Hot Tub rules ..... how to tell guests "No sex"

[Tammy110]

When we first got our outdoor hot tub and allowed guests to use it, I really didn't think guests would be so bold as to use the spa for making 'whoopy", considering there are several windows from our home that have clear views of the hot tub. Boy was I wrong!!!! The problem is that it really messes up the chemical balance (most importantly the sanitizers and water clarifying chemicals) in the water, and we have had to drain, clean and refill it several times, which is expensive, and in the wintertime.....a royal pain!!! Not to mention and most importantly, the possible health risk of creating potentially unsanitary water for anyone who goes in the hot tub afterwards!!!!

Does anyone have any ideas on a polite/non-offensive way to let guests know that sex in the hot tub is not permitted, while at the same time letting them know of the potential health risks it could cause for those who go in afterwards? Or do you think it would be fine to just post a sign at the hot tub, simply stating "No sex in the hot tub"?   

Any ideas would be appreciated 🙂

[Lisa723]

@Tammy110 the fact is that guests may do many things that will mess up the state of your tub; sex is only one of infinite possibilities. Hot tubs are just a PITA all around, though (at least in our area) they are a coveted amenity. If you are going to offer it you have to stay on top of the chemicals and be prepared to change the water frequently. You could post an informational sheet about the need to keep the water clean and balanced and the real risk of hot tub folliculitis if cleanliness guidelines are not followed. I'm not sure about mentioning sex as a specifically prohibited activity-- you could, I suppose, but there are all kinds of sex so this seems like a line of enforcement I personally wouldn't want to go down.

Maybe a motion-sensitive spotlight?  😉

[Tammy110]

@Lisa723 Thank you for your thoughts. We definitely stay on top of the hot tub chemistry on a daily basis, and the water is always adequately chlorinated and crystal clear. Normally we have no issue with keeping the water balanced, however, we noticed that we could not regain balance after several bouts of "sexy time" in the hot tub, so we attributed our water balance issues to that. I totally hear what you are saying about there being many kinds of sex and not wanting to enforce things from that specific perspective. Hence my request for ideas. The problem I have with trying to inform guests via an information sheet (which I personally think should be a great way to deal with many issues) is that in reality, and my experience, most guests don't read anything that is more than a few words placed directly in their view. A lot of times, not even then.

Our hot tub helps my Airbnb stand out, and I attribute it, in part, to drawing guests to my listing over similar listings, so I would like to keep it on offer, however, just not at the time and cost expense of having to drain and refill it several times a month, when normally (when there is no sexy time going on), we only have to drain and refill on average, about every couple months.

[Lisa723]

@Tammy110 we find that our tubs are left in unsalvageable condition maybe 20% of the time. We don't have a "no sex" rule; one of the tubs is extremely private and probably susceptible to that risk and the other is extremely public and probably not. In fact the public one seems to suffer more abuse-- maybe because that house accommodates larger groups and is in close proximity to the lake so maybe more susceptible to people entering the tub directly from the lake, even though we provide an adjacent outdoor shower. As @Anonymous suggested our cleaning fee is set to accommodate the range of results.

I suppose if I were in your shoes and I really wanted to stop the activity I might try to find a way to explicitly inform guests that the tub is easily visible from your home so you appreciate it if all activity at the tub remains G-rated. Maybe on a sign posted with tub towels/robes, if you provide those.

[Lisa723]

@Tammy110 PS it's hard for me to imagine any situation where a tub only has to be drained every couple of months, regardless of who is using it to do what.

[Tammy110]

@Lisa723, The guidelines when we purchased the hot tub was that as long as the water chemistry remains balanced, the water should be changed approximately every 3 months., however, we change the water and filter every 2 months regardless or more often if we lose water balance and can't get it back. We have a 2 bedroom Airbnb suite in the basement of our home (max 4 persons), of which about 50% of our guests use the hot tub once or twice during a stay, which is not much extra use over what we use.  We were able to keep the water clear and balanced (meaning chlorine, ph, alkalinity, hardness, and stabilizer levels all are within proper levels) just fine until we had the issue with guests "getting jiggy with it" frequently. Seriously we check and adjust our hot tub water chemistry daily!!!!!!

[Lisa723]

@Tammy110 our situation might be harder to maintain as people are prone to swim in the lake then jump in the tubs, and the water is sourced from a creek (treated of course) to start with. We turn them over every few weeks, or when they get in trouble. It is amazing what some people will do to a tub and not seem to notice or care. I have thought about posting graphic photos of folliculitis as a warning, but haven't done it.

[Tammy110]

I know exactly what you are talking about. My ex had a very modern lake house that he rented out on Airbnb with a 10 person, top of the line hot tub. The horror stories he told me of all the damage his other wise fairly decent guests did to the spa, made me cringe!!! I feel for you!  Thanks for your input 🙂

[Lorna170]

@Tammy110   The guidelines that you mention are very nice when it is only you, your friends and family sharing the hot tub.  Did your salesman know that you would be offering it as an amenity to paying guests?  We empty, clean, refill and chemically balance our hot tubs with EVERY guest.  We include the cost of this in our cleaning fee.  Of course, due to our location, this cleaning is mandated by the health department.  Perhaps it is not required by yours, in which case I will not be enjoying your hot tub.

[Tammy110]

@Lorna170, I don't know what kind or size of hot tub you have but refilling our hot tub after every guest is simply is not possible. This is not a bath tub, it is a 1200 liter Hot Tub (average size), which takes an hour to drain, an hour to clean and then several hours to refill with warm water when using a bit of cold water and water from the hot water tank from the house until the hot water runs out and then waiting for the hot water tank to heat up again and repeating until the hot tub is full. It then takes about another 12 hours or so for the Hot tub to heat and reach usable temperatures of 102 or 103 degrees, longer in the winter. Our hot tub is an energy efficient soft tub (made in Canada) which uses very little energy to keep at temperature, however, it takes quite awhile for it get to temperature initially. Chemicals then take about 24 hours to add and get balanced and stable. So all in all it takes roughly a minimum of 2 days to drain, refill and balance the hot tub water. I don't know what size of hot tub you have or what source you have for hot water, but I cannot fathom changing the water between every guest. As I said in the beginning, that simply isn't possible. Once the water chemistry is balanced and stay balanced and sanitizers are added between uses, there is absolutely no need to drain in between every guest. Do you think they do that in spa hotels or resorts? I don't think so, and I am sure they meet with health regulations. To suggest that in order to have a sanitary hot tub for guests, one needs to drain and refill between every guest, is simply ludicrous to me.

[Tammy110]

@Lorna170  I just looked up where you are from.........North Carolina, where average winter temperatures very rarely ever go below freezing. Try draining and refilling a hot tub between every guest when temperatures on average over the winter are -16 C as they are here in Ontario Canada.

[Anonymous]

@Tammy110 What if you made certain amenities seasonal? Like no hot tub in the winter, no fireplace in summer for example? 

[Tammy110]

@Anonymous, The hot tub in the winter is what makes my listing stand out, as very few listings have a hot tub in this area, especially in the winter. I would be reluctant to take that off the offering in the winter, due to that reason. The infrared fireplace takes no effort and little cost, so not much sense in taking it off the offering in the summer. But thanks for the suggestions 🙂

[Anonymous]

@Tammy110  Fair enough - when you're in a competitive market, especially during a freaking pandemic, it can be a high-wire juggling act trying to make your listing stand out without compromising its value or overworking yourself. I've talked with a lot of hosts who say a hot tub is more trouble than it's worth, but it does have a bling factor that's hard to get when you're outside of a high-demand location. I guess your balancing point would have to be a usage price that covers you when you have to do exceptional cleaning, combined with a minimum stay that discourages the kind of bookings that are likeliest to be disproportionately hard on the amenity. If you're taking pH readings every day, you already have a sturdy data collection mechanism in place, so I think with a bit of trial and error you'll find your sweet spot.

[Tammy110]

Exactly! You have hit the nail on the head! 🙂