Enjoying the outdoors in the hybrid Ducktub External

Electric or wood-fired: enjoy any time

Since last summer, Vanessa and her husband Erik regularly enjoy the warm water of their Ducktub hot tub. Vanessa: "As soon as it's not too windy and dry, we love to dive in. We have a hybrid hot tub. I think we use the electric a little more than the wood stove. For example, if we're already thinking in the afternoon oh it's a nice day to go in it in the evening; it's so easy to turn the hot tub up a few degrees warmer. If it's a last minute action, we often do use the wood stove. Because electric heating does take a little longer."

An old-time dream: under the stars in a hot bath

When Vanessa and Erik moved into their current home, they had room for a hot tub in the yard. It had to be there they thought. "We are really people of outdoor living. When I was younger, I watched an Australian series and there you would see them bathing in a regular bathtub, under the stars. I thought that was so ultimate, I wanted that too. And Erik also wanted a hot tub for a long time. To sit together in that bathtub during the day or at night under the stars, it's just really ultimate!"

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They went online to look for a hot tub and ended up at Welvaere. "Then we went to your place and somewhere else. We liked the one at Welvaere the best and so we chose that. My parents always had a jacuzzi in the garden, which is a different experience. The looks anyway, but with the wood of the hot tub: it feels super luxurious, but still very basic somehow. Being in nature, with the fire there, that really makes it complete.

Using solar panels to keep the hot tub at temperature 

Sometimes their son and daughter join them in the hot tub, but mostly Vanessa and Erik enjoy it just the two of them. "Depending on the weather, we definitely use the hot tub every week, sometimes two days in a row. There are also periods when it is a little less, when it really just rains or is very windy for example."

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If you have an electric or hybrid hot tub, it's always best to leave it at a certain, slightly higher, temperature. That way the water is up to temperature quickly when you want to get in. "We have the hot tub on 30°C by default when we use it a lot. If it is a little less for a period, we set it lower, at about 20°C. We have a lot of solar panels, so basically the solar panels keep our hot tub at temperature. That's very nice." 

30°C can also be nice 

The very best is when the water is at your own body temperature or 1 or 2 degrees warmer. Vanessa found 30°C quite nice too! "I was home alone at the time and thought, I'll have a good time in the hot tub tonight. I had only completely forgotten to turn it warmer. So when I got in, I found out that the water was still 30°C degrees. It wasn't super cold, but it wasn't warm either. So I was really in the middle, so I was as deep in it as I could be. That was quite nice, but I did get a craving for hot tea. When I would get up I would get cold. Fortunately, my husband almost came home then and I was able to stay put with a hot cup of tea."

A good conversation or just enjoying the peace and nature

"Sitting in front of the TV is nice too, of course, but in the hot tub you really have each other's attention and fun conversations. Or you just sit quietly with your eyes closed next to each other enjoying the warm water and being there together. What really shouldn't be missing for me are the lights in the garden, candles on and then the bathrobes lying over the bench, that makes the whole experience complete." 

The garden a mix of Scandinavian and Mediterranean

Vanessa's interior design is truly Scandinavian (if you're looking for inspiration for your home, be sure to check out her Instagram account @thuys_by_vanes). She extended that line into the garden as well, but the greenery is more Mediterranean. "We have for example, cork oaks, holm oaks, plane trees and olive trees. We live close to the forest, so when I sit on one side of the hot tub, I feel like I'm in the middle of the forest. And when I sit on the other side, I can see right into the depths of the garden with the cozy lights on." 

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"The comfort of a warm bath outside, even when it's a bit chillier. That you then sit comfortably and look around you, without the distraction of phones and television. That makes us happy!"