You’re standing outside in the freezing air, barefoot on a wooden deck, watching steam curl off the surface of black water. There’s no humming of a circuit board. No flickering LED display. Just the rhythmic pop of seasoned cedar or birch burning in a stainless steel stove. Honestly, the wood burning hot tub is making a massive comeback, and it isn't just because people want to look like they live in a Scandinavian architectural digest. It’s about the heat. Electric heaters struggle to move the needle more than two degrees an hour, but a fire-fed system? That’s raw power. You can swing the temperature from a chilly 50 degrees to a bone-melting 104 in less time than it takes to roast a slow-cooked brisket.
Most people assume these things are relics. They think of leaky barrels or high-maintenance chores. They’re wrong. Modern engineering has basically fused the old-school aesthetic with high-performance materials like marine-grade aluminum and thermally modified timber. If you’ve ever sat in a plastic tub with 50 plastic jets screaming at your kidneys, you know that’s not relaxation; it’s a car wash. A wood-fired soak is silent. It's deep. It’s a completely different relationship with your backyard.
The Reality of Heating a Wood Burning Hot Tub
Let’s get the math out of the way because heat transfer is where the magic happens. A standard electric spa might use a 4kW or 5.5kW heater. In a cold climate, that’s like trying to boil a pot of pasta with a candle. A high-efficiency internal or external wood stove, however, can kick out 25kW to 35kW of energy. You’re essentially sitting next to a furnace.
Depending on the size of the tub and the ambient temperature, you’re looking at a heat-up time of two to four hours. Yeah, you have to plan ahead. You can't just press a button from your office and expect it to be ready. You have to go out there. You have to split the wood. You have to tend the fire. For some, that’s a dealbreaker. For others, that’s the whole point. It’s a ritual. You’re earning the soak.
Internal vs. External Stoves
There’s a big debate in the community about where the fire should live.
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- Internal stoves sit right in the water behind a wooden fence. They’re incredibly efficient because 100% of the stove’s surface area is touching the water. You lose zero heat to the air. The downside? You lose seating space. It’s also a bit weird to be scooping ash right next to your shoulder.
- External stoves are separate units connected by two pipes. They use thermosyphon physics—cold water sinks, hot water rises—to circulate the water without a pump. It’s cleaner. You get more room for friends. But you do lose a bit of efficiency to the elements, and you have to worry about those pipes freezing if you don't drain them in a Canadian winter.
Why Plastic Can’t Compete With Wood and Aluminum
Most "traditional" hot tubs are acrylic shells supported by a forest of PVC piping. When they leak—and they will—you’re digging through spray foam insulation like an archaeologist to find a pinhole. A premium wood burning hot tub often uses an LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) or aluminum liner wrapped in sustainable wood like Thermowood or Red Cedar.
Thermowood is a cool bit of science. They heat the wood to over 400 degrees Fahrenheit in a vacuum. It changes the chemical structure, making it rot-resistant and dimensionally stable. It won't shrink and expand like raw pine. It stays beautiful.
The Buoyancy Factor
Ever noticed how you feel lighter in a wood-fired tub? It’s usually because they’re deeper. Standard electric tubs have molded seats that force you into a reclined position. They’re shallow. Your knees or shoulders are always cold. Wood-fired tubs are typically 3 to 4 feet deep. You sit upright. You’re fully submerged. Your body experiences more hydrostatic pressure, which experts like Dr. Bruce Becker have noted can actually improve heart and lung function by increasing blood flow to the chest cavity. It’s not just "feeling good"; it’s actual physiological change.
Maintenance: The Part Nobody Tells You
Don't believe the marketing that says these are "maintenance-free." That’s a lie. If you have a pure wooden tub with no liner, you have to keep it full of water so the wood stays swollen. If it dries out, it leaks. It’s a living thing. If you go with a lined tub, maintenance is easier, but you still have to deal with the water chemistry.
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Because these tubs often don't have massive filtration systems, you have two choices:
- The "Fill and Drain" method: Use it like a giant bathtub. Fill it, soak, drain it the next morning to water your garden. It’s the most eco-friendly way. No chemicals. No chlorine smell. Just fresh water.
- The "Modern" method: Use a small sand filter and a UV sterilizer. This lets you keep the water for months. You’ll still need a bit of peroxide or chlorine, but way less than a standard spa because you aren't running high-temp water through 50 feet of stagnant plastic pipes.
Honestly, the ash is the biggest chore. You’ll be cleaning out the stove every three or four burns. If you use wet wood, you’ll get creosote. Use dry hardwood. Oak, maple, ash. Avoid pine if you can, unless it's bone dry, or you'll be scrubbing soot off your liner for hours.
Off-Grid Freedom and the Cost Question
The real reason the wood burning hot tub is dominating the short-term rental market (Airbnbs, Glamping sites) is that they don’t require a 50-amp electrical hookup. Bringing that kind of power to a remote cabin can cost $10,000 in trenching and permits. A wood-fired tub just needs a flat surface and a garden hose.
Price Points
You get what you pay for. A cheap DIY kit from a big-box store might run you $2,500, but the stove will be thin and the wood will warp within a year. A high-end setup from brands like Skargards or Goodwins usually lands between $5,000 and $9,000. It’s an investment. But consider this: an electric spa adds $50 to $100 to your monthly power bill. A wood tub costs whatever a cord of firewood costs. If you have your own land, the fuel is free.
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Misconceptions About Smoke and Neighbors
"My neighbors will hate me." Maybe. If you’re burning trash or wet leaves, yeah, they’ll be annoyed. But a well-designed stove with a tall chimney produces very little smoke once it reaches operating temperature. It’s like a high-end wood stove in a house. It runs lean and hot. By the time you’re actually getting in the water, there’s usually just a faint, pleasant scent of woodsmoke in the air.
Actionable Steps for the Potential Owner
If you’re serious about moving away from the plastic electric box and into a real soak, do these three things before you drop a deposit:
Check your local fire codes. Some urban areas have strict "no-burn" days or chimney height requirements. Don't buy a tub you aren't legally allowed to light.
Prepare a proper base. These things are heavy. A 5-foot tub holds about 300 gallons of water. That’s 2,500 pounds, plus the weight of the people. You need a reinforced deck or a 4-inch thickened concrete pad. Do not just put it on the grass; it will sink, tilt, and the stove won't draft properly.
Source your wood now. You need "seasoned" wood with a moisture content below 20%. If you buy a tub today and try to burn fresh-cut wood tomorrow, you'll spend four hours producing smoke and zero hours producing heat. Get a moisture meter. It's a $20 tool that saves you a massive headache.
A wood burning hot tub isn't a convenience appliance. It's an experience. It forces you to slow down. You can't rush the fire, and you can't rush the soak. In a world that's moving way too fast, that might be the most valuable feature it has.