How to Use the Jacuzzi in Your Hotel Room

Which tub do you have?

Hotels use the words jacuzzi, whirlpool, jetted tub and spa tub for the same thing, so the listing will not always tell you. The tub itself will. (Hot tub types explained goes through the names.)

How to use a whirlpool tub

These steps come from the owner's manuals of Kohler, Jacuzzi, American Standard, MAAX, Aquatic and MTI. Your tub may differ a little, but the order is the same.

1. Check the suction cover

   Look for the cover over the suction fitting, the grille low on one wall. Every whirlpool manual we read says not to run the tub without it. If it is missing or cracked, call the front desk.

2. Fill above the jets

   Close the drain and fill the tub with water at a comfortable temperature until it is at least 2 inches above the highest jet. Manuals ask for 1 to 2 inches, so 2 inches works for all of them. Some tubs have a sensor that keeps the pump off until the water is high enough.

3. Leave room for yourself

   American Standard warns against filling more than about two thirds before you get in, since the water rises and can spill over the edge.

4. Press the button once

   Most tubs have one round button on the rim: press once to start the jets, press again to stop them. Some hotel tubs have a panel instead, where you hold the power button for a few seconds to turn it off.

5. Aim the jets and set the strength

   Swivel a nozzle to point it where you want. Twist the face of the jet to change the flow (brands turn opposite ways, so try both). A separate air knob makes the massage stronger or softer. Never close every jet.

6. Keep it warm with the tap

   An in-line heater only keeps warm water warm, and only while the jets run. It will not heat cold water. To warm the bath, add hot water from the tap.

7. Restart when it stops

   Most tubs switch the jets off after about 20 minutes, some after 30. Press the button again if you want more.

8. Jets off, then get out

   Turn the jets off before you stand up: the water level drops below the jets and they spray. Get out slowly, then open the drain.

Air tubs and combination tubs

An air tub works the same way, with a few differences:

• The button starts a blower. Press and hold it, or use the arrows, to change the bubble strength; some panels also have wave and pulse modes.
• Fill above the jets first. One hotel guide says the air can go on any time, while Jacuzzi says not until the air holes are under water, so filling first is the safe choice.
• The air can feel cool against warm water. MAAX says that is normal.
• After your bath the blower may start again by itself for a minute or two. That is the drying cycle clearing water from the air lines.
• A combination tub has a button for each system. Use either one or both together.

What you can put in the water

This is where the manuals carry the most warnings. The makers do not all agree, so here is what each says:

In a rental, the host's rules come first. The house rules we read ban soaps, oils and bubbles outright.

Safety

The points the manuals and the CDC agree on. Hotel room hot tub safety goes into more detail.

Temperature

Keep the water at 104°F (40°C) or below, the limit the CDC, CPSC and the tub makers give. Feel it with your hand before you get in.

How long

The sources do not agree on minutes: MTI suggests about 10, Aquatic about 30. Both say to use cooler water for longer soaks.

Hair

Keep long hair tied up and away from the suction fitting. Jacuzzi says at least 6 inches. CPSC has records of people held under water by hair caught in a suction fitting.

Alcohol

The CDC says not to drink before or during a hot tub soak. Manufacturers warn that alcohol, drugs or medication raise the risk of overheating and drowning.

Health and medication

If you take medication or have heart disease, high or low blood pressure or diabetes, the tub makers say to talk to a doctor first. For pregnancy the CDC says the same, and some manuals add a limit of 100°F.

Children

Makers say children should use a jetted tub only with an adult watching at all times, and in cooler water. The CDC says children under 5 should not use hot tubs.

Electrics

Kohler asks for hair dryers, lamps, phones and radios to stay at least 5 feet from the tub. That matters most when the tub sits in the bedroom.

Getting in and out

Wet surfaces are slippery. The manuals say to get in and out slowly.

When something goes wrong

The jets will not start

The water is usually too low for the sensor. Add water until it is 2 inches above the highest jet. If nothing happens, the safety outlet may have tripped. Call the front desk: the manuals leave electrical faults to staff or an electrician.

The jets stopped on their own

The timer ran out, usually after 20 minutes. Press the button again.

Some jets are weak

Those jets are closed. Twist the jet face until the flow comes back.

The tub is full of foam

Turn the jets off, drain the tub and refill it with fresh water. That is Duravit's fix.

The pump is loud

Low water lets the pump draw air. Kohler says the suction cover needs to be fully under water.

The air jets started by themselves after the bath

That is the drying cycle. Air tubs blow out their lines for a minute or two, often about 20 minutes after use.

The lights or panel do not respond

Call the front desk. The makers send electrical faults to a technician.

Using a private hot tub on a balcony or at a cabin

A hot tub on a private balcony, terrace or cabin deck stays filled and heated between guests. That makes it a different job from a bath you fill yourself: the water was there before you, so it is worth a minute of checking.

1. Take the whole cover off

   Lift it by the handles, never the straps, and fold it fully back or onto the lifter. Do not sit, stand or put things on it. Some rentals charge a fee for a damaged cover.

2. Check the temperature

   The panel should read 104°F or less. Hot tubs usually run at 100°F to 104°F. If the tub was just filled, heating takes hours, so set the temperature and keep the cover on.

3. Check the water

   The CDC suggests test strips: free chlorine at least 3 ppm or bromine 4 to 8 ppm, and pH 7.0 to 7.8. The CDC says a properly treated tub has little smell, and that a strong chemical smell means a problem. If the water looks or smells wrong, stay out and tell the host or front desk.

4. Shower first

   The CDC recommends it: a one-minute shower removes most of the dirt, sweat and oils on your body.

5. Use the panel

   On most tubs one press of the jets button gives low speed, a second press high, a third turns them off. Jets switch off after 15 to 20 minutes on many tubs, longer on some.

6. Close it up

   Put the cover back on and lock the straps when you get out. The makers ask for it to keep children and pets out and the heat in.

No glass, soap or oils

Rental house rules we read ban breakable objects, soaps, bath oils and bubbles. Hot Spring advises against glass around the tub.

Storms

Get out when you hear thunder. Hot Spring says never to use an outdoor hot tub in a thunderstorm, and the National Weather Service says to get away from water.

Children

The CDC says no hot tubs for children under 5. Some rentals set a higher age; one we read says 14.

Germs

A poorly kept hot tub can spread hot tub rash and Legionella. The CDC notes that private hot tubs at vacation rentals are not held to the rules for public ones, so checking the water matters more there.

Two-person and heart-shaped tubs

Shape does not change how a tub works. A heart-shaped or two-person tub follows the same rules as any other whirlpool: fill above the jets, keep the water at 104°F or below, jets off before you get out. With two people the water rises twice as much, so leave more room when you fill it. The heart-shaped tub itself goes back to 1963, when one of the founders of Cove Haven Resort in the Poconos invented it.

Looking for one? See our hotels with a heart-shaped jacuzzi, or the study of where hotels put the tub: by the bed or in the bathroom.