There is a growing trend for the swim spa plunge pool in Australia, with many people now choosing them over regular swimming pools. But what is the difference, and which is the better option for you?
Swim spas are a highly convenient way to enjoy both swimming and hydrotherapy in the comfort and privacy of your own backyard. They are a more compact size than regular swimming pools, but they are equipped with some great technology so they can serve a number of different purposes.
The main purpose of a swim spa is relaxation. As anyone who has ever been in a spa pool knows, there are few things in life more relaxing than sitting in a spa surrounded by bubbles, feeling the hydrotherapy jets relieving your stress and working the knots out of your muscles. This is one of the main advantages of swim spas – they come with their own hydrotherapy jets, so at the end of a long and tiring day, you can simply slip into your own private spa pool and feel the tension melting away.
Hydrotherapy is also extremely beneficial as a physiotherapy treatment. It is ideal for anyone suffering from a painful condition such as arthritis, or recovering from a muscular injury, as it relieves pain and helps to promote faster healing of injuries.
The other purpose of a swim spa pool is, as its name suggests, for swimming. As a swim spa is designed to be a combination of a pool and spa, and they tend to come in small sizes, the amount of swimming space is fairly limited compared to what you could expect from a regular swimming pool. However, in addition to the hydrotherapy jets, swim spas also come equipped with swim jets. These provide added resistance in the water, so when they are turned on, you can essentially swim in one place and it is the equivalent of swimming however many laps you choose, without the need to turn in the pool.
These features make swim spas highly practical, and it is easy to see why they are currently such a popular pool option. But it is important to understand more about swim spa sizes, prices and installation options, as well as their advantages and disadvantages, in order to make an informed decision about whether this type of pool is right for you.
Like all types of swimming pools, swim spa sizes vary greatly. They are almost always smaller than even a small regular swimming pool, however, with the average length ranging from 5 to 6 metres and the average width from 2 to 5 metres. If you want a particularly small swim spa, however, it is possible to find models with a length of 5 metres and a width of 5-2 metres.
The small size of a swim spa is advantageous for people who live in properties with smaller backyards, such as in most Australian cities. It can be difficult to find a swimming pool to fit comfortably into a small site, so a swim spa can be a good solution, also offering you the benefits of hydrotherapy as well as swimming.
When you are looking at swim spa sizes, however, it is important to be aware that not all of the space in a swim spa is usable for swimming. Swim spas are designed more for relaxation purposes, so they do contain large seating areas, like you would expect to find in a spa pool. This compromises the amount of swimming space in your swim spa. Some models actually specify how large the swimming area is compared to the spa area, but this is not something all manufacturers do, so it is important to ask before you buy. Different models have different amounts of swimming space, so you need to choose the one which best suits your needs and priorities.
The installation of your swim spa will depend on how you want it to look, and whether you want to be able to move it to different locations. It will also have a major impact on your budget, so this is something you need to consider carefully before making your decision.
Most models are designed to be above ground swim spas. This means they come as complete units, and are designed to sit on top of the ground rather than having to be built into your backyard. This is the cheapest way of installing a swim spa, as the ground does not need to be excavated – the swim spa simply needs a level surface to sit on. The other main advantage of installing a swim spa above ground is that it will be ready to use almost straight away, as soon as it has been connected to an electricity supply and filled with water. This makes an above ground swim spa ideal for anyone who doesn’t want to wait to use their new pool.
In addition, an above ground swim spa is portable, and can easily be transported to different locations. This means you do not have to leave it behind if you ever choose to move home, enabling you to get maximum value and enjoyment from your investment.
The main disadvantage of above ground swim spas is their appearance. Like most spas, they simply sit on the surface of the ground, and there are not usually a lot of customisation options available, so they can look a little ungainly and unattractive. This is why some homeowners opt to have an inground swim spa installed. Doing this gives you more control over the appearance of the area around your spa, and makes it look much more as if it was designed as part of your property.
However, installing an inground swim spa is a much more complicated and costly process, as your backyard needs to be excavated and the pool installed in the ground. This can take days or weeks, and will cost you considerably more than an above ground swim spa, so it depends whether you prioritise cost savings, instant usability or appearance as the most important factor in making your decision about your swim spa installation.
Swim spa prices vary greatly, depending on the model you choose and how you want the swim spa installed. For a high quality, above ground swim spa you are likely to pay anything between $15,000 and $30,000. While still a major investment, this is significantly cheaper than a full-sized swimming pool of the same high quality.
It is possible to purchase a swim spa for much less than this, with some models advertised for as little as $5,000. However, it is important to check that their build quality is sufficient to withstand regular usage, as safety is always the most important factor in any swimming pool.
If you prefer the appearance of an inground swim spa, you need to be prepared to pay considerably more than the prices given here, as the work involved in the installation is far greater and more complicated. An inground installation always needs to be done by a professional, licensed pool builder, as this gives you a far greater degree of safety, and also offers you the protection of a warranty in the unlikely event of anything going wrong, so it gives you financial peace of mind.
Really, this depends entirely on what you want from your swimming and relaxation experiences. Swim spas are easy to install, comparatively cheap to buy, and they offer you a wide range of different benefits, all in a compact space. They are ideal for anyone who prioritises relaxation and is happy to swim against jets rather than swimming real laps. They are also a great choice for those with smaller blocks, as they give you the option of having your own swimming pool without needing to own a massive property.
For serious swimmers, however, swim spas are probably not an ideal pool choice. Competitive swimming times are always measured in water with a natural current, so swim jets are not going to give you a realistic idea of your lap times as the conditions are different. Families also might be better choosing a larger pool, as the size of a swim spa is simply too restrictive for a family to enjoy time in the water together.
Concrete PoolsDo you have a swim spa? Are you considering purchasing one? Do you want to find out what other swim spa owners think of their pools? Join the swim spa vs pool discussion by leaving a comment below!
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to swim at the top of a waterfall? Now you can find out, thanks to the phenomenon known as the infinity pool. This highly luxurious pool design is becoming a favourite with celebrities and luxury hotels all over the world, but it is now possible for anyone to have a backyard infinity pool in Australia.
Here is everything you need to know about infinity swimming pools, to enable you to make up your mind whether this is the type of pool you want for yourself.
What is an infinity pool? It is a swimming pool which appears to have no edge on one side, so the water cascades off the edge of the pool, creating a waterfall effect. This is a pretty spectacular sight, as the water’s edge blends with the horizon, making your pool feel like a natural place to swim, as if you are floating at the top of a waterfall. It gives you the perfect vantage point for looking over your surroundings, enabling you to take in the constant buzz of the city or enjoy the peaceful setting of the country landscape, in your own private space. This secluded pool setting combined with the sound of rushing water cascading over the infinity edge creates a haven of peace and calm, which is something many pool owners treasure.
Sometimes referred to as a negative edge pool, wet edge pool or edgeless pool, the infinity pool has soared in popularity in recent years, mainly due to viral videos online. The most famous example is the iconic rooftop pool at the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore, which really kick-started the global conversation about infinity pools, making many people wonder how they could create an edgeless pool of their own.
Infinity pools involve some extremely innovative engineering. For a start, they are almost always built on a slope, to offer the best vantage point over the surrounding scenery. Some sites slope naturally, so the pool can be built completely inground, which saves a certain amount of preparatory work being done. This also makes infinity pools a good choice for sloping sites where installing a regular pool can be difficult.
However, if the site does not slope naturally, a slope has to be created for the pool to work. This involves building some or all of the pool above ground, so the pool has to be strengthened underneath so it can hold the weight of the water and its occupants. Because of this, there are only two materials strong enough for constructing an infinity pool: concrete or fibreglass. Concrete pools are always constructed from scratch onsite, so a concrete infinity pool will be built as one complete structure, including the strengthening underneath. Fibreglass pools are different because the pool shells are made in factories in a range of standard shapes and sizes, so to create a fibreglass infinity pool, an additional structure has to be created which fits underneath the pool shell to strengthen it so it can be built on a slope.
The infinity edges of the pool are created in a particularly clever way. Infinity pools appear to be missing one or more pool walls, which is why they are sometimes known as edgeless pools. However, the pool walls are still there – they are simply built to a lower height, so they meet the water level rather than rising above it. The infinity edge is also built so it slopes outwards at an angle to the pool, which causes the water to cascade over the edge like a waterfall.
This part of the infinity pool design is extremely clever. The water which falls over the infinity edge of the pool cannot just fall onto the ground below, as this would be wasteful and extremely dangerous, especially in an urban area. Because of this, an additional, smaller pool, called a holding tank, is built below the infinity edge of the pool. This is another reason why infinity pools need to be built on sloping sites, so the holding tank cannot be seen from in or around the pool itself.
The holding tank holds around one-third of the water capacity of the main pool. It catches the water which cascades over the infinity edge, and pumps it back up into the main pool, so the water is continuously being recycled. There is no wastage and no danger, and the effect is a beautiful pool with a luxurious, relaxing look and feel. The extensive engineering involved is literally invisible while you are using the pool, showing that it is doing its job perfectly.
The infinity pool design is an ingenious feat of pool engineering, and one which takes considerable experience and knowledge to complete. This means it costs considerably more than a regular swimming pool, as it must be designed and constructed by a specialist. However, as all sites are different, and people differ widely in what they want from their infinity pools, it is difficult to give a realistic cost estimate.
The material. Concrete pools always tend to be more expensive than fibreglass pools, as they have to be constructed from scratch. However, if you want a fibreglass infinity pool, this involves a considerable amount of work, as a standard pool shell has to be adapted so an infinity edge can be created, so the cost can sometimes be comparable depending on your individual needs.
Whether you want more than one infinity edge. If you want the infinity edge to go around a corner, this costs more as it is far more difficult to engineer.
The main cost of an infinity pool, regardless of these factors, is always the holding tank. Building a negative edge pool is essentially like building two swimming pools in one, as the holding tank has to be built to the same standards as the main pool, so naturally this costs a significant amount.
The construction of the infinity edge also has a major impact on the infinity pool cost. As these pool walls have to cope with the weight of water constantly cascading over them, they need to be stronger than regular pool walls, so special reinforcement work has to be undertaken. This is the case whether you choose a concrete or fibreglass pool, so it is an element which always has to be factored into your budget.
However, the size of your pool has less influence on the cost than you might think. As the same processes are involved in creating the infinity edge regardless of size, there is very little price difference between a medium-sized wet edge pool and a large one.