Endless Pool Review: Swim Spa

An Endless Pool is a swim spa, sort of like a treadmill for swimmers. Imagine something a little longer and wider than a hot tub with the water pushing against you so you swim in place, and that's a swim spa. There are a few swim spa manufacturers out there, but we decide to go with Endless Pools, mostly because they were well known and their prices are comparable to the other guys. Oh, if you're thinking about a swim spa and want more information, Endless Pools has a free video you can order, so I recommend taking a look at that before you commit to anything.

Let's talk about installation first. I had originally intended to do it myself with the help of the kids. After everything arrived, I more or less said forget this and hired a couple guys to do it. While I occasionally succumb to the Do-It-Yourself bug, this was just a scenario where my time was worth more to me than the price of having someone else do it. In other words, I wussed out. Just from what I saw, I'd say this is definitely doable by the average homeowner with some familiarity with tools, but expect to set aside a couple (maybe a few) weekends for it. You'll still need a professional to install the 220 VAC and gas lines (if electricity is expensive in your area) that run the heater and pumps. You'll also need to prepared to dig a hole in your yard if you get an in-ground model. The pool doesn't come with a siding so you'll have to build something out of wood or poor concrete around it or some such.

Eventually I'd like to build the deck out around that to hide the sides of the swim spa (I made the mistake of hiring a relative to build a wood siding for the thing, and he didn't do such a hot job) and provide for easy access, but we'll see when that happens. Fortunately, we live in Arizona and the weather is nice enough to use this year around without a roof or heater (in colder months, you can just raise the heat of the pool). If you live somewhere rainy/cold, and plan on using the Endless Pool for a year-round workout tool, you'll probably want to put it together indoors if you have room, or build an extension/pool house that can be heated. 

Ok, enough on installation. Needless to say it's the biggest hurdle to enjoying the swim spa, but once it's over, maintenance is a breeze. Balancing the chemicals is fairly easy if you've got experience with hot tubs, and if not you'll pick it up quickly. 

The actual working out is awesome! We got the widest size Endless Pool, and there's plenty of room for me (I'm 6'2") to do all the strokes including butterfly and breaststroke. One of our neighbors has a lap lane pool, and besides looking a bit ridiculous (skinny and long), it's just not as good for working out as the Endless Pool because of the turns that break your pace, and the temperature takes longer to adjust in his... you can't just say, oh it's cold today so I'll up the pool by 2 degrees.

I swam competitively all through college, so swimming has always been a choice for me for staying in shape, but if it's not something you've considered, it may be worth trying. The benefits of swimming are that it provides a total body workout, is no-impact, and works your heart as well as any of the cardio machines in the gym. Swimming is often recommended for people with back or knee injuries as a means of toning and strengthening the muscles without impacting the joints.

As with jogging on a treadmill, you do have to watch out for the boredom factor though. Almost immediately, I added an underwater stereo system which has really made working out fun.

Endless Pool Cool Parts:

• If you order the mirror on the bottom, it's nice for watching your stroke.
• The current is very smooth and a pleasure to swim in.
• Ultimately, the swim spa is better than installing a lap lane because it 1) takes up less space 2) requires less energy to heat because of its smaller size and 3) provides a better workout because you don’t have to pause at the walls 4) the adjustable current makes pacing yourself easier than with lap swimming.
• It can turn into a hot tub for when you have company over, and the Endless Pool is big enough for the kids to play around in. The hydrojets cost extra though and it's not quite the same as a traditional spa.
• We've had a good experience as far as customer service and support from Endless Pools.

Not So Cool Parts:

• Price, ack. We're pretty well off but this is going to be a huge investment for just about anyone--make sure you're going to use the thing! Also plan on it costing a few thousand more than the price tag, especially if you opt for an in-ground installation. Basically, this ends up costing as much as having a backyard swimming pool installed (though it later makes up somewhat in its more energy efficient heating system...far fewer gallons of water to heat).
• Installation. It's quite time-consuming and can be an ordeal especially when you realize you'll have to dig a hole to set it in, then you may want to build a gazebo/pool house room around it. The documentation is thorough, however, and once the initial work is done though, maintenance is easy.
• Because Endless Pools sells their swim spa through the mail, you're stuck finding someone local to install it (or do it yourself). It can be hard to find someone willing to work on it because it's not really a pool and it's not a hot tub either. Getting building permits can be tricky too for the same reasons.

Recommended Add-ons:

Security cover--it will conserve energy and depending on your city's building codes, you may have to get the swim spa inspected, and they'll want to see that you've got a way to secure it from unsupervised use.

The mirror--it's just cool... ok, it's also nice for watching your stroke technique. This can be helpful especially for beginners, so if you want to teach your kids how to swim (or your spouse), this can be a good tool.

Corner Step--makes it easier to get in and out for older folks and young-uns.

Not Recommended: 

Don't bother with the deep-end (if you want something this involved, seriously consider building a regular in ground pool because all-in-all the Endless Pool isn't quite as much of a short-cut as you'd think.... it is far more demanding than a basic portable spa installation). 

I'd also think twice about the hydrojets. They're just not the same as a nice hot tub. You may actually get more satisfaction out of having a swim spa and a hot tub separately since with just one system, you'd need to adjust the temperature every time you switched uses anyway.

--Review by Happyfrog, 2005