Hot Tub vs Jacuzzi®: What's the Difference?
A hot tub is the product. Jacuzzi® is a brand.
Hot tub is the everyday name for any heated, jetted tub you soak in. Jacuzzi® is a brand name owned by Jacuzzi Inc.1 So every Jacuzzi® hot tub is a hot tub, and a hot tub from Edge or Outdoor Living is a hot tub as well.
Brand name or everyday name: the difference in a line
One word names a maker. The other names a product.
Read the two columns and the rest of this guide follows from them.
Jacuzzi®
A brand name
Jacuzzi® belongs to Jacuzzi Inc, which describes the name as one of its most valuable assets.1 It is written with a capital J and the ® mark, and Jacuzzi's own guidance is to put it in front of the product it names: a Jacuzzi® hot tub.1
The brand covers more than hot tubs. Jacuzzi's UK range includes hot tubs, swim spas, cold plunge and infrared saunas.2
hot tub
An everyday name
A hot tub is a tub of heated water with jetted seats, and any maker can build one.3 The name belongs to no company, so it fits a Jacuzzi®, an Edge Knightsbridge and every tub in between.
Spa, spa pool and whirlpool spa are other everyday names for the same kind of product. They are set out in the table further down.
In a sentence the maker comes first and the product follows: a Jacuzzi® hot tub, an Edge hot tub, an Outdoor Living hot tub. For a tub made by anyone other than Jacuzzi, hot tub or spa is the word that names it correctly.3
Where the name came from
The Jacuzzi story starts with a pump, and it explains why one brand name ended up standing in for a whole product.
A name that familiar slips into everyday speech. Jacuzzi itself compares it with Kleenex, a brand many people use for any tissue,3 which is why plenty of shoppers search for a Jacuzzi when they want a hot tub.
- 1940s
- Candido Jacuzzi invented a therapeutic hydrotherapy pump to bring his young son Kenneth relief from rheumatoid arthritis.4
- 1950s
- Appearances on the daytime television show Queen for a Day, which had 20 million viewers, made Jacuzzi a household name.4
- 1968
- Jacuzzi created the first integrated jet whirlpool bath, the Roman.4
- 1970
- Larger indoor tubs arrived, made for groups of people and whole families.4
- 1980s
- Jacuzzi introduced models that worked as hot tubs, whirlpool baths or both.4
Hot tub, spa, whirlpool spa: other names for the same product
Shops, safety standards and official guidance each pick their own word. The European safety standard for domestic tubs, BS EN 17125, lists domestic spas, whirlpool spas and hot tubs together in its title.5 The HSE's guidance on keeping tub water safe uses the term spa pool.6
A whirlpool bath is a different product again: a bath with built-in jets. BS EN 17125 sets bathtubs outside its scope.5
| Name | What kind of word | Where you will see it |
|---|---|---|
| hot tub | Everyday name for the product | Our hot tubs collection and the title of BS EN 171255 |
| spa | Everyday name for the product | Domestic spas in the title of BS EN 171255 |
| whirlpool spa | Everyday name for the product | Whirlpool spas in the title of BS EN 171255 |
| spa pool | Name used in official guidance | HSE guidance HSG282 on controlling legionella6 |
| Jacuzzi® | Brand name | On the hot tubs, baths and other products made by Jacuzzi1 |
Choosing between brands: compare seven-seat hot tubs side by side
Whether the label says Jacuzzi®, Edge or Outdoor Living, a hot tub is compared on the same things: how many it seats, how the seats are laid out, the space it needs, the controls and the price. Here are two seven-seat hot tubs from our live range.
You can browse every Jacuzzi® hot tub or our full hot tubs range, and our guide on what to consider when buying a hot tub covers size and layout step by step.
Edge Knightsbridge Hot Tub£7,999
Seats up to seven in an all-seater layout, with 60 hydrotherapy jets, touchscreen controls and heating up to 40°C. It measures 2160 × 2160 × 920 mm and comes in Dark Grey or Light Grey.
Jacuzzi® J245™ Hot Tub£8,499
Seats seven adults in an open layout, with a central foot dome that gives your feet their own massage and the SmartTub® app for managing temperature. Its footprint is 213 × 213 cm.
Quick answers
Open a question to read the answer.
Is a Jacuzzi® a hot tub?
A Jacuzzi® hot tub is a hot tub made by Jacuzzi. Jacuzzi® is the brand name and hot tub is the product, so the two sit together in a Jacuzzi® hot tub.
What is the difference between a hot tub and a Jacuzzi®?
Hot tub is the everyday name for the product, and any maker can build one. Jacuzzi® is a brand name owned by Jacuzzi Inc and used on that maker's hot tubs and other products.
Can I call any hot tub a Jacuzzi®?
Use Jacuzzi® for products made by Jacuzzi, and hot tub or spa for everything else. An Edge or Outdoor Living tub is a hot tub from a different maker, so naming the maker and the product keeps your search accurate.
Is a hot tub the same as a spa?
Yes. Hot tub, spa, spa pool and whirlpool spa are everyday names for the same kind of product. The European safety standard BS EN 17125 lists domestic spas, whirlpool spas and hot tubs together in its title.
Is a whirlpool bath a hot tub?
No. A whirlpool bath is a bath with built-in jets. A hot tub is a tub of heated water with jetted seats, and BS EN 17125, the standard for domestic hot tubs, sets bathtubs outside its scope.
Which is better, a hot tub or a Jacuzzi®?
They are not alternatives, because a Jacuzzi® is one maker's hot tub. Compare any two hot tubs on seats, layout, size, controls and price, whoever made them.
Do you sell Jacuzzi® hot tubs?
Yes. Our Jacuzzi® hot tubs collection lists the current range, and our own Outdoor Living and Edge hot tubs sit alongside it in the hot tubs collection.
Sources
- Jacuzzi Inc, Jacuzzi® trademark information
- Jacuzzi UK, Jacuzzi® UK hot tubs, swim spas, cold plunge and infrared saunas
- Jacuzzi, Is a Jacuzzi and a hot tub the same?
- Jacuzzi UK, Heritage
- British Standards Institution, BS EN 17125:2018 Domestic spas/whirlpool spas/hot tubs. Safety requirements and test methods, 2018
- Health and Safety Executive, HSG282 Control of legionella and other infectious agents in spa-pool systems, January 2017
Paul Margerison
Managing Director & Founder, Outdoor Living
Hot tub, spa and Jacuzzi® all come up when you start shopping. This guide separates the brand from the product, so you can compare tubs on what matters in your garden.