spa costs and use
 

We bought village house with hot tub in enclosed lanai 5 years ago. We have a very private lanai which makes a big difference to us. This is our first hot tub. We use the spa nearly every day and love it. Great for all those aches and pains and relaxing before bed. If our hot tub was not private I doubt we would use it.

The chemical costs and upkeep work are minor. The energy costs are noticeable and probably in the range of 20-50 dollars/mo. There are also replacement parts costs. The pumps and heater probably have a 5-10 yr life and are cost about 1000 combined. We have had some part fail every year which is a pain. We love the convenience of our own hot tub and all our future houses will have spa.

In ground or above
 

We have an above ground hot tub at our house on East Coast of Florida. Our house is sold and we are shopping for a new home in TV. I have seen some with the inground hot tubs and swim spas. They do look nice. The instructions for our above ground reccomend draining the water and refilling it every three months. The folks at the place I buy my chemicals and have the water checked say that the heat in a hot tub causes the chemicals to "build up" in a short time, unlike a pool. I called TD about the inground hot tubs and they say you can't take the water out because the unit will pop out of the ground. If that's the case, I am wondering if not being able to drain them creates a problem, especially if you leave the house for an extended period of time.

In Ground Spa
 

The spa was already in the lanai when we moved in three years ago. It was expensive and took up a lot of room. We spent $2300 having it removed and the space filled in. We wish we had done it sooner. We now have lots of room and installed a small conversational fire pit. It's lovely.