Swim Spa Guide

A pool that fits — and works in winter. swim · soak · share · all year

Half exercise pool, half spa. You swim against a current of jets while you stay in place — like a treadmill, but in 32 °C water — and when you're done, slide into the spa end at 38 °C. No JCB, no permit, no December shutdown.

01 · ANATOMY

What's inside the shell

Built like a thermos — not a cement bath

Cross-section

Six parts you'll never see again
1
Jet wallSeveral powerful pumps push 50–200 m³/h through wide-mouth jets — strong enough to swim against indefinitely.
2
Swim laneYou stay in place while the current does the moving. Like a treadmill, in body-temperature water.
3
BulkheadOptional partition between swim and spa zones — independent temperatures, 24–28 °C vs 36–40 °C.
4
Spa bench & jetsHydromassage seats at the warm end. Sore back? Step over.
5
Equipment bayPumps, heater, control board. All accessible — one of those replaces? A part swap, not a re-tile.
6
Thermal coverLocks heat in, locks sun, dust and bugs out. Why a swim spa stays clean while a pool does not.
02 · POOL · VS · SWIM SPA

The honest scoreboard

The points where it actually matters

CRITERIA
POOL
SWIM SPA
Heating cost — winter
Heat-pump bill big enough to make you stop swimming
CONCRETE = HEAT SINK
Insulated like a thermos · runs all year
ALL YEAR · CHRISTMAS · EASTER
Installation
JCB, soil removal, cement, weeks of mess · permit required
+ COLLATERAL DAMAGE
Build a platform, run a cable, craned in · 1 day · no permit
PORTABLE UNIT
Maintenance
Constant chemicals — even when nobody swims
SUN · DUST · ALGAE
Chlorine after use · cover does the rest
DICHLOR · SOFT
Leaks
Often hard or impossible to locate · re-do the lot
CEMENT · LINER
Acrylic shell can't leak · only jets & orifices, all serviceable
ACCESS BAY · PARTS SWAP
Water changes
Rarely drained — too much water, too costly
50 m³ +
Drain & refill is routine · fresh water every quarter
5–6 m³
Movability
Stays with the house
FOREVER
Goes with you when you move · re-craned at the new place
PORTABLE
03 · MODES

Three machines in one shell

Same water · different temperatures · different uses

28°C · SWIM

SwimWORKOUT · TRAINING

Adjustable current, endless lane. Train against resistance you control — same idea as a treadmill, but kinder on joints because you're 90% buoyant.

  • Variable jet speed
  • Resistance tethers (optional)
  • Counter-current fitness routines
38°C · SOAK

SoakHYDROTHERAPY · RECOVERY

Step from the swim lane straight into a 38 °C massage seat. Warm water relieves arthritis pain, increases joint range of motion and reduces muscle strain.

  • Targeted neck, back, calf jets
  • Independent temperature
  • Therapy-grade hydromassage
32°C · PLAY

FamilyWEEKEND · KIDS · GUESTS

Drop the partition temperature, drop the jets to a gentle flow, and you've got a heated splash pool the kids will use 200 days a year — at a tenth of the running cost of a real pool.

  • Shared 30–32 °C all-pool mode
  • LED mood lighting
  • Stereo, waterfalls, headrests
04 · WHY · PEOPLE · BUY

The four reasons we hear

Common threads from a decade of swim-spa buyers

REASON 01
Garden too small for a pool

Swim spas were designed exactly for this — exercise swimming in a footprint a quarter the size. Many homes that "can't fit a pool" can fit one easily.

REASON 02
Knees, back, arthritis

Swimming is the most flexible exercise there is — and warm water removes the strain on joints. Hydrotherapy works because it's gentle, not despite it.

REASON 03
Existing pool sat unused

You bought a pool. You used it 6 weeks a year. The swim spa is the answer — same swim, same family time, but actually heated when you'd want to be in it.

REASON 04
Renting · planning to move

It's a portable unit. When you sell, or when the rental ends, the swim spa goes on the truck with you. A pool stays in the ground.

Want the long version? Free PDF.

Download our full Swim Spa Guide — sizing, technical specs, installation, options. Or come and see one running in our Nerja showroom on the CN-340a.

BRANDS · Passion · Aquavia