A while ago , when we first got our Hot tub ( or badestamp in Norwegian ) from Skargards, I took some photos you can find at A Hot tub for all Seasons : Autumn , explaining how using the tub in beautiful Autumn is equally nice as any other season.  I wanted to show that even in the most unconventional weather, you can use your Hot tub and enjoy it immensely , and I hope I succeeded. We really love using it and we honestly never think about the weather. Since we have had it we have gone in when it was warm, sunny, in the middle of the night, cold, raining, snowing, there has been no occasion that we did not want to use it after we fired it up. And after using it for so long now, even this process has become a sort of a ritual, something to look forward to. Usually the last two hours of the tub heating we will seat by the tub with our movable campsite fireplace (we call it bålpanne in Norway) even if it isn’t cold, enjoying the afternoon with coffee or  drinks.

Winter is the quintessential season for a Hot tub, and it didn’t take me long to realise why. There is this undeniable charm when everything is so cold around you, while you are submerged in hot water. We keep firing the tub consistently while in so we end up sitting on the rim to cool off while it is snowing in intervals. And there is no such feeling to describe when the cold hits you, your body compensates by warming up so much, it feels like all your cells are alive! And it is so idyllic.. if you are lucky and it is snowing in your area ( mostly addressing Scandinavians here) this is a great investment. All you need is the ability to fill it with water and you are good to go. We use water from the fjord so usually it has blue colour, and we have installed a small pump that helps us with that.

The model we chose is the  Regal Hot Tub from Skargards . It looks like a traditional badestamp, the wood outside gives it a very authentic feel. The heating oven is cleverly hidden under what looks like a semi elevated seat ( and it works as a seating area as well), so there is space for more people. In fact we end up using this seat a lot, while when sitting normally in the build in circular bench, the water will roughly be around the shoulder area ( depending how much you choose to fill the tub), if you choose to sit in the semi elevated seat then the water will be around your mid section, making it very easy to cool off without having to seat on the rim of the tub (which we also do), or get out altogether (usually the person who wants to cool off will also bring extra drinks or put more wood in so it still works).

The tub itself as I mentioned in my previous post  about it, is very easy to maintain. Cleaning is minimal , and if you instead the actual cleaning system it comes with ( we ended up doing that), then you can use it quite a few times with the same water without having to worry. The water will remain clean along with the tub and due to the water heater that can be hooked on the cleaning system the water is always at a nice 45 degrees maximum. Specifications aside ( find in full at Skargards website ), it is very easy to heat the tub due to its design, a natural under pressure is created in the oven that causes the bath water to circulate by itself and with the inherent circulation a uniform water temperature is obtained throughout the hot tub. Fire the tub cleverly and within 2 to 3 hours maximum you can enjoy it to its fullest.

The Hot tub comes ready to use, all you need is for a leveled surface. We created an elevated area for it since we really wanted to take advantage of the view and it also works great as a sitting area. As I mentioned the tub is not fixed to the floor, so when it is empty you can ( though you need at least 3 people since it is too heavy of course for one) to move it around and find the best place for it.

Last but not least before I leave you to enjoy the photos, I need to say that we ended up adding quite a few accessories to it, some from the beginning, some later, but it is good to know the importance of them.

We started with adding immediately an underwater light, stairs and one shelf (that turned out to two). The light is very beautiful during the night and it does have a very convenient switch to turn on and off from inside the tub. If you dont need stairs due to placement feel free to skip them, however if the tub is freestanding like ours then you need something to be able to get in and out. Shelves are a no brainer, the more the better even if you think it makes the tub look weird , it’s great to be able to have as much space as possible to leave your stuff while in. You absolutely need an insulated lid, not only does it protect the tub, but also it reduces dramatically the time to heat it. We ended up also ordering after a few months a rain hat (you can see it in these photos while it is absent in the previous ones), I am not sure if it’s that important but it is very rainy in this area and I just didn’t feel ok without it. Something I highly regret not ordering in the beginning is the cleaning/heating system. We ended up really needing it due to temperature drops and if you order it from the start the tub will come with the holes and everything already ready for its installation, if not, you have to drill and install the whole thing or hire someone to do that for you. It is not hard to follow the instructions but it is something I definitely would have ordered to begin with if I knew what it entailed. You can find more accessories online, however these are the ones I think are absolutely needed, and the ones we found the most useful.

We absolutely love our Hot tub and we use it no matter the weather or the season, I cannot recommend it enough! I hope you enjoy the photos, and do follow me on instagram for stories if you like to see it in use!

Photography and Styling by Katerina Dima