A company called Aquapal imports these authentic tubs from Shigaraki region of Japan. The tubs are hand-made ceramic sculptures. The clay and titanium oxide composition are naturally antibacterial. There are no prices posted on the Aquapal web site, the company says can call for custom pricing.

There is a veritable multitude of companies making spas today. They are usually manufactured in acrylic for a deck or a specially constructed area inside the house. Often spas are sold a lot like cars — there is lot of upselling and steering buyers towards a particular brand. The Pool and Spa Living Magazine has the most information online about spa selection, including a buyer’s guide. There are two models that seem to be favorably reviewed quite often: the Marquis Coastal Series Reward (priced around $6000) and the mid-range Emerald 599 (priced around $3900). See this report by Consumer Search for more information.

See also this Spa Buyers Q & A from the Spa Specialist, which has answers to frequently asked questions about buying a spa.

Wooden hot tubs are an attractive alternative to the plastic tubs that have come to dominate the marketplace today. These traditionally styled tubs are built with wood that contains natural anti-bacterial oils. SeaOtter Woodworks build their tubs by hand with Western Red Cedar. They are one of the few companies in the U.S. making wooden hot tubs. They support sound forest management practices — much of the cedar is salvaged windfall and sustainably harvested by small family mills in the towns of Southeast Alaska.

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Japanese soaking baths are built small but deep.

These compact “ofuro” will fit in just about anywhere — even the smallest apartment.

Diamond Spa makes the baths pictured here. We’ve no idea on the price, but the concept is good. If anyone knows where to get this style of tub at a reasonable price please let us know.