When Do Hot Tubs Go On Sale? The Best Months to Buy
Hot tubs go on sale most heavily from late fall through early spring — roughly September to February — when demand drops and dealers clear out current-year inventory. The single best stretch is October through January, anchored by Black Friday and year-end clearance, when outgoing models get discounted to make room for the new lineup. If you want the lowest price, buy in the off-season; if you want the widest selection, buy right before the spring model-year changeover. We sold over $12 million in hot tubs across 2024 and 2025, and the calendar below is the same one we used to time our own inventory orders.
When do hot tubs go on sale? The quick answer
Hot tub pricing follows demand, and demand for a backyard spa peaks in summer when people are outside dreaming about it. That is exactly the wrong time to buy. Prices soften as the weather cools, because a showroom full of unsold tubs in November is a showroom paying to store and finance inventory it would rather convert to cash. That pressure — not generosity — is what creates the discounts.
| Window | What’s happening | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Oct–Jan | Black Friday + year-end clearance, lowest prices of the year | Lowest absolute price |
| Sep–Feb | Off-season; low demand, dealers negotiable | Price + room to haggle |
| Late winter / early spring | New model-year arrives; prior-year models clearance out | Discounts on last year’s models |
| Holiday weekends | Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Presidents’ Day promos | Bundled extras (cover, steps, chemicals) |
| May–Aug (peak) | Highest demand, full pricing, best selection | Selection, not savings |
The best months to buy a hot tub
If we had to circle one window on the calendar, it would be Black Friday through the December holidays. This is when manufacturers run their deepest factory promotions and dealers stack their own clearance on top, because everyone is trying to close the year with clean inventory. The next-best window is January and February — the holidays are over, foot traffic is dead, and a salesperson sitting in an empty showroom in the dead of winter has every reason to make you a deal.
The other quietly great time is the model-year changeover. Most brands refresh their lineups in late winter or spring. When the new models land, last year’s tubs — which are mechanically near-identical — get marked down to clear the floor. You are not buying anything worse; you are buying last season’s color and cabinet at a real discount. Multiple manufacturers, including Master Spas and Sundance, point buyers to exactly this off-season clearance logic.
Why fall and winter beat summer
There are three forces working in your favor once the leaves turn. First, demand collapses — almost nobody walks into a spa showroom in November with snow in the forecast, so each shopper who does is worth more to the dealer. Second, inventory has to move before the new model year, and a financed tub sitting on the floor costs the dealer money every month. Third, installers have open calendars; in peak summer you might wait weeks for delivery and an electrician, but in the off-season you can often get installed within days.
One counterintuitive bonus: buying in winter means you get to actually use the tub in the season it shines. A hot tub on a cold night is the entire point. If you are buying for cold-weather use, prioritize a well-insulated 240V model — the Bullfrog A8L (Value Score 75/100) is our top 240V pick for serious winter soaking, while the plug-and-play Lifesmart LS200 (78/100) is the best-value 120V tub if you want simple install and lower upfront cost.
Which holiday weekends are worth waiting for?
Hot tub retailers run their most visible promotions around the big holiday weekends: Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Black Friday. Of those, Labor Day and Black Friday tend to carry the steepest price cuts because they sit at the front edge of the off-season. The summer holidays (Memorial Day, July 4th) lean more toward bundled value than rock-bottom price — think a free cover, steps, a starter chemical kit, lifting bar, or financing incentives rather than a slashed sticker. Those extras are real money: a quality cover alone runs several hundred dollars, so a “free cover” promo is a legitimate way to save even at peak season.
How much can you actually save?
Be realistic here. Discounts vary enormously by brand, model, and retailer, and you should treat any “70% off” banner with suspicion — that figure usually compares against an inflated MSRP nobody pays. That said, historical Black Friday data across retailers has shown markdowns ranging from roughly 35% to 64% on specific models, and off-season buying guides consistently report the best pricing from October through January. On a mid-range tub, timing your purchase well is realistically worth a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars off the price plus bundled extras.
The bigger money, though, is not the sticker — it is what the tub costs you after you own it. A cheap tub with a thin cabinet and poor insulation can quietly cost you more in electricity over a few winters than you saved at purchase. Before you chase a sale price, run the numbers on our hot tub running cost calculator and the 10-year total cost of ownership calculator so you are comparing the real number, not the showroom number.
When you should NOT wait for a sale
Timing is a tool, not a religion. Don’t wait if your current tub has failed in the middle of winter and you actually use it daily — months of cold showers to save a few hundred dollars is a bad trade. Don’t wait if the exact model you want is in stock now and selling fast, because off-season selection is thinner; the deepest discounts are often on the models nobody else wanted. And don’t wait if a strong holiday bundle in front of you (good tub, free cover, free delivery) already beats what a hypothetical future sale might offer. A confirmed deal today beats a maybe-deal in three months.
If budget is the real constraint, two other paths can beat waiting for a sale entirely: buying a quality used tub, or buying a well-priced plug-and-play. Our 12-point used hot tub inspection checklist walks you through doing the first one safely, and our roundup of the best hot tubs under $5,000 covers the second.
What to buy when the sale hits
A sale only matters if you buy a tub worth owning. When the off-season pricing lands, point it at a model that already scores well on value rather than whatever has the biggest discount sticker. For plug-and-play simplicity, the Lifesmart LS200 (78/100) leads our plug-and-play rankings; budget plug-and-play shoppers also do well with AquaRest’s better-scoring models. You can check current Lifesmart plug-and-play pricing on Amazon to see whether an online deal beats the showroom. For a full ranked list of where each model lands on price and value, start with our best hot tubs of 2026 guide, and if you are weighing whether the purchase makes sense at all, read is a hot tub worth it first.
Time the price, but verify the value
The best month to buy is the off-season — but the best tub is the one that costs you least over ten years, not just at checkout. Plug your shortlist into the running cost calculator and the total cost of ownership calculator before you sign, and you’ll walk in knowing the real number a salesperson can’t inflate.
FAQ: When hot tubs go on sale
What is the cheapest month to buy a hot tub?
The cheapest pricing typically lands between October and January, with Black Friday and year-end clearance producing the lowest prices of the year as dealers clear current-model inventory.
Do hot tubs go on sale on Black Friday?
Yes. Black Friday is one of the strongest hot tub sale events of the year. Manufacturers run factory promotions and dealers add clearance markdowns to close out the year, so late November through December is prime buying time.
Is it cheaper to buy a hot tub in winter or summer?
Winter. Summer is peak demand and full pricing. From fall through early spring, demand drops, dealers are more negotiable, and outgoing models get cleared at a discount ahead of the new model year.
Should we wait for the new model year?
If you want a discount, yes — when new models arrive in late winter or spring, the prior-year tubs (mechanically near-identical) get marked down to clear the floor. If you need the tub now or want a specific in-stock model, waiting can mean thinner selection.
How much can we save by timing our purchase?
It varies widely by brand and model, and headline percentages are often measured against inflated MSRPs. Realistically, good timing is worth a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars off plus bundled extras like a free cover or delivery. The larger savings come from choosing an efficient tub with a low 10-year running cost.
