Many buy inflatable hot tubs because they are cheaper and portable, but not because they look great. If you plunk one in the middle of any space, it often resembles a small kiddie pool, with its lower walls, vinyl finish, and lack of a hard-shell interior. Yet, its design flaws don’t have to be its downfall and can provide many opportunities to design the area where it will sit to be both inviting and beautiful.
To decorate the hot tub area and make it look more appealing, you can add several things to your backyard. Plants, overhead structures to protect from the sun, privacy screens, and lighting can make your inflatable hot tub area look just as luxurious and inviting as any hard-shell hot tub.
Inflatable hot tubs can make great additions to any backyard, but they aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing. Thankfully, there are a few ways to brighten up a space, create an inflatable hot tub looks more inviting, and elevate your backyard.
What are the Best Ways to Decorate Your Hot Tub Area?
Plunking an inflatable hot tub in the middle of your yard seems like a good idea initially for its simplicity, but that can cause it to look out of place and uninviting.
So here are a few tips on how to make over the backyard and your hot tub area to be thoroughly inviting and aesthetically pleasing.
Consider the Placement
Finding a spot for your inflatable hot tub is crucial, so don’t just randomly choose a flat location. You want to try and place it near a wall or railing to avoid leaving all sides open to the elements, as doing so can resemble a kiddie pool in the middle of the yard.
Also, consider what you’re going to do with your tub during the winter. Depending on your climate, you may want to deflate and store it or leave it running.
This is almost required in colder climates, and you should avoid leaving its summer location looking empty and out of place. A good rule of thumb is to consider how to utilize the space all year round.
Set up a Garden Tent
A garden tent is also known as a parasol or canopy and can be used to provide some shade from the harsh summer sun while you use your hot tub. It can also look great and add a pop of color or design above the hot tub.
Decorative Lighting
A lot of people love the look of decorative string lights strung up on poles around your hot tub to give ambiance at night.
However, lanterns are always a great alternative if you don’t like string lights. They can elevate the feel of a space or provide that rustic atmosphere, depending on your design.
Whether it’s color or white lighting, any additional light source can help make a hot tub area look more inviting at night.
Extra Seating
Providing extra seating like deck chairs or an outdoor couch set can allow people who aren’t using the hot tub directly to sit and mingle with those who are. It also makes the hot tub feel more inclusive and not separate from events and parties.
Add Colorful Buntings
Adding some colorful buntings can give the atmosphere of a tropical paradise. They can be strung up behind your hot tub and even switched out based on the season or holiday.
With the moisture of the hot tub and the wet area, it is best to use fabric or plastic buntings instead of paper or cardboard that could easily get ruined if splashed.
Wooden Gazebo or Pergola
A wooden gazebo or pergola costs a bit more than simply putting up a tent, but it looks much better and more luxurious.
They can come in different designs and shapes that can be customized to suit your specific needs. If you are a DIYer, you could also try building your own to save a few bucks.
However, gazebos and pergolas are permanent fixtures, while tents and inflatable hot tubs are not. So make sure you know you will be placing your hot tub in that spot for the foreseeable future, and don’t plan on moving it around before building your permanent structure.
Add Some Foliage
Planting a garden around the hot tub area can give a pop of color and add some life to the space. Either colorful or elegant white flowers can brighten up the area.
However, if you don’t have a green thumb, then potted plants work just fine. They can make the space look more presentable and taller; bushier plants can also offer some privacy from neighbors if strategically placed.
Build a Wooden Enclosure
The walls of an inflatable hot tub are not the most visually appealing, so an easy way around that is to build a wooden enclosure around the hot tub. It will hide the vinyl look. You can customize it to your needs and even add steps if you desire.
But inflatable hot tubs are not permanent, so the wooden enclosure should be made removable as well if the hot tub ever needs to be moved or deflated and put away.
Privacy Screen
Privacy screens offer a wall that provides airflow but doesn’t let people see through them. This allows you to have that much-desired privacy from neighbors watching you enjoy the hot tub.
To elevate the privacy screen, you could hang buntings and lights off of it and also line them with flowers or plants too.
Curtains
To help soften the hot tub area, you can add curtains. Light and airy with color or design can add some ambiance to the gazebo, tent, or pergola. They also add another layer of privacy if you draw them closed or lower them, depending on the type you get.
Music
Most people like to enjoy music while they use their hot tub, and adding a stereo system, simple or complex, can liven up any area or party and set the mood for a more relaxed and romantic setting.
Solarium Structure
Solariums are glass structures that can be taken down when no longer needed. Much like an inflatable hot tub, they can be moved to different points in the yard, so they go well with the portability of the inflatable hot tub.
Since the walls and roof are glass, you can enjoy the outdoors while maintaining some comfort inside, protecting yourself from rain or wind while you relax in your hot tub.
Trellis
Another way to add coverage above or beside the hot tub is to install a trellis and have some vining plants grow. This adds the desired greenery as well as beautiful flowers or even fruit.
In addition, it protects from the sun when the plants grow in, and heavily scented blossoms can add something extra to the hot tub experience.
Set up an Entertainment Area
Think about how to include other entertainment items in the hot tub area. Things like a bar, barbecue, dart board, or even an outdoor TV can elevate a hot tub area and make the experience all the more special and inviting.
Should You Place Your Hot Tub on a Deck?
A hot tub on a deck can offer an aesthetically pleasing look with great access and an inviting feel when you are hosting. However, before placing a hot tub on the deck, you need to ensure the deck can handle the weight of one.
Inflatable hot tubs are much lighter than hard-shell ones, but they still carry quite the heavy load when filled with water and people. Generally speaking, you want to ensure the deck has a weight-bearing load of a minimum of 2,000 lb.
However, consult the hot tub manufacturer for its weight when fully loaded with people and water.
An alternate route besides putting it on the deck if it can’t handle the weight or you are unsure is to place it beside the deck. You can build a removable wooden enclosure that can act as an extension of the deck look.
Alternatively, you could put plants around the exposed sides and make it feel like part of the deck and main entertainment area.
What Should Go Underneath Your Hot Tub?
Inflatable hot tubs should have a mat (on Amazon) that rests between the ground and the hot tub itself. This offers protection from any missed sharp objects on the ground, such as rocks, sticks, or other debris. It also allows the hot tub to retain more of its heat without it resting bare on the cold ground.
Alternatively, if you don’t want a specially built mat for your hot tub, you can also lay a tarp on the ground. This won’t offer the same protection or insulation, but it’s still a better option.
Since you need to have this ground mat, and they aren’t very attractive pieces, you can try to hide it by a few different methods.
The first is to buy a mat that fits the bottom of the hot tub in diameter and won’t have such excess material overhanging the hot tub bottom. That being said, what’s most important is that your tub is not placed directly on the ground.
Adding potted plants can also help with hiding the mat, and the plants can also sit directly on the mat. The plants add a desired green space to the area and some lively color that also elevates the hot tub experience.
