Life in France is all about the art de vivre – the art of living well. And about joie de vivre, making the most of every moment in a joyful way. It’s about great food and wine, superb markets, exploring the diverse landscapes from beaches to mountains and glorious countryside, historic cities and pretty villages. It’s about the good life and feeling good. Hot Tubs in France make the whole art de vivre experience even more meaningful. Their wood-fired hot tubs and wood-fired saunas are absolutely fabulous, and really do enhance your life.
I bought my old house in France some 20 years ago. It was a wreck with dirt floors and holes in the roof and was last decorated in the 1970s, but I knew it could one day be a dream home with a lot of hard work, and part of the dream was to have a hot tub. Just shy of 20 years, we decided to go for it, to fulfil the hot tub dream. We knew we didn’t want something that uses masses of electricity. There are just two of us so we didn’t want to use too much water. We wanted to recycle the water. And it’s important that the hot tub looks both beautiful and natural in the garden – it had to blend in with the surroundings.
The best hot tub. Ever
When I saw someone post in a Facebook group that she was totally enthralled with the Eco hot tub she had had installed and it was wood-fired, something I didn’t even know existed, I knew I’d found the answer to my requirements. The picture showed a beautiful wooden tub, with an almost steampunk-like chimney from Hot Tubs in France. I contacted them and they answered all my questions. “I don’t want to use chlorine as the water can’t be recycled in the garden. What do I do?” I said. Nicola at Hot Tubs in France provided the solution, a non-chorine water cleaning agent that you add once a week. The water lasts a month – and can be used in the garden after. Every question was answered. Every box was ticked. I chose my hot tub, specially built just for two (less water), wood clad, perfect.
Wood-fired Sauna
While checking out the hot tubs, my eye caught a section for a new product that Hots Tubs in France have introduced – wood-fired saunas. I love my life in France, in the middle of nowhere in a tiny village, but sometimes I miss having a little luxury and my favourite thing when I lived in a town was to be able to go for a sauna and to soak in the hot tub at my local gym.
I have to tell you, this is no ordinary sauna. It is clad in tiny cedar wood tiles. It’s curved with a huge picture window. Plus, it’s big enough for 6 and even my 6ft tall other-half can lay down in it. And it’s fairy tale pretty – it looks like it was transported from the Shire, where the Hobbits lived in Lord of the Rings!
Installation
Nicola and Tim of Hot Tubs in France do all the deliveries and installations. They make sure everything is working perfectly and give you instructions though it’s really a rather simple affair. Two years after they started this business from their home in Limousin through their partnership with the renowned Cotswolds Eco Tubs company in the UK, they’ve made more than 250 clients in France very, very happy. And I’m not remotely surprised. I’m one of them.
We agreed a date for delivery. And as the Sauna is heavy, they booked a manitou from a local company to help with the lifting. Everything went like clockwork. Within a few hours, the hot tub was fired up. The sauna was toasty. And I was feeling like all my Christmases had come at once. Because they had.
A very happy hot tub and sauna customer
Having the sauna and hot tub have been life changing for us. Apart from the known health benefits, and the fact that stress just seems to melt away, it’s an absolute joy to use.
On a practical level the sauna and hot tub take about an hour to heat up and don’t use much wood. The sauna doesn’t need an extraction fan. The only electricity is for lights, and to be honest, I don’t put them on very often anyway as I love the glow from the wood fire. The sauna uses a small amount of electricity for lights and bubbles. I’ve read that some people use a solar light panel as an alternative energy source.
But it’s how it makes us feel that’s really made the difference, the feel-good factor is off the charts. At night we sit in the tub, bubbles and steam rising, watching shooting stars and we can’t stop smiling. In the day we love to take an hour off and just and relish the moment, just enjoying the good life. The sauna makes all our aches and pains go away after a hard day’s work. It feels utterly wonderful to the point where I actually now look forward to a cold or rainy day and cocoon myself in the warmth. And pouring a ladle of water onto the hot (ceramic) coals – that sizzle gets me every time!
Find out more and check out the wood-fired hot tubs for 2-10 people and the stunning wood-fired sauna at: hottubsinfrance.com
And get in touch with Nicola and Tim if you have any questions – they are always happy to help.
