Selecting the right swimming pool or spa is a very personal choice which has to be based on your individual needs and circumstances. However, before you make this significant outlay, it’s important to look at all the options so you can be absolutely sure you’re making the right decision for you. If you’re considering a swim spa, it’s also worth taking a look at pool and spa combos, as in some cases these can be more practical and make better investments in the long run. Here we examine the pros and cons.
Swim spas and their uses
Swim spas have become hugely popular across Australia, as they offer the best of both worlds – a swimming pool with built-in spa jets, enabling them to be used for both swimming and hydrotherapy. This combination has many important health benefits for people of all ages, including:
- ·Exercise: swimming is one of the best all-round forms of exercise you can take, as it uses almost every muscle in the body. It’s great for increasing strength, toning up and maintaining a healthy weight, as well as being extremely beneficial for your cardiovascular health, protecting you against problems such as heart attacks, strokes and diabetes.
- ·Relaxation: both swimming and spa treatments are highly beneficial for improving both mental and physical wellbeing, as they promote relaxation and reduce stress. This helps to reduce your blood pressure and alleviates the symptoms of anxiety and depression, enabling you to manage the stresses of everyday life more effectively.
- ·Recovery from injuries: hydrotherapy is regularly used to treat people who have suffered muscular injuries, as the spa jets help to alleviate aches and pains, making mobility easier and speeding up recovery times. Swimming can also be good for muscular injuries as it is a sport that you can enjoy at your own pace, so you don’t have to put too much strain on yourself while strengthening your muscles and increasing your flexibility.
- ·Physical appearance: hydrotherapy is good for the skin, giving you a rejuvenated appearance and promoting higher levels of self-confidence.
Due to these benefits, swim spas are becoming increasingly popular nationwide, as more and more people want to boost their health and well-being from the comfort of their own backyards. As swim spas are compact, they are ideal for people who don’t have a lot of space in their yards, enabling them to enjoy the benefits of swimming and hydrotherapy without the need for a full-sized swimming pool.
Why might a swim spa not be practical?
For some people, swim spas are an extremely practical choice; but they are not without their drawbacks. Due to their smaller size, they can be limiting for anyone who really enjoys serious swimming, as they don’t have enough space for swimming laps. This makes them an unwise choice for people who want to improve their lap times or train for competitive swimming.
Many other people enjoy swimming as a social activity. This is often particularly the case for family groups, who use their swimming pools for games in the water as a family or teaching young children to swim. In a regular swimming pool, this is easy, as there is plenty of room for several people to swim at once; however, in a swim spa, the swimming corridor is only large enough for one person to swim comfortably at a time. This is not ideal for families or people who enjoy swimming with friends.
Spas are also often regarded as a group activity – sitting talking and relaxing with friends while enjoying the benefits of hydrotherapy. However, many swim spas only have room for small seating areas, which are not particularly comfortable and are unable to seat many people at any one time.
Why choose a pool and spa combo?
A pool and spa combo offers you the freedom to enjoy all the benefits of both swimming and hydrotherapy, either alone or with others. It is a full-sized swimming pool with a separate spa section, so even if other family members want to swim or play games in the pool, you can still relax in the spa at the same time without anyone getting in the way of others. This is even more beneficial if one member of the family has a muscular injury but doesn’t want to miss out on all the fun!
The pool is large enough for both social and serious swimmers, so it’s possible to practice lap times or train for competitions; or, if you prefer, take things at a more leisurely pace alongside your friends. Pool and spa combos also offer a choice of spa jets, which provide hydrotherapy treatments, or swim jets, which you can use to control the current in the water, choosing the intensity of your aquatic workout.
Also, a pool and spa combo is stronger, more durable and safer. The pool shell has to be tougher to cope with more rigorous demands. This also protects it from water damage over time, which ensures your pool and spa combo will last longer and be a better investment in the long run than a swim spa, adding more value to your home as well as more years of enjoyment for you and your loved ones. With non-slip surfaces and wide seating areas, a pool and spa combo can be a safe and welcome addition to the lives of people of all ages.
Of course, no solution is perfect for everyone. The initial outlay for a pool and spa combo is likely to be much greater than that for a swim spa, as it requires much more structural work and landscaping to install in the ground, as well as being built to stronger and more hardwearing standards. It may also not be practical for those with smaller backyards. However, if you have room for a pool and spa combo, and you feel the additional investment is worthwhile, it offers you more choice and freedom, and will be a beautiful and valuable addition to your home for a long time to come.
If you would like more information about the pool and spa combos Compass Pools Australia can provide, or you want to discuss your individual circumstances, please get in touch – we are always happy to advise you.