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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a wood-fired and an electric hot tub?
A wood-fired bathtub like Bohemen is heated with real fire. You need no electrical connection, no fixed installation. Place it where you want it, fill with water, and light the fire. Heating takes roughly two hours. An electric hot tub requires power, installation and has higher running costs. But above all, it lacks what makes the outdoor bath an experience: the fire, the scent, the feeling that everything takes the time it takes.
Why choose a wood-fired bathtub over a hot tub?
If you prefer to take a bath with your partner, friend or alone, a wood-fired bathtub is the best choice since it has fast heating and requires less water than a hot tub, you don't have to plan far in advance when to take a bath. Little effort and the joy of being spontaneous allows you to use it often. Our customers also highlight the minimal maintenance of bathtubs and durability as crucial factors in choosing between a wood-fired bathtub or the bigger hot tub. It should also be added that our customers value the design as well! And that makes us very happy.
What are the health benefits of ice bathing?
Your body adapts to the cold, and over time most people notice they sleep deeper, recover faster and feel more alert in everyday life. Cold water activates the body's own processes. Blood circulation increases, inflammation is reduced and endorphins are released. It is no miracle cure, but there is a reason people have been bathing in cold water in the Nordics for hundreds of years.
How do I keep wood-fired hot tub water clean without a circulation pump?
Without a circulation pump, you should drain and refill the water after a maximum of 2 days, especially when the tub is new. Here are our tips:
- Use a mild, chlorine-free disinfectant (e.g. active oxygen or MyWater Spa Cleaner)
- Dose according to instructions for 500–600 litres
- Remove debris manually with a net or strainer
- Try to keep pH between 7.0 and 7.4
- Always shower before bathing to help keep the water fresh
- Drain the tub after max 2 days, especially when new
Always check that your water treatment product is safe to use with aluminium. When in doubt - drain and refill with fresh water.
Can you ice bathe outdoors in winter in Sweden?
Winter is peak season. Many people bathe in lakes and the sea, or in their own outdoor bathtub at home. With Bohemen you have full control. Fill with cold tap water, or let the natural cold do the work. You can also heat the tub for a warm bath and then let it cool to ice bath temperature. That contrast between warm and cold, that is where the whole experience lives.
Can I use a wood-fired bathtub in winter?
Yes, and winter is peak season. Few things beat a warm outdoor bath when it is cold and dark. Bohemen is built to handle Swedish winters.
Expect heating to take a little longer in sub-zero temperatures. Fill with lukewarm water if you can, it speeds up the process. Do not leave water standing in the tub if there is risk of deep frost when you are not heating. Drain and turn the tub over, or make sure the stove keeps the water above freezing.
How do I maintain hot tub water quality with a circulation pump?
With a circulation pump, you can keep the same water for up to 7 days. Here is how:
- Use active oxygen + activator (e.g. SpaCare Oxybox) or bromine tablets in a floating dispenser (e.g. Planet Spa Brom Tabs)
- Let the water circulate for several hours each day
- Clean the filter as needed and maintain pH 7.0–7.4
- Always shower before bathing
- Watch for white spots or signs of discolouration on the metal
- Drain the tub after max 7 days
Follow dosing instructions carefully and make sure the product is compatible with aluminium.
Can I fill a wood-fired bathtub with lake water or seawater?
Yes, you can fill the Bohemen with lake or seawater. However, natural water contains more microorganisms than tap water, which means it does not stay fresh as long.
We recommend that you always drain the tub immediately after each use when filling it with lake or seawater.
What gives the best effect - cold bathing or sauna?
They are good on their own, but best together. The Nordic tradition of contrast bathing, hot sauna followed by a cold dip, that is something quite special. The blood rushes, the body wakes. Cold bathing strengthens above all the mental resilience. Sauna is more relaxing. With a Bohemen outdoor bathtub you can do both. Heat the water, bathe warm. Let it cool, bathe cold. Or the other way round.
Can you cold bathe all year round?
Absolutely. In summer you bathe in lakes and the sea, or fill your Bohemen outdoor bathtub with cold tap water. In winter the cold takes care of itself. Many people actually prefer winter. Cold air, cold water, it creates a more intense experience. The key is to keep at it. Start during the warmer months, continue through autumn, and suddenly you are standing there in January wondering what you were afraid of.
How often should you change the water in a wood-fired hot tub?
It depends on whether you have a filtration system or not.
Without a filter, change the water after every bath. It sounds like a lot, but it is quick and means you do not have to worry about water chemistry.
With a filter, you can keep the same water longer, but never let it sit for more than 48 hours without circulation. Even with filtration and disinfection, change the water after 7 days at most to keep the tub fresh.
Use only chlorine-free water treatment products. That is what works best with aluminium.
During the first year of using Bohemen, we recommend changing the water after every bath regardless of your setup. It gives the aluminium surface the best possible start.
Remove the wooden interior after bathing and let it dry. The oak lasts best that way.
Been bathing with lake or sea water? Empty and rinse the tub afterwards so salt and minerals do not sit on the surface.
How long does it take to heat a wood-fired outdoor bathtub?
About 1,5 hours in summer and 2,5 in winter. If you use the accesoires Vinterpäls and Eldvakt, you shorten the heating time in winter by about 30%.
If you start with a water temperature of about 8 degrees it takes around 80-90 minutes. That's from spring to autumn. Winter time from 4-degree water takes about 120 – 140 minutes. It is good to use the accesoire Eldvakt and Vinterpäls to shorten the heating time.
We have bathed when it has been-20 degrees without any problems, but you should wear a hat.
You need around 30 liters (10 kg) of firewood for a bath during the warmer season, a sack of firewood of the kind you find out in the shops. Wood from hardwood works best, preferably high quality dry birch wood.
How to get the right temperature in the water?
Stir in the water at regular intervals while heating the tub. Measure the temperature with a bath thermometer. Stop fire when you have reached about 36 degrees and keep the fire at a level that maintains the heat. If it gets too hot, you can close the air supply to the stove. A comfortable bathing temperature is about 40 degrees. It's a good idea to use the stick for Bohemen when stirring the tub.
Can I heat a wood-fired bathtub with electricity or gas instead of wood?
Yes, the Bohemen can be heated in three different ways:
- Wood – the classic method, using the built-in stove. Heating time is approximately 1.5–2.5 hours depending on starting temperature.
- Electricity – a 3 kW electric immersion heater can be installed in the tub. This must be done by a qualified electrician. Heating time is longer than with wood.
- Gas – an external 36 kW gas heater can be connected. Ready-made package solutions are available online. Gas provides fast heating without smoke.
You can also combine methods - for example, pre-heat with electricity during the day and finish with wood in the evening.
Swedish hot tubs: a buyer's guide
A Swedish hot tub is a wood-fired outdoor bath: a tub or bathtub heated by a stove, no electricity needed, built to be used outdoors all year. When you buy one, look at four things: the heating, the material, the size and what it asks of you in care. Here is the whole picture, from northern Sweden.
What is a Swedish hot tub?
In Sweden, bathing outdoors is not a new habit. It is an old one. People here have warmed water with fire and bathed under the open sky for generations, in every season, rooted in Sami and Nordic outdoor tradition. A Swedish hot tub carries that tradition: a simple tub, a wood stove, and time. You fill it, light the fire and bathe when the water is warm. Our own baths are designed in Tärnaby, a mountain village in northern Sweden, and built to be handed down.
Wood-fired or electric: which heating should you choose?
Wood-fired means no electrical hookup and next to no running costs. The water heats in roughly two hours and the fire is part of the bath. Electric means always ready, and often massage jets, paid for with installation, water chemistry and power drawn around the clock. We compared them properly in wood-fired hot tub or electric spa: how to choose.
Which material should the tub be made of?
Solid wood is the traditional choice, beautiful and demanding. It must be kept damp, scrubbed and oiled. Aluminium looks after itself: the surface oxidises and heals its own scratches, and the salt-water resistant alloy we use, 5754, is the same type of material used for boats. In our bathtub Bohemen we chose both, aluminium where the water sits and wood where you sit. The full comparison is in aluminium or wood: which outdoor bathtub material.
What size do you need?
Traditional round tubs seat six or more, and take the water and firing time to match. Our wood-fired outdoor bathtub holds roughly 600 litres, fits two adults and two children, and reaches 38 to 40 degrees in roughly two hours. Buy for the baths you will actually take, not for the party you host once a year.
What does a Swedish hot tub cost to run?
A bath takes roughly 5 to 7 kilos of dry wood. If you have your own supply it costs next to nothing. No filters, pumps or chemicals are needed for the basics: bathe, empty, rinse. An electric spa, for comparison, draws power around the clock, and at today's prices that can run to thousands of kronor a month.
Can you use it in winter?
Winter is peak season. The colder the air, the better the warm water feels, and a wood-fired bath works wherever you can light a fire, snow or not. Skip the fire altogether and the tub becomes a cold plunge. Many people in Sweden bathe cold all winter. The tub and a bit of nerve will do.
Who should not buy a Swedish hot tub?
Be honest about your bathing. If you want to step into warm water every evening with zero effort, or want massage jets, buy an electric spa locally instead. If you regularly bathe six or more, a large round tub serves you better than a bathtub. And if open fires are not allowed where you live, check the rules before buying anything wood-fired.
For everyone else, our wood-fired outdoor bathtub Bohemen is the simple way in. No installation, two people can carry it, and it is built to last for generations. Fill it, light the fire, and let the evening take the time it takes.