Model hot tub: Ducktub Bjorn with bubble system and filter system
Since: November 2,
Living in: Almere
Together with: their two sons of 12 and 16 years old
Joyce and Richard decided to purchase a Ducktub hot tub earlier this year for the reason: to relax and spend more quality time with the family. Before making their choice for the Ducktub Bjorn, they paid a visit to the Experience Center in Nijkerk.
Joyce: "We visited the showroom twice to see the hot tub. Sven gave us the whole tour. It was really nice to see how the hot tubs are made, what options are available and also the atmosphere was very good. When you arrive, it feels just like entering a wellness center. We then went home with the quote and thought about it for a while. After we then agreed by phone we went back again because we had some more questions. And we enjoyed having another look at the hot tub, it was really preliminary fun!"
Enjoying together in the hot tub
The family usually lights the hot tub on weekends. "Then it's really a piece of relaxation and being together. When you're at home with the family, you quickly sit in front of the TV or the oldest is then in his own room. In the hot tub you really have some time for each other and I find that for our busy family life this is really a godsend."
"Usually then we start heating the water on Friday night, so we can get in nice and early in the evening. And on Saturday when we're home we go in as well. That's a good end to a work week and a very nice start to the weekend."
Time for good conversations
Even when visitors come, Joyce notices that things are very different since the hot tub is in the garden. "Recently, for example, my cousin was visiting. Then you would normally turn on the television on a Saturday night because the kids would want to watch something. Now we spent the whole evening together in the hot tub. You discuss much more and also other things. That's just a lot of fun. And the time flew by. It didn't seem so long at all, but we felt the water cool down a bit. We had been in it for more than two hours by then."
For relaxation, the hot water also works very well. "My husband has a lot of neck pain, from which he also gets migraines. He finds that the hot water and that bit of relaxation helps with that very well. And when you've been in it at night, you just sleep really well. That's also a very nice touch."
In conversation with neighbors
Because they live in a terraced house, Joyce and Richard first informed the neighbors before buying the hot tub that they wanted to buy a hot tub with a wood stove. "We then indicated that should they experience nuisance from the smoke, because it will take some getting used to stoking it for us in the beginning, they could indicate that.
For us it was completely new, we just have heating through the boiler. Someone in the neighborhood came to point us to the Stookwijzer once. That was the second day we had the hot tub and not such a convenient day to fire it because it was foggy. But other than that, all we hear from neighbors is that they think it smells so wonderful and they are quite jealous of the hot tub!"
Now the family is completely used to firing according to the Swiss method. "Only a little smoke comes out with start-up and when it almost goes out , but otherwise not at all. We found the right way, and because of that it doesn't develop as much smoke either."
From pool for a few months, to a hot tub for every season
The hot tub is in the back of the garden in the spot where a large pool previously stood. "The pool then stood there from April through October. Last year we left it in the winter too, because I also like cold water swimming. But because the boys stopped going in it in the summer, we removed the pool. It took up a lot of space anyway. That's why we opted for the hot tub, which is a lot more compact and which you can enjoy using all year round."
"Other than that, we have a large lounge bench and two planters in the garden with evergreens, and spring and fall bloomers. Other than that, it's mostly rocks. I think I'm the only one on the street who still has an old-fashioned clothesline in the garden."
Cozy moments together
The family always makes it a fun time when they get in the hot tub. "We all made snacks for dinner the first weekend we had the hot tub. We put those on the box of the filtration system and so we had a great time sitting in the hot tub and eating together with some goodies to drink with it. When our oldest son joins us, we always take the box outside for some music, but we try not to make too much noise. We often go in at night and because of the water the sound already reflects a bit, so it is already a bit more noisy. We do try to be considerate to the neighbors."