The Best Hot Tub for a Small Space: A Two-Person Cedar Tub

The best hot tub for a small space is a round one. A 5 foot cedar tub takes a 60 inch circle plus room to step in, seats two comfortably and three at a squeeze with a wood firebox inside, or three to four as an Electric, and because everyone faces the middle it uses its footprint better than any rectangular two-person tub. An AlumiTub Small is 60 inches across, 38 inches deep, 200 lbs empty, and rolls on its side through a 38 inch gap, which is what puts it in courtyards, side returns, small decks and cabin corners where a conventional spa cannot go.

Here is what a small hot tub has to get right, and what to check before choosing one.

What small actually has to mean

Small on a spec sheet often means shallow. A two-person acrylic spa is frequently a reclining bath with jets, 30 inches deep, where you lie back with your shoulders in the air. A small round soaking tub is the opposite: you sit upright, the water covers your shoulders, and the diameter is small because it does not need to be big. Depth is what makes a small tub feel generous, and it is the number most size guides leave out. Every AlumiTub, including the Small, is 38 inches deep with 21.5 inches of water over the seat at the recommended fill.

The footprint, honestly

• The tub: a 60 inch circle. Allow 24 inches of clear space on the side you step in from, and enough room to load the firebox on a wood fired tub without brushing against it when hot.
• The chimney: 10 feet of clear air above the cap on a Wood Fired or Hybrid, and nothing flammable near it. On a small urban lot this is the constraint to check first; a spot under an overhang or a pergola rules out wood, and an Electric is the answer.
• The equipment: on an Electric or Hybrid, cedar steps 34 inches wide and 24 deep against one side, which are also the steps you use to get in.
• Getting it there: 38 inches on its side, so a standard gate, a side return, or a hallway if it has to come through the house. No crane, no contractor, two people.

A conventional two-person spa is usually 6 to 7 feet on its longest side, 600 to 800 lbs empty, and arrives by crane or a team with a dolly. The round tub is smaller in every dimension that matters for access.

Wood, electric or hybrid in a small space

Wood fired heats the Small from cold in about two hours, needs no power, and costs nothing when unused, which suits a weekend garden or a cabin. It needs the chimney clearance above. Electric holds a set temperature on a 240V circuit, has no chimney, sits under a pergola or beside a fence, and runs on a schedule, which suits a city garden used most evenings. A Hybrid does both and is the right call where a fire ban would otherwise take the tub out of use for the summer. The heating options guide compares the three.

Water in a small space

The Small holds 315 US gallons. Drained after each use, that is a hose and a garden bed; on a fresh-fill routine it needs no treatment at all. Held with the 120V filtration add-on or on an Electric, a fill lasts three to four months. Plan the drain before the tub arrives: water led downhill and clear of the base, never onto the foot of a fence or a neighbor's side. A drain valve is standard on every tub, and the Drain Kit leads the water away on a garden hose.

Filled weight on a deck or a roof

3,200 lbs filled, more than a small tub looks. A ground-level patio or a slab carries it. A raised deck needs its structure confirmed for that load before anything else is decided, and a rooftop or balcony is an engineer's question, not a guess. With 3.5 inches of rigid insulation beneath the tub, the base is also what keeps the aluminum off concrete or treated wood. Installation options covers the arrangements, from the ground to a deck cutout.

What a small tub does not give up

The same riveted marine-grade aluminum structure, the same 360 degrees of insulation, the same submerged firebox on a wood fired tub, the same cedar and the same 25 year structural warranty as the Standard and the Large. The Small is a smaller version of the tub, not a lesser one. Owners of small tubs say one thing afterward more than any other: they wish they had bought the Standard, not because the Small fell short but because friends kept coming over. If the space allows a 6 foot circle, read the dimensions guide before deciding.

Sizes, heating options and lead times are on the cedar hot tubs collection.

Common questions

What is the smallest hot tub you can buy?

Round soaking tubs start at about 5 feet across. An AlumiTub Small is 60 inches in diameter, 38 inches deep, seats three to four as an Electric, holds 315 US gallons and weighs 200 lbs empty, and it rolls through a 38 inch gap on its side.

Can you put a hot tub in a small garden?

Yes. A 5 foot round tub needs a 60 inch circle plus stepping room, ten feet of clear air above the chimney on a wood fired tub, and a way to drain downhill. An electric tub has no chimney and fits under a pergola or beside a fence.

Is a two-person hot tub deep enough?

It depends on the tub. Many two-person acrylic spas are reclining and shallow. A round cedar soaking tub is upright and deep; an AlumiTub puts 21.5 inches of water over the seat, so shoulders are under.

Can a small hot tub go on a deck?

If the deck carries 3,200 lbs filled. A ground-level patio does; a raised deck needs confirming, and a rooftop or balcony is an engineer's question.