Hot tubs are designed to offer the most soothing and tranquil experience possible. The warm water, heated to the perfect degree; the jets delivering the perfect level of massage, gentle or deep, wherever it’s needed; the sights and sounds, from water features to lighting systems, that help you immerse yourself in the experience and forget all your worries.
But if you’re someone with sensitive skin, your soaking experience may be the opposite of soothing, particularly if you find yourself in a spa filled with harsh and badly balanced chemicals.
In good news, there are ways to completely immerse yourself in the joys of hot tub ownership, even if you’re prone to irritation.
In this guide we’ll look at the best hot tub chemicals for sensitive skin, and how you can minimise your use of chemicals in the first place.
The best spa chemicals for sensitive skin
Hot tub sanitisers come in a few different forms, and some are more prone to causing irritation than others.
Standard: Chlorine
The most common hot tub chemical, chlorine is an ultra-effective sanitiser that quickly neutralises organic invaders to keep your spa water clean, clear and safe. But for people with sensitive skin, this effectiveness can sometimes be felt as harshness.
Chlorine kills bacteria and other microorganisms through a chemical reaction that creates hypochlorous acid, which can irritate the skin and eyes, and can lead to its distinct smell. The harshness of chlorine can also cause fabrics to fade, especially when too much is added.
Better: Bromine
Bromine can be thought of as chlorine for hot tubs. It more or less does everything that chlorine does, but better:
- It disinfects better in higher water temperatures.
- It dissolves slower, so you don’t need to add it as often as chlorine.
- Its ability to sanitise the water is less impacted by changes in pH.
- It has an almost imperceptible odour
- It is gentler on fabrics.
- Most importantly for those with sensitive skin, bromine is far less of an irritant.
The cartridge-based FROG™ system, exclusive to the Hot Spring Hot Spot® collection, is our bromine based water care offering. This easy to use system is designed to deliver a more comfortable soak for everyone, but particularly for people who experience irritation when soaking in chlorine.
Best: Salt
The very best way to minimise hot tub skin irritation is to minimise the amount of chemicals in your water – and the groundbreaking water care technology found in Hot Spring’s FreshWater Salt System does exactly that.
This system, available in Highlife and Limelight collection hot tubs, uses a titanium cartridge to convert salt to chlorine, with incredible results:
- Your spa will use far fewer chemicals, allowing you to soak in gently salted water with no harsh odours.
- You’ll enjoy more natural-feeling water that doesn’t trigger dryness, itchiness and irritation in the skin or eyes.
- Your hot tub water can last as much as four times longer than with a standard water care system – up to a full year!
Combine the FreshWater Salt System with FreshWater IQ, our revolutionary spa monitoring systems, and people with sensitive skin can enjoy all the sanitising power of chlorine, with none of the downsides.
FreshWater® IQ: the ultimate spa system for sensitive skin
If you have sensitive skin, you’ll want a hot tub that uses the gentlest type of sanitiser, that uses as little of that chemical as possible, and that keeps your water perfectly balanced all day every day. You want a hot tub that takes care of you, not the other way around.
When you choose a hot tub fitted with FreshWater® IQ and the FreshWater Salt System, you get exactly that.
A patented, first-in-world spa monitoring technology, FreshWater® IQ automatically tests your water hourly and provides clear instructions if adjustments are ever needed. It then works with the FreshWater Salt System to dispense the exact amount of natural chlorine you need to keep your spa water perfectly clear, clear, soft and fresh.
There’s no need to search for the best hot tub treatment for sensitive skin. There’s no need to shop for skin care additives for hot tubs. The idea behind FreshWater IQ is simple: to keep your water perfectly balanced all the time, while minimising your use of chemicals.
Say goodbye to manual methods like test strips, and say hello to ultimate precision and serious savings: spend far less money on water and chemicals, and spend far less time on maintenance.
What you do with all that extra time is up to you. Our recommendation: spend it soaking in the world’s most luxurious hot tub water.
