water around 72 hours ahead. If you want to shortcut the process, you can fill the tub with warm water directly.

Another caveat to this heating system is that it does not work in conjunction with the jets. As soon as you turn on the jets, it will turn the heater off so expect the water temperature to decrease while it’s bubbling. It’s not a showstopper, though, especially if the ambient temperature is not as cold.

One great thing about this is that during the summer months you can run the bubble jets without heating up the water.

There are other premium inflatable hot tubs available on the market such as Intex Octagonal PureSpa Deluxe, which can run these functions simultaneously.

In the colder months, there’s no need to worry about the water temperature dropping too fast. Coleman Lay-Z Spa is well insulated by design.

It also comes with an insulated cover, which should be used while heating up the water. Our advice is to only remove the cover when you’re about to use it.

It also comes with an auto-hibernate feature which is a great design when you think about minimizing your electricity bill, in case you forgot to shut the system off.

Filtration System

This inflatable spa comes with 2 standard filter cartridges, specifically filter cartridge type VI. They are the size of a cantaloupe and can be easily hosed down or if you prefer, cleaned in a dishwasher.

There is no ground-breaking feature with the filters except that it gets the job done. It is able to keep the waters of the spa clean from hair and other chemical residues that can make the water go bad over time.

The filters work regardless if you’re heating up the water or have the jets turned on. Since it’s always at work, we recommend cleaning them once a week and replacing them monthly with regular use of this Coleman Saluspa.

Replacing the filters are quite easy. They are held at the bottom side of the tub. You will only need a unscrew the cover holding them then unscrew filters from their position.

This inflatable hot tub also comes with a chemical floater to help maintain the right pH levels of your spa water. You can fit in a 1″ chlorine or bromine tablet. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with even just a starter chlorine tablet. So make sure to get one as well if you decide to purchase this product.

Massage System

When we initially set up our Lay-Z Spa inflatable hot tub and got it heated up, we were very excited to try it out. It was a satisfying first-hand experience.

The bubbles are very relaxing. It is like having a light pressure massage. We weren’t expecting too much from this tub considering the price, but it works well.

We have to tell you up front though that the jets are not as high-pressured as the high-end inflatable tubs like those from Intex. Regardless, the bubbles can really soothe a sore body after a day of work or a week of stress.

The air bubbles are created by drawing air from the outside so the ambient temperature plays a major factor. Fortunately, the heated water is not significantly affected. You still get to experience a warm light massage from these bubble jets.

This is is a great setup as for those who are buying their first inflatable spa. Coleman Saluspa inflatable hot tub have 120 bubble jets around the perimeter at the bottom and they all function well.

If you feel that the pressure is not enough, sadly, there is no way to increase it even more. You will need to upgrade to a higher tier of inflatable hot tubs with massage or hydro jets, which can justify the cost if it’s meant to soothe your body.

Dimension

When we ordered this Coleman Saluspa, it was delivered inside a 24 x 22 x 32 inches box. The box does not only contain the tub itself but includes the pump with digital panel, inflatable cover, pressure gauge, filter cartridges, chemical floater, DVD Set-up video and the air padded ground cloth.

The pump works great and so does the pressure gauge. The groundcloth stood out as one of the main items that added up to the comfortable experience of the tub.

We thought the uneven surface of our backyard may affect the bottom part of the tub once we’re seated. The air padded ground cloth solved this, making us feel like we’re seated on a cushion. I believe you’ll have the same experience even if you have your tub set up on a hard deck.

Once the portable spa is inflated, the height of the sides can reach up to 28 inches or around 2.3 feet. The diameter is almost 6.5 feet. As we have mentioned above, the size is great for up to 3 or 4 people, but very uncomfortable for 6. There’s just not enough legroom to accommodate all 6.

The filled weight for Coleman Lay-Z Spa is around 2,700lbs or nearly 1,200kg. This is very heavy so it’s important that you consider this weight if you’re planning to place your tub on a raised deck. You also have to make sure to position the tub where you will be using it before inflating and filling it up.

Be sure that wherever you place the tub, the platform can support its weight plus more. This doesn’t include the weight of those who will be using it.

The size of this tub is still considered as compact compared to other models, though. In fact, during the summer months, you can deflate it and store it if you’re not into hot tubs even at night.

Setting Up

For most of us, our first impression is very important. From our standpoint, packaging, initial setup and experience are all part of a first impression.

The product and accessories are all neatly packed inside the big Coleman box when it arrived.

Once we got all the items out of the box, it’s time to read the manual. Honestly, the manual was not much of a help. Sure there are illustrations, but it was not as thorough as we expected. The manual doesn’t even look premium at all.

It’s a good thing they included a DVD setup video too. There were still some lingering questions after watching the video but nothing cannot be answered without some good old research from the net.

The pump is the brain of the entire operation. From the initial setup to your daily usage. It heats the water on the tub and uses the same mechanism to inflate and create air bubbles.

Additionally, the pump is designed to make sure you don’t overinflate the tub. I guess it has been created this way as not all those who bought this product are happy with the pressure gauge that came with it.

The LED display can be hard to read in the afternoons where there’s direct sunlight. The soft touch panel is a plus and most of the buttons are toggles. If you activate a feature, you will need to press the same button to deactivate it again.

Set up time can take from 30 mins to more than an hour, but we would like to advise to take things slowly and be very careful especially in tasks where you might damage the inflatable parts.

You also need to consider the time when you will initially set-up the tub. The pump can be quite loud while inflating it. Don’t worry though as this is the only part where it becomes really noisy. Once you’re in the tub and start the bubble machine, the noise is comparable to a small vacuum cleaner.

Here’s a video that you can watch on how to set up this Lay-Z Spa Inflatable Hot Tub from Coleman:

Maintenance

Coleman Saluspa inflatable hot tub is quite easy to maintain. The surface of the tub is easy to clean. For obvious reasons, be sure not to use a hard brush or other cleaning tools that can rip it or cause any holes.

In case you get molds in your tub, you dilute bleach with water and just spray it on the affected area then wipe away. If you use pool chemicals you can better keep the molds away.

Some people would use Epsom salt to keep the tub clean. This is not advisable. In fact, we strongly suggest NOT to use any substance with salt as it will break down the rubber parts.

Depending on your usage, you might notice some slime build up on the walls or the bottom of the tub. Do not use the tub when you notice this. The spa becomes more harmful in the long run than beneficial.

To minimize these build ups, make sure you keep your filter clean and use the chemical floater with chlorine or bromine. To clean the filters, you can either hose down the filters or place them in a dishwasher, if you prefer.

To drain water, you need to open the 2 drain plugs at the bottom of the tub. One is located in the interior and the other is on the exterior.

If you are not going to drain the water where the tub is located, you can attach a hose to the lower exterior drain. This is especially suited for those who have their spa in the garage.

Sometimes water remains in the tub even after draining it. For this situation, you can use a wet/dry vacuum to suck out the remaining water.

Energy Consumption

The energy consumption for Lay-Z Spa largely depends on factors like your location, the water temperature you’re trying to maintain and the temperature of your surroundings.

The lower the outside temperature, the more energy is consumed, the higher your electric bill.

Some users have experienced having their monthly electric bill increased by up to $100 when maintaining the tub daily at upper 100F in the winter months.

There is no energy saver installed aside from the auto-hibernation mode, which turns off the system after 3 days of inactivity.

Warranty and Support

One of the factors that helped us decide to get this product is the Coleman brand. We have a lot of outdoor stuff like coolers from Coleman and we trust this brand.

If you’re like us, you’ll be surprised that this Coleman Saluspa is actually made by Bestway. It’s another brand that manufactures and sells inflatable hot tubs. Bestway’s models look exactly the same as this one except for the color and the Coleman logo.

The most obvious and convincing proof is that when you call Coleman’s customer service for issues, they would redirect you to Bestway customer support.

We find no fault in this, except that a lot of people had some bad experiences with post-sales support in the past.

Luckily, things have turned out for the better nowadays. These days post-sales support is a big thing as we consumers have a more definitive voice thanks to the internet. As long as you have the defective parts under warranty, they will replace it quickly and with no hassle.

Here’s the warranty per parts:

Customer Reviews

Amazon customers gave high ratings to Coleman Lay-Z Spa. A solid proof that people who actually bought and used this product are happy with their purchase.

Around 13% are from customers who gave it 1 to 2 stars rating. This is mainly because they either received a defective product or had issues with customer service. However, these are experiences from bad customer support years ago.

Recent reviews show that customers are very much satisfied with the manufacturer’s speedy response. We encourage you to check these Amazon customer reviews to help you more with your buying decision.

Summary

You’ll have a lot of awesome experiences with Coleman SaluSpa, aside from the hot tub health benefits you’ll naturally get. The combination of heated water and bubble massage is an amazing way to relax. It’s always something you can look forward to after a stressful day at work.

Coleman SaluSpa Inflatable Hot Tub is an amazing starter inflatable spa. While it looks great in any backyard or a spare garage that can accommodate its size, the pampering you get while soaking is worth more than its cost.

For less than half the price of an actual Jacuzzi, you get to experience having your own hot tub at home.