Wood-Fired Hot Tub Kits Review: Understand the Differences between Gardenvity, Skargards, Royal Tubs and Other Top Brands

Photo credit: Skargards

What does the tagline “From £XX” really mean when browsing the e-stores of wood-fired hot tub manufacturers, such as Gardenvity, Royal Tubs, Skargards, and others? How much is this figure going to change by the time you’ve added all of the essential parts to your cart and you’re ready to check out your completed ready-to-use wood-fired hot tub kit? Brands either choose to show the lowest possible price first and then offer a wide range of extra components as accessories, or they will include the essential parts in a package to save you the trouble of checking boxes to give you a realistic price. If you’re looking to purchase a wood-fired hot tub for ultimate comfort and relaxation, keep reading to learn about the differences between the top wood-fired hot tub brands in the UK. 

Let’s compare each brand’s basic package when you click on a hot tub model from their product list.

A glimpse into a brand’s hot tub kit contents

Here’s a quick summary:

• Gardenvity offers all the essential parts as standard in their all-inclusive hot tub packages (unless you are choosing from their premium models, where you select most components yourself). The price will only be slightly altered if you add on additional accessories. 
• Royal Tubs allow you to choose from their special offers with a fixed price as they keep those models in stock with the most necessary parts packaged and ready to load onto the delivery truck. Only minor additions are possible to that, or you can design your own hot tub and obtain a personal quote based on your chosen specifications.
• Kirami (The Log Company) hot tub kits have many parts included to meet your basic hot tub needs. For the ultimate relaxation and comfort, you’ll need to add on massage and water filtration systems at extra cost.  
• TimberIN’s starting prices may be very low, but you’ll soon realise that the basic kits for some models do not include a heater, for example. There are variations between different product lines when you are customising your ideal hot tub kit. Have patience as you browse through the various options since you’ll only see the total price once you have a complete hot tub kit. 
• Lastly, Skargards’ product prices almost double after you select all the necessary parts to use your hot tub as a modern spa properly.

Comparing the essential hot tub components included in wood-fired hot tub kits at initial price. You can download and print the comparison table below for your needs.

Gardenvity	Royal Tubs*	Kirami (The Log Company)	TimberIN	Skargards
Gardenvity		Royal Tubs*		Kirami (The Log Company)		TimberIN		Skargards		Wooden hot tub with a liner**
Gardenvity	Heater, chimney, heat guard, rain cowl	Royal Tubs*	Heater, chimney, heat guard, rain cowl	Kirami (The Log Company)	Heater, chimney, heat shield, rain cowl	TimberIN	Heater, chimney, heat guard Not included in initial offer with cheaper models	Skargards	Heater, chimney Heat guard, rain cowl	Heater and chimney
Gardenvity		Royal Tubs*		Kirami (The Log Company)		TimberIN	Not included in initial offer with cheaper models	Skargards		Steps
Gardenvity	Insulated artificial leather cover	Royal Tubs*	Insulated artificial leather or wooden lid (depends on the model)	Kirami (The Log Company)	ABS plastic lid	TimberIN	Fiberglass lid, insulated artificial leather or wooden lid Not included in initial offer with cheaper models	Skargards		Cover
Gardenvity	Integrated cartridge or sand filter (depending on the model) Must be added for Premium models	Royal Tubs*		Kirami (The Log Company)		TimberIN		Skargards		Water filter**
Gardenvity	Air and/or hydro massage jets Must be added for Premium models	Royal Tubs*	Air and hydro massage jets in Deluxe	Kirami (The Log Company)		TimberIN	Hydro massage (only included for some models)	Skargards		SPA system**
Gardenvity	Must be added for Premium models	Royal Tubs*		Kirami (The Log Company)		TimberIN	Only included for some models	Skargards		LED llighting**

Download PDF

*Only the information for special orders of the Royal Tubs hot tub kits is shown. For a customized hot tub kit, each component must be manually selected and there is no initial price shown prior to checkout. 

**None of the manufacturers include a liner in any all-wood hot tub models. Components requiring electric power are also not included in any manufacturer’s off-the-grid models.  

Let’s dive into the specifics, shall we?

Gardenvity

This brand is our clear favourite in terms of showing the customer the price in the clearest and fairest way. What you see on the product page is how much you’re going to spend on your hot tub with the essential parts included in their “all-inclusive package”. That kit is built to contain all that you will need – just have a look at the screenshot from one of their product pages below:

From the base model, you can then add accessories such as a minibar, glass holders, hearth plate and chimney extension, depending on your needs. Unless you add on these extras, the price shown is pretty much the final price you’re going to pay. 

With Gardenvity’s premium models, however, you get the hot tub with an acrylic liner, heater and chimney with heat guards and rain cowl, insulated cover and high-flow tap already included, but then you’re offered to customise the water filtration, massage, lighting and similar features which adds to the overall price.

Royal Tubs

On the Royal Tubs website, you face two paths when it comes to your hot tub kit: You can opt for a pre-packaged special offer with a fixed price which is almost instantly ready to ship to your backyard, or you can click on the “Design Your Hot Tub” option to select each component separately then receive a personal quote. 

Royal Tubs’ special offers include all of the parts you need to use your hot tub safely and comfortably, except for a water filter, which you are offered and can add on before you checkout, same as a minibar. 

Here’s a snapshot of the parts that are included in one of Royal Tubs’ special offers:

Kirami (The Log Company)

When buying a wooden hot tub from Kirami, the basic kit may be all you need. Below is an outline of the parts that are included as shown on their website:

What’s missing for your complete relaxation and comfort that you can expect from a modern wood-fired hot tub, we believe, are the massage and water filtration systems. You can add these, of course, for an extra fee that will increase the initial price of the hot tub kit.

TimberIN

Ugh… It takes a bit of time to get to grips with TimberIN’s user experience and pricing approach, but we believe we’ve finally managed it to be able to provide you with this summary. 

TimberIN’s initial price (“from £XX”) includes a hot tub with or without a liner (depends on the model), wooden stairs, a stirring paddle and a fibreglass or a wooden lid. If you find yourself wondering why this price would not include the heater (we’re talking about a hot tub, not a cold one, after all), then you’re not alone – it’s quite weird to us, too. 

BUT! That’s not the case with all models, since if you start customising, for example, their Wellness Royal model, the heater is there, included in the initial price. The Royal model will also include a heat guard and a minibar (not included for some other models). 

So, you have to play around with the options and accessories for each TimberIN hot tub model since there’s no uniform approach when it comes to their offered wooden hot tub kits. After patiently checking the parts included in the hot tub kits or that have to be ordered as accessories for different models, the hydro and air massage, electric heating, water filtration systems and water discharge valves have to be added to the cart for any model, which increases the initial price. 

As mentioned in our previous article, TimberIN’s specifics are that their prices are shown in Euros (lucky us – conversion rates are in favour of the Pound sterling), but they do not include shipping, VAT and UK customs fees, so the final bill will be quite different from the tempting prices shown initially on their product pages. 

Skargards

Visiting Skargards’ glamorous e-store, you’ll see the “from £XX” prices shown with each model, but this isn’t the price you’ll ultimately pay for your complete hot tub kit. 
The price of the basic package only covers the hot tub with a liner and the heater and chimney (but without a heat guard or rain cowl). Any other components, from an insulated lid to water filtration or massage systems, have to be added to your cart as extra items – for nearly double the initial price. As you’re unlikely to be able to enjoy the full relaxing, comfortable, safe and enjoyable hot tub experience without stairs, a water filter, massage system, cover or heat guard, our conclusion is that Skargards’ hot tub kit is not complete without paying extra for those essential parts.

Ready to learn more about the components of wood-fired hot tubs?

If you’re keen to get a better understanding of the main components and technologies used in modern wood-fired hot tubs and the benefits of each accessory, check out these two blog posts on our website. 

The first article will help you to decide which hot tub types and features best suit your needs. The next article details the wood-fired hot tub accessories you do and don’t need and how they add to your experience. 

Take care!