Why a Wood-Fired Hot Tub Is Better Than a Standard One
- Jul 4
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 16
Why a Wood-Fired Hot Tub Is Better Than a Standard One
Any hot tub will get you warm. A wood-fired one gets you somewhere else entirely — closer to a fire in a garden than an appliance in a box.
It starts before you get in
An electric hot tub is on when you arrive and off when you leave — convenient, but there's no before and after. A wood-fired tub asks for a couple of hours' notice. Someone lays the fire, and the water warms slowly as the flames catch and settle. That waiting isn't a downside. It's the part that turns "having a hot tub" into an evening.
The heat feels different
Electric heating is even and unremarkable — background warmth from a thermostat. Wood heat has a pulse to it. It rises and dips slightly as the fire burns, and there's a faint, good smell of woodsmoke that drifts across the water. It's the difference between central heating and a fireplace: both keep you warm, but only one feels like an occasion.
It rewards the ritual, not just the result
Half the appeal of a wood-fired tub is watching the fire while you sit in it — the small chore of feeding it, the glow underneath, the sense of having made the warmth yourself rather than switched it on. It's slower than electric, and that's rather the point.
What to know before your stay
Wood-fired hot tubs need lighting three to four hours ahead of when you want to use them, so they're best planned rather than spontaneous. At The Firs, each of our six lodges has its own private wood-fired hot tub, and we'll talk you through timing on arrival so it's ready exactly when you want it.
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