Anyone searching for a mini hot tub usually wants the same thing: hot water under the open sky for two people, without giving up half the garden for it. A large bathing barrel for six is then simply too much water, too much wood and too much space.
In this article you will find out what makes a good mini hot tub, how much space and water the Feuerwasser stainless steel hot tub for two needs, how it gets up to temperature without electricity and when the larger bathing barrel is the better choice after all.
What a mini hot tub actually is
There is no fixed definition. The term covers compact tubs for two, sometimes three people that fit on a terrace or into a corner of the garden. On the market that includes inflatable spas with electric heating, small acrylic tubs and wood-fired tubs made of timber or stainless steel.
The differences lie less in size than in how they run. Electrically heated models need a socket nearby and usually keep the water at temperature for days, with the heater running accordingly. A wood-fired tub, on the other hand, is heated when you actually want to bathe and needs no power supply at all.
The Feuerwasser stainless steel hot tub is exactly that kind of mini hot tub: designed for two people, with an external wood stove and an inner tub made of stainless steel.
Hot tub for 2: the dimensions at a glance
The hot tub has an outer diameter of 180 cm and holds around 750 litres of water. The external stove stands beside it, connected by two hoses. For planning, reckon with an area of about 3.10 × 2.60 metres including the stove. On top of that, allow around one metre of clearance around the stove to anything that does not like heat, such as a hedge, a timber wall or garden furniture.
That fits on most terraces and into almost any corner of the garden. What matters is a level, load-bearing base, because filled and with two people inside, the tub puts a good tonne on the ground. Stone or washed concrete slabs on compacted grit are ideal. Everything else about choosing the spot is covered in our article on the hot tub for the garden.
Because it needs no power supply, the hot tub can also stand on a balcony or roof terrace. In that case, have the structural load checked by a qualified professional beforehand.
Less water, shorter heating time
The biggest advantage of a small tub shows when you heat it. 750 litres is roughly half the water of the large bathing barrel with around 1,400 litres. The heating time is correspondingly shorter: the hot tub reaches bathing temperature in around 2 to 2.5 hours, while the bathing barrel needs 150 to 210 minutes.
You notice it in the wood pile too. Less water means less firewood per bath, and if you feel like a spontaneous soak during the week, the small tub is ready sooner. Filling is done with an ordinary garden hose and takes about half an hour, depending on water pressure.
In everyday life it looks like this: fill the tub in the late afternoon and light the fire straight away, and you will be sitting in warm water after dinner. Add a few logs in between, and after the bath simply let the fire burn out. No appliance has to heat for days so the water is ready when you want it.
Heating without electricity: how the external stove works
The stove stands next to the tub and is connected by two hoses. It has a double wall with the water sitting in between. Cold water is drawn in at the bottom, heats up between the stove walls, rises and flows back into the tub through the upper hose. This circulation runs purely on the temperature difference, with no pump and no electricity.
One rule always applies: only light the fire once the water in the tub is above the upper hose connection. The stove is cooled solely by the water around it. The tub also has to stand level, otherwise the circulation is thrown off balance and the water heats up more slowly.
Having the stove outside has another advantage: no space is lost inside the tub, and nobody sits next to hot metal. In a tub for two, every centimetre counts.
Stainless steel inside, pine outside
The inner tub is made of 4 mm V4A stainless steel, manufactured without seams. The material is highly corrosion-resistant, easy to clean and stays watertight for decades. Feuerwasser gives a five-year warranty on the stainless steel body.
On the outside, the tub is clad in solid pine. Wood gives the hot tub its warm, natural look and feels pleasant along the rim. It needs a little care and is ideal in combination with the stainless steel tub: the water stays in the steel, the wood provides the look. How the two materials work together is described in our article on the wooden hot tub.
Mini hot tub instead of a spa: what changes day to day
An electric mini spa often stays filled all year and is kept clean with filters and water care products. In winter it is frequently covered up, because heating around the clock at sub-zero temperatures is expensive. With a wood-fired hot tub it works the other way round: you fill it, light the fire, bathe and drain the water afterwards when frost is forecast. Because the tub is made of smooth stainless steel, you need neither chlorine nor bromine.
With 750 litres, fresh water for every bathing weekend is perfectly reasonable. The drained water can go onto the lawn or into the beds, ideally spread out rather than in one spot. A slight fall away from the tub is the simplest solution.
The tub stays outside all year. A cover keeps leaves and snow out of the empty basin, and the colder it is outside, the better the bath feels. More on the comparison with a spa can be found in our article on the wood-fired jacuzzi.
When the bathing barrel is the better fit
A mini hot tub is ideal if it is mostly two of you bathing. If family or friends regularly join in, the stainless steel bathing barrel is the better choice. It also has a diameter of 180 cm but stands 105 cm tall, holds around 1,400 litres and has room for up to six people. It is fully clad in pine on the outside and heated by an external stove with around 35 kW.
The rule of thumb: if you mostly bathe as a couple, the hot tub is enough and warms up faster. If you often bathe in a larger group, the bathing barrel is worth it.
The bathing barrel itself hardly needs more floor space, because the diameter stays the same. The difference lies in height, water volume and heating time.
The outdoor shower as a companion
A quick rinse before the bath and a warm wash-off afterwards: that is what the Feuerwasser outdoor shower next to the tub is for. It also heats with wood, delivers hot water after around five minutes and only needs a garden hose with 2 to 4 bar. How that works even at a remote cabin is shown in our article on the hunting cabin shower.
The facts about the Feuerwasser stainless steel hot tub
- Capacity: for 2 people
- Water volume: around 750 litres
- Dimensions: outer diameter 180 cm
- Footprint: approx. 3.10 × 2.60 m including the stove
- Material: 4 mm V4A stainless steel inside, solid pine outside
- Stove: external V4A stove, entirely without electricity
- Heating time: around 2 to 2.5 hours
- Warranty: 5 years on the stainless steel body
- Origin: handcrafted in Austria, free delivery (mainland EU and Switzerland)
Conclusion: the mini hot tub for two
A mini hot tub does not have to be inflatable or need a socket. The Feuerwasser stainless steel hot tub seats two people, holds around 750 litres and is warm after 2 to 2.5 hours. All it needs is wood, a garden hose and a level area of about three by two and a half metres. Stainless steel inside, pine outside, and outdoors all year round.
Crafted for the Elements.
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About the author
Karlheinz Levounigg worked at Feuerwasser back in 2023 and knows the hot tub, bathing barrel and outdoor shower from the inside. Today, as co-founder of SWIFTGREEN OG, he looks after the Feuerwasser website and online marketing.
His articles focus on what matters in practice: the right location, heating up, care and the honest question of which product suits whom. Crafted for the Elements.
