Do you know when to call it a spa or hot tub? For a long time the words were used interchangeably, but now there’s a clear difference: Hot Tubs are manufactured and free-standing. Spas are custom built and in-ground—often part of a larger pool project.

Hot tubs started life as a round, wood vat that holds hot water for people to soak in. The spa differentiated itself with water jets that make warm water feel even better.

But then hot tubs began to offer jets and were made of longer lasting materials. In those early days, Bull Frog Spas, our choice of the top-end hot tub manufacturers, adopted the spas name because their focus is on engineering the industry’s best water jet systems.

Today, Bull Frog and others in the industry have largely embraced the hot tub designation. At Budd’s Pools & Spas we offer both custom in-ground spas and Bull Frog’s luxury free-standing hot tubs. Whichever you choose from Budd’s— spa or hot tub—when you sink into its warm waters, you may be calling it the Ahhhhh Tub.

spa or hot tub?