Caldera vs Hot Springs
Hot Springs and Caldera Spas are some of the most famous names in the spa industry, but how do you know which brand to go with? What exactly are the differences between them?
When it comes to hot tubs, both of these well-known brands offer a great selection of models with a variety of features and pricing brackets. Whatever it is you are looking for, you should find a suitable option from either of these two choices.
To get more information on features, pricing, and warranties, read my comparison that's all about Caldera vs Hot Springs.
Our Top Choices For Caldera vs Hot Springs
1. Caldera Spas
- Hot Tub Circuit Therapy®
- SpaGlow® light system
- FreshWater® Salt System, FROG® in-line water sanitation system
2. Hot Spring
- Moto Massage® jets
- Color touchscreen controls
- Tri-X filter, FreshWater® Salt System, FROG® in-line water sanitation system
Not sure which hot tub to get? Let us help you!
Company Information
The two brands Hot Spring Spas and Caldera Spas are both manufactured by the same company, the world's biggest hot tub and spa business, Watkins Wellness.
Watkins Wellness has been in business for decades, since the late 1970s and also produces other hot tub and pool brands such as Fantasy Spas, FreeFlow Spas, and Endless Pools.
All their experience and expertise come together and are clearly demonstrated in the fabulous collections of both the Caldera and Hot Springs Spas brands, some of the best hot tubs on the market.
Pricing Comparison
These two brands offer an excellent range of hot tubs in a variety of pricing categories. They both have high-end luxury collections with the highest price tags, premium spas with mid-range prices, and a value collection for smaller budgets.
The luxury spas are featured in Caldera's Utopia Series and range in price from $12,000 to $16,000 plus. Their premium spas are in the Paradise Series, starting from $9,000 and increasing to $14,000 and upwards. Lastly, the Vacanza Series comprise their value hot tubs which cost $6,000 to $10,000 plus.
The Highlife Collection features Hot Spring's high-end luxury models, which cost $13,000 and upwards. The larger feature-rich models in this collection can cost loads of money, over $20,000 in fact!
The premium spas in the Hot Spring Limelight Collection, start from $11,000 plus. The Hot Springs low-end value spas are found in the Hot Spot Collection and cost $7,000 and upwards.
Both Caldera Spas and Hot Springs use a pricing key on their websites, that consists of dollar signs to help guide you with the pricing which is useful. The pricing categories are the same for both brands.
It takes hours contacting dealerships and trawling through websites for pricing information. Click on the button below for the lowest quotes based on your hot tub preferences from dealers in your region. We save you time by bringing pricing information to you!
Hot Tub Features
Next, let's delve into the features of their different hot tub collections and see how these two brands stack up against each other.
Luxury Spas
Luxury hot tubs are featured in Hot Spring Spas' Highlife Collection and Caldera Spas' Utopia Series.
The larger luxury collection of the two brands is the Hot Spring Highlife Collection featuring nine different models with three, four, five, six, and seven seats.
These high-tech spas have a large number of jets and up to seven different types of jets including the Moto Massage® jets that produce two streams of water that sweep the length of your back for a soothing yet powerful full body massage.
Melt away your stress and enjoy the health benefits as the precision jets let you target the hydrotherapy to specific areas such as the neck or feet.
You can control all the settings on your Highlife spa with an easy-to-use wireless remote control that features a full-color touchscreen. When it comes to keeping the spa water fresh, these spas have a Tri-X filter and FreshWater® Salt System.
These hot tubs are durable as they use a polymer for the structure and base pan that doesn't rot or rust. The exterior cabinet comes in a fabulous range of color options, you can choose from six different finishes. The Highlife tubs are also very energy efficient featuring full-foam insulation.
Caldera's Utopia Series has six models in varying sizes, including three, six, seven, and eight-seater tubs. These high-tech spas come with user-friendly touchscreen digital controls and all the models are FreshWater® Salt System ready, which leaves the spa water clean and fresh, but with a more natural feel compared to traditional tubs with cleaning chemicals.
The ergonomically shaped seats allow you to relax whilst you enjoy a soothing massage from the large number of jets featured in these Caldera tubs. The contoured pillows have integrated speakers for great quality audio, so you can chill out to your favorite tunes.
These models also have extra neck, hip, and wrist jets so you get a full body massage experience, just what you need after a long day of stress at work!
The Utopia tubs feature the SpaGlow® light system for zone lighting and elegant Ecotech® Plus Cabinet which comes in three color choices with a stylish LED lighting bar and stainless steel trim, so you can tailor your spa's look to complement your house decor.
Premium Spas
The Hot Spring Spas Limelight Collection is comprised of five premium models with four, six, and seven seats. If you are after a large tub, this collection includes three different seven-seater models.
The luxury Highlife tubs offer a variety of different jet types from the Combination XL jets designed to deliver a massage to large areas of the body to targeted jets and rotary jets for precision massages of areas such as the calves, neck, and feet.
These attractive spas come with marble patterned or pearlescent interiors with a choice of three colors for the durable yet stylish exterior cabinet.
They also have multiple LED lights so you can create the perfect ambiance for relaxation with your family.
The Limelight spas all feature the FreshWater® Salt System, a circulation pump (SilentFlow® 5000), and a two-filter system to maintain the hot tub water cleanliness.
Caldera Spa's Paradise Series has six models with three, five, six, and seven-seater hot tubs. They have large interior spaces with deep seats and plenty of jets including rotary jets and contoured pillows, so you can sink into the warm water to relax after a long day.
The Paradise hot tubs feature Caldera's Hot Tub Circuit Therapy® which are four to six different therapy stations that you can rotate through to get varying massages.
Like the luxury range, these also feature the FreshWater® Salt System as well as great features such as a user-friendly digital control panel, LED lighting that gives a colorful light show and different zone lighting, wireless Bluetooth® audio system, and an optional wireless TV monitor
Value Spas
The Hot Spring Hot Spot Collection comprises six tubs and some of the smallest models. It has two, three, five, six, and seven-seater tubs which are designed to deliver on performance, quality, and value.
Many of these are 115V plug-and-play tubs so require no electrical installation but are convertible to the more powerful 230V upgrade should you wish. They have fewer jets than the premium tubs but still deliver an excellent hydrotherapy experience with the SmartJet® system so you get all the health benefits such as reduced stress levels.
To keep the water clean, these models all feature the FROG® in-line water sanitation system which is easy to maintain as it uses cartridges that release cleaning chemicals automatically. The Hot Spot models are also great when it comes to energy efficiency, featuring FiberCor® insulation.
Caldera Spas Vacanza Series also has six models including featuring tubs with two, three, five, six, and seven seats.
They have the one-of-a-kind textured Foot Ridge® feature and ergonomically shaped seats for ultimate comfort.
The Vacanza spas also have Caldera Spas' Hot Tub Circuit Therapy®, just with fewer stations and jets compared to the premium and luxury models.
They feature durable Ecotech® cabinets, LED lighting, and you can opt to get a wireless Bluetooth® sound system.
Like the Hot Spring Hot Spot model, the Caldera Spas value range also features the FROG® in-line water care system and many of the models are 115V plug-and-play spas which can be upgraded to 230V.
Quality Comparison
Both of these hot tub brands offer high-quality models with extremely durable construction. Caldera Spas and Hot Springs Spas also take energy efficiency seriously.
Features such as full foam insulation and thermal spa covers help to maintain the water temperature and therefore keep your energy bills to a minimum. Like-for-like, these energy-efficient tubs have similar operating costs.
Warranty Comparison
Both Caldera and Hot Springs offer some of the finest warranties on the market. Comparing the warranties on their luxury lines in the interest of fairness, Caldera offers ten years no leaks on the shell and both brands offer seven years on the shell surface, five years on the plumbing, components, heater, and cabinet, and two years on the light assembly.
Who Is The Winner? Hot Spring Or Caldera?
When choosing between these brands, it comes down to which company carries the best hot tub for your needs. Whether you want a larger number of jets or lower prices, both Hot Spring and Caldera produce a wide range of models from feature-rich luxury spas to value tubs and plug-and-play spas.
Caldera spas are a good choice if you want super high-end luxury options and aren't looking to save money, whereas Hot Springs has a slightly larger range overall so may be a better option if you want more choice and lower pricing.
Save yourself some time by filling out the questionnaire below. You'll get several quotes at once from hot tub dealers in your local area who have exactly what you're looking for.
About The Author
Bobby Gifford // Staff Writer
Bobby Gifford has over 17 years of experience with hot tubs and swimming pools. He has owned one pool and several hot tub brands over the years and has a wide scope of knowledge including buying information, maintenance and industry trends.
