The Narrows, Lake Sylvan, Minnesota
Two hours north of the Twin Cities, on the channel where Upper and Lower Sylvan meet, Joel and Crista Gaalswyk built the cabin Joel had always wanted to build. He grew up in the Brainerd Lakes, and The Narrows sits on land across from his in-laws' cabin: a new build that took a little over a year, sleeps nine, and has a cedar sauna with a glass wall on the lake and a Standard Electric AlumiTub sunk into the deck above the water.
It is a useful property to look at for two reasons. It is an Electric at a rental that turns over every few days, and it was built in from the start rather than added afterward, which changes what is possible.
The property
Lake Sylvan is one of the clearest lakes in Minnesota. The Narrows runs through the middle of it, where the two basins join, and the cabin sits above that channel with a private dock, kayaks and paddleboards at the water and a lakeside fire pit. Inside, the brief was a high-end cabin that still feels like a cabin, with every detail considered.
We wanted to create a luxury cabin experience with intentional details inside and out: 6,000 square feet of interior oak stained by hand, heated floors, polished nickel fixtures, marble tile, a chef's kitchen, and luxury linens. Most of all, we wanted the inside to flow easily to the beauty outside, which is why we built the sauna and hot tub into the deck. Nothing was an afterthought.
Joel Gaalswyk, The Narrows, Lake Sylvan, Minnesota
The tub is the point the whole house faces. It sits at the far end of the deck, reaching toward the lake under a canopy of trees with an opening just large enough to see the stars.
Sitting in the tub, you'll be surrounded by birdsong in the morning and crickets and frogs in the evening, but the best sound of all is the call of the loons. There's nothing better than an evening soak listening to the loons call to one another across the lake as the stars come out.
Joel Gaalswyk, The Narrows, Lake Sylvan, Minnesota
Why an Electric, sunk into the deck
Joel likes the idea of a wood fired tub, but at a rental the tub has to be ready when guests arrive without anyone lighting anything. The Electric holds whatever temperature it is set to, between 50 and 104°F (10 to 40°C), from a touchpad or the Wi-Fi app, with timer schedules for heating and filtration. A 50 micron filter keeps the water clean, a single gentle jet runs off the circulation pump so it is close to silent, and the whole tub weighs about 220 lbs (100 kg) empty, so it rolls into place.
The deck is teak, and the tub drops into it so it never interrupts the view. The large boulders that support it all came from the property itself.
How the recess was built
On an Electric, the heating and filtration system usually lives in the cedar steps against the tub. Where a setting doesn't allow for steps, such as when the tub is completely recessed in a deck, the system can be housed away from it instead, and that is what Joel did.
We had fill brought in to get the hot tub to the right height, then pushed the large boulders into place. The unique part of building the deck around the tub was hiding the pump and heater. The AlumiTubs design is very intuitive and quite simple, but we wanted those components out of sight. We engineered the framing, posts, and beams to carry the weight of the deck around the pump compartment, then built a removable teak deck panel for easy access to the filter and components.
Joel Gaalswyk, The Narrows, Lake Sylvan, Minnesota
The electrical went in first: UF-B cable buried 24 inches deep, running from the disconnect at the house. Once the ground was ready, the tub rolled into position.
It was actually much easier to install than any hot tub I've installed previously and could easily be done with two people.
Joel Gaalswyk, The Narrows, Lake Sylvan, Minnesota
For the other ways an Electric can be set into a site, see electric hot tub installation options.
What surprised them
Nothing has gone wrong so far. Joel's two surprises were small ones. The heater draws less power than he was used to from the hot tubs he had installed before. And the cedar tannins tinted the water a reddish brown, with a cedar scent, for the first few months.
I actually liked it, but it's mostly gone now after four months.
Joel Gaalswyk, The Narrows, Lake Sylvan, Minnesota
Tannins are normal in a new cedar tub and fade on their own. Cedar tannins explains what they are and what to do in the meantime.
A 90-minute changeover
The Narrows was designed around the tub down to how it is filled. A combi-boiler in the house feeds a hot water frost-free hose bib about 40 feet from the tub, so it can be filled with hot water straight from the hose. After every stay the water and the filter are changed, so each guest arrives to a fresh tub, and a bromine level is set for the new fill and checked with test strips. Joel's dad lives five minutes away, helped build the property, and handles the turnovers.
Our setup makes turnovers easy. We can drain, refill, and heat it in about 90 minutes between guests. If you're building or renovating, design the space around it.
Joel Gaalswyk, The Narrows, Lake Sylvan, Minnesota
For hosts setting up their own routine, hot tub water care at a guest property covers what to check on each changeover, and a host's guide covers the choices.
Sauna, tub, lake, and the first winter ahead
The sauna is a few steps away on the same deck, cedar inside with a panoramic glass wall facing the lake. The idea behind the whole layout was for guests to go from the sauna to the tub and out to the lake, the hot-cold-hot rhythm covered in contrast therapy.
The tub went in during 2025, so this winter is its first in the Brainerd Lakes. On an Electric there is no overnight drop to plan around: the system holds its set temperature, and 360 degrees of insulation means the heater cycles less often to do it. Joel has promised real numbers from a Minnesota winter, and we will add them here in the spring.
What Joel would tell another host
Do it. Our AlumiTub is the highlight of The Narrows, along with the sauna. It gives guests something special to look forward to, rain or shine.
Joel Gaalswyk, The Narrows, Lake Sylvan, Minnesota
The one thing he had been unsure about before buying was ordering from Canada. The tub shipped from the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia and crossed the border by freight, and he found the shipping process very easy. Asked for one sentence about it, he gave us this:
We don't have a sand beach, but we have something better: a hot tub under the trees where you can hear the loons.
Joel Gaalswyk, The Narrows, Lake Sylvan, Minnesota
Common questions
Can an AlumiTub be sunk into a deck?
Yes. On an Electric or Hybrid the heating and filtration system is detachable, so where a deck leaves no room for the cedar steps it can be housed away from the tub. At The Narrows it sits in a compartment under a removable teak deck panel. The deck must carry the filled weight, 5,000 lbs (2,270 kg) on a Standard, and the drain needs planning into the recess.
Does an electric hot tub work in a Minnesota winter?
It is built for it. The Electric holds its set temperature rather than reheating, with 360 degrees of insulation so the heater cycles less often, and freeze protection runs the pump to keep the water circulating at about 44°F (7°C), for as long as there is power. The Narrows is heading into its first Brainerd Lakes winter with the tub.
Is an electric hot tub better than wood fired for a rental?
Usually, where the property has power. An Electric is at temperature when guests arrive without anyone lighting a fire, and heating and filtration run on timer schedules from the app. Wood fired suits properties without power, or hosts who want the ritual of lighting the fire to be part of the stay.
How quickly can a rental hot tub be turned over between guests?
At The Narrows, about 90 minutes to drain, refill and heat. The cabin's boiler feeds a frost-free hot water hose bib about 40 feet from the tub, so it refills with hot water rather than cold, and the water and filter are changed after every stay so each guest arrives to a fresh tub.
More owner stories from properties that host: Tincup Wilderness Lodge in the Yukon and Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort in British Columbia.
Photography by Jon Kreye and The Narrows. See more properties at where AlumiTubs live, or explore the Electric.