Hot tub or swim spa in Mallorca? Space, price and running costs

People come to us asking for "a hot tub" and leave having ordered a swim spa, and the other way round. The two overlap in what they do, but they differ a lot in size, price, weight and what they ask of your plot. This guide sets them side by side using our own models and Mallorca prices.

What each one actually is

A hot tub is a heated, jetted tub for sitting in. Typical sizes are 2–2.4 m square, 80–95 cm high, with three to seven seats. Water is kept at 36–40 °C all year. Our hot tubs run from the Cala 3 at €8,490 to the Mar 7 at €19,490.

A swim spa is a long rectangular tank, 4.3–5.9 m in our range and 2.25 m wide, with swim jets at one end that create a current you swim against. Most also have seats and massage jets at the other end. Water is usually kept cooler than a hot tub, around 28–32 °C, because you are exercising in it. Our swim spas start with the Nedar 4.3 at €29,900 and go up to the Nedar 5.9 Dual at €44,900.

A dual-zone swim spa such as the Nedar 5.9 Dual has two separate bodies of water with their own temperature: a swim lane at 28 °C and a spa section at 38 °C, divided by a wall. It is the closest thing to both products in one footprint.

Space: what fits where

This is usually the deciding factor in Mallorca, where gardens are often narrow or stepped.

• A five-seat hot tub like the Serra 5 is 215 × 215 cm. Add 60–80 cm on at least one side for the cover and for walking round, and you need roughly 3 × 3 m.
• The Nedar 4.3 is 430 × 225 cm. With access around it and room for the cover, plan on 5.5 × 3.5 m of flat ground.
• The Nedar 5.9 Dual is 590 × 225 cm. You are looking at a 7 × 3.5 m zone, which on many village plots is the whole garden.

A hot tub fits on most terraces, beside a pool or in a courtyard. A swim spa needs a proper flat area, usually a garden, and almost always a purpose-built base.

Price bands

All our prices include 21% IVA, delivery in Mallorca and standard installation with ground-level access.

• Essential hot tubs: €8,490 (Cala 3) to €10,990 (Cala 6)
• Premium hot tubs: €11,490 (Serra 3) to €14,490 (Serra 6)
• Signature hot tubs: €16,490 (Mar 5) and €19,490 (Mar 7)
• Premium swim spas: €29,900 (Nedar 4.3) and €36,900 (Nedar 5.2)
• Signature dual-zone swim spa: €44,900 (Nedar 5.9 Dual)

So the cheapest swim spa costs roughly three times the cheapest hot tub, and about double a well-equipped Premium hot tub. On top of that, swim spas almost always need extras that hot tubs often do not: a crane (€450–650 up to 15 m, €900–1,500 for a larger one), a new concrete base (€85–110/m²) and a heavier electrical line.

Running costs

A hot tub heats 800–1,850 litres. A swim spa heats 6,500–9,500 litres. The difference shows on the electricity bill.

At Mallorca rates of about €0.22/kWh, three uses a week, hot tubs at 38 °C:

• Essential five-seat: about €35–45 a month in summer, €60–80 in winter
• Premium: about €30–40 in summer, €50–70 in winter, thanks to better insulation and a circulation pump
• Signature: €25–35 in summer, €45–60 in winter
• Swim spas: €90–130 a month in summer, €180–260 in winter

Winter in Mallorca is mild, with Palma nights around 10 °C and days around 15 °C in January, which is why these figures are lower than northern Europe. Still, a swim spa kept warm all winter at a second home that is empty from November to March is an expense worth questioning. Many owners drop it to 20 °C out of season. Water care also costs more on a swim spa simply because of volume; our water changes start from €180.

Who should choose a hot tub

• You want to relax, not train. Soaking after a day at the beach or a round at Son Vida is the main use.
• Your space is a terrace, a roof terrace or a small courtyard.
• You already have a pool and want warm water in winter.
• You want to keep the budget under €15,000 all-in.
• The property is a holiday rental where simple maintenance matters.

For most Mallorca households a Premium five-seater like the Serra 5 at €12,990 is the sweet spot: two loungers, low running costs and an app to warm it up from the airport.

Who should choose a swim spa

• You want to swim or do water exercise at home year-round. Physiotherapy, rehab after a knee operation, or simply laps before breakfast.
• You have no pool and no room for a 8 × 4 m pool, but you do have 6 × 3.5 m.
• You want a pool that is warm in February. A conventional pool in Mallorca is cold from October to May, and heating 40,000 litres costs far more than running a swim spa.
• You want both soaking and swimming in one unit and are willing to pay for the Nedar 5.9 Dual.

Exercise use

Swim jets create a current you swim into. On the Nedar range the swim pumps are adjustable, so a beginner can swim gently and a strong swimmer can turn it up. People also use swim spas for aqua jogging with a belt and resistance band work. The 1.4–1.5 m depth matters: you can stand in chest-deep water, which a hot tub never offers. A hot tub is for stretching and soaking, not for exercise.

Installation differences

The practical gap between the two is larger than the price gap.

• Weight. A filled hot tub weighs 1.5–2.5 tonnes. A filled swim spa weighs up to 12 tonnes. The Nedar 5.9 Dual alone holds 9,500 litres plus 2,100 kg of shell and equipment.
• Base. A hot tub needs a flat, level, load-bearing surface; an existing terrace is often fine. A swim spa needs a reinforced concrete slab of 15–20 cm on compacted ground. At €85–110/m², a 6 × 3 m slab is around €1,500–2,000.
• Crane. A hot tub goes through a 1 m gate on its side. A swim spa is 2.25 m wide and 1.4–1.5 m high and cannot be tilted. It always arrives by crane, often over the house. Allow €450–650 up to 15 m, €900–1,500 for a larger crane.
• Electrics. Essential hot tubs need 16 A, Premium 20–25 A, Signature 32 A. Swim spas need 40–50 A on a dedicated line with an RCD. Many older Mallorca houses have 5.75 kW or 6.9 kW contracted in total, which a swim spa will exceed. Budget for a supply upgrade as well as the new line (€550–750 up to 15 m, €850–1,200 for 15–30 m).

Licences and paperwork

A free-standing hot tub on a private terrace normally needs no building licence in Mallorca. A swim spa on a slab is often treated the same way, but some councils treat an excavated swim spa like a pool. Sunken installations of either involve works and usually need at least a comunicación previa. Always check with your council, and with your community of owners if there is one.

Families with children

Hot tubs and children are a question of temperature and time: 36 °C or lower, short sessions for young children, and always a locked cover when adults are not there. The round Rodona 6 is popular with families because the upright seats work for mixed ages. Swim spas suit families with older children: a safe place to learn to swim, with a current that turns down to nothing, and daily use in summer. The depth means non-swimmers need the same care as at a pool.

Resale value

Neither is an investment in the financial sense, but both affect how a property sells. A tidy hot tub on a well-built terrace is a plus in listings. A swim spa in a garden with no pool fills the "no pool" gap that puts many buyers off a Mallorca property. A swim spa next to an existing pool adds little, so there a hot tub is the better money.

Making the call

Count your space, check your electrical supply and be honest about use. If the answer to "will I swim in it" is "probably not", buy the hot tub and spend the difference on a terrace around it. If you will swim, the Nedar range gives you warm-water exercise at home without a pool. Our swim spa page lists the three Nedar models with full dimensions and amps, and the price builder adds crane, base and electrical costs so the number you see is the number you pay.