Disclaimer: Micheal Phelps (and many other swim spa manufacturers) are intentionally secretive about their pricing. All information in this article should be seen as a guide only, we make no claims to the accuracy of any Micheal Phelps swim spa prices on this page. All opinions are our own. We are not associated with any particular brand of swim spa in any way.
We’re guessing that you’ve been finding it hard to find out how much a Michael Phelps swim spa costs. It’s no coincidence, Michael Phelps (and many other swim spa manufacturers) intentionally try and keep their price lists hidden for a variety of reasons.
Today we’re going to explain to you why it’s so hard to find out the price of a Michael Phelps swim spa (or any swim spa) and provide you with a very detailed breakdown of several costs that might not be immediately obvious (which you need to take into account).
How Much Does A Michael Phelps Swim Spa Cost?
Quite honestly, the answer to this question is – it depends.
Note: These figures below are almost absurdly general estimates – do not use them for budgeting. See the next section for more detail.
A very rough cost estimate for a Michael Phelps Signature swim spa (just the unit, none of the other essentials) is around $26,000. This figure is perhaps a little on the low side, but it’s certainly possible to get one at this price if you’re lucky. On average you’d probably be looking at paying around $30,000 or more.
What Changes The Price?
The thing about swim spas is that there are a huge number of factors that change the price. Things like the time of year, your location, your kind of property, and the installation location have a very profound effect on the final cost.
When we first wrote this article we were going to give you a whole bunch of different formulas and equations for figuring out an accurate estimate – but instead, we’ve developed the tool below that will provide you with a whole bunch of accurate estimates for Michael Phelps swim spas and several other brands for comparison too.
When you see the results of the tool above you’ll no doubt realize that there’s a huge variety of different swim spas available at different price points – and your custom estimate is probably quite different to what we gave as a rough outline at the start of this article…
Let’s take a look at what causes the price to fluctuate so much, and why it’s impossible to give a generic estimate online without knowing your specific situation.
The Time Of Year
One of the most surprising things about the cost of swim spas (of any brand) is that the time of year has a huge effect on the overall cost of an installed and operational swim spa.
Officially the price of Michael Phelps swim spas won’t change throughout the year – they’re pretty much fixed (like most brands). However, the price of a purchase the size of a swim spa is almost always negotiable and as demand for swim spas drops off throughout the winter months – you may be able to get a better deal out of your sales associate.
But this isn’t why the price changes so much throughout the year…
Purchasing your swim spa is not the only cost you need to take into account – installation is a big job, it nearly always requires professional help, and it takes a decent amount of time. As such, it’s quite expensive.
As we mentioned above, the demand for swim spas really peaks during the spring and summer months. People start dreaming about swimming around in the late summer evenings and enjoying a cooling dip in a swim spa when they get home from work. As such, swim spa installation companies have their order books full during this time of year. A simple case of supply and demand dictates that they can (and do) charge an additional premium during the summer months.
Conversely, the interest in owning a swim spa drops off massively during the fall, and even more in the winter. Getting into a pool of icy cold water doesn’t quite have the same appeal as jumping in during the summer. As such, fewer people buy swim spas during this period which means less work for the installers.
By purchasing your swim spa during the winter months you’re going to be able to save yourself a huge amount of money on installation. Discounts of up to $1000 or $2000 are not uncommon for larger installation jobs.
It may be a little bit cold, and you may have to wait until the summer to fully enjoy your swim spa – but as the water is often heated it’s not a huge problem (and it’s a great way to lower your overall costs).
Location
The location of your property is another significant factor that needs to be taken into account (albeit slightly less than the time of year).
One reason for this is related to the seasonal variations throughout the year. If you’re lucky enough to live in a place that is blessed with good weather all year round then the seasonal variations above aren’t going to apply to you. Installation costs (and negotiating potential) will remain fixed.
Micheal Phelps swim spas are known for being large products, but no swim spa is exactly small. If you live in a location that’s well connected close to a city then transport isn’t going to make a difference to your overall expenditure – but if you live out in the sticks, you’re going to have to pay for a truck to get your swim spa to your home. This can cost you anywhere between $200 and $700 depending on how remote your location is and how far your swim spa has got to travel.
Property Type
The kind of property you have will also have an effect on the cost of installation. We’ll go into detail about the different kinds of installation and their associated costs later – here we want to talk about access.
As we mentioned earlier, swim spas are large objects that are not exactly easy to move around. Once you’ve managed to get the swim spa to your front door, how are you going to get it into place?
If you’re lucky you’ll have a way for a truck or a forklift to get to the installation location without any issues. But if you haven’t you’re going to have to pay for a crane to hoist your swim spa up and over your property to the desired location. Expect to budget at least $500 for this, $1500 would not be unheard of in especially remote locations.
What Kind Of Swim Spa Do You Want – In Ground Or Above Ground?
There are two types of swim spa on the market, in-ground and above ground. As you may expect the purchasing costs and installation costs vary dramatically between the two.
In-ground swim spas are actually a little cheaper to purchase than above ground models. This is because you don’t need to buy the exterior cladding that hides the internal mechanisms of the product itself – expect to save around $1000 or $1500 on this.
However, that’s where the cost savings of in-ground swim spas end – everything else about them is more expensive, most notably – the installation.
In-ground swim spas require a large amount of excavation and preparation before they can be lowered down into their final resting place. It’s a large project that’s on a similar scale (and cost) of installing a small swimming pool. Again, we don’t know exactly how much this is going to cost you because of all the variables involved. We’d recommend budgeting at least $2000 to get your Michael Phelps swim spa installed in-ground, possibly even more ($4000).
On the other hand, you’re going to have to pay around $1000 or $2000 more to purchase an above ground Michael Phelps swim spa compared to an in-ground version (because of the exterior cladding). But apart from that, everything else is going to be much, much cheaper. Installation of an above ground swim spa is extremely simple compared to an in-ground unit.
All you need is a solid foundation of concrete, an electrical supply, and a water supply and you’re pretty much good to go. If you’ve already got a suitable location and base, then the whole thing will take less than a day and can cost as little as $200 or $400.
Environmental Costs
The costs of owning a swim spa are not just economical, they are environmental too. Michael Phelps swim spas are some of the most economical products on the market in terms of energy efficiency and running costs – but that doesn’t mean they’re a “green product”.
Powering the jets that provide water resistance (and heating the water) takes up a huge amount of energy. If you’re concerned about your carbon footprint you may wish to consider offsetting the environmental impact by making lifestyle changes or investing in a carbon offsetting scheme.
Running Costs
As we just mentioned, in terms of energy efficiency you’ll struggle to find a brand that is more efficient than Michael Phelps. But again, running costs of a Michael Phelps swim spa are still something that’s going to be noticeable on your energy bill.
The amount you’re going to need to budget depends on how much you’re going to use the swim spa. At minimum with moderate usage you should budget at least $3 per day or around $100 for running costs. If you’re going to be using your swim spa heavily on a daily basis (like in a gym or fitness costs) you could easily use $10 of energy per day.
Maintenance Costs
Michael Phelps swim spas are generally regarded as being some of the best products in the industry. They’re well made from high-quality materials, and they’re designed by talented engineers that ensure their products are going to stand the test of time. With any of the MP range of swim spas we highly doubt you’re going to have any serious issues.
That being said, you do need to take care of your swim spa and perform a little bit of routine maintenance from time to time. For products of this quality we recommend budgeting around $150 a year (or $10 to $15 per month) for maintenance costs.
Micheal Phelps Swim Spas – Are They Worth The Money?
There’s no denying that Michael Phelps swim spas are premium products with a premium price tag – they cost about the same as endless pools, another excellent brand. They’re well-made products that are vastly superior to the other cheaper brands on the market. In terms of long-term value for money, they’re a no-brainer in our opinion. You may be able to save a few thousand dollars up front by getting a cheaper model, but it’s almost a false economy in our opinion.
Cheaper lower quality products will break down, require more maintenance, and will have a much shorter lifespan compared to a product of this quality. They’re excellent swim spas, designed by one of the best swimmers to have ever walked the face of the planet.
And from the moment you get inside one, you’ll understand where all the extra money you spent went…