Most people choose to place their portable hot tubs in the backyard. It’s an ideal spot for a spa, but it can be much more than that. Enhance your backyard hot tub experience by landscaping a beautiful scene to look out on as you soak. Here are a few ideas:

Build your backyard around the spa – Instead of simply putting the hot tub in the backyard; why not make it the centerpiece of the space? Depending on your choices, a portable hot tub can melt into the background or stand out as a striking structure that gives the backyard a completely different look. Hot tubs can easily adapt to any theme you can think of, and by using the spa as a starting point, the backyard will become an attractive haven for friends and family.

Plant trees for ambiance – Don’t forget the natural world when you think about your hot tub landscaping. The best way to integrate your spa with nature is encourage natural growth. Planting trees is a great way to give your yard some personality and color. Different tree types and sizes will obviously provide different looks so choose carefully between flowering trees and evergreens.

Be sure not to plant the trees too close to the spa, as you don’t want leaves to fall into the water and you don’t want to cover up the spa by closing it in as the trees grow. In addition, make sure to get maintenance information about different trees before you plant.

Have a lighted pathway – Lights serve two purposes in spa landscaping. The first is the beautiful, romantic quality of a lit path on the way to the spa, and the second is more realistic: lighting the path is a safe way to make sure people can see where they are going. There are a variety of lighting choices for a pathway, from freestanding torches to pillar candles.

Experiment with different colors and different kinds of lighting until you reach the perfect mood. And the perfect mood can change—the great thing about lighting is that it is relatively inexpensive to change it, changing the mood as many times as you wish. Whatever kind of lighting you use, periodically check them to see that they are on and working, and that they are safe.

Use a spa surround – Spa surrounds are great for those who will have a lot of people going in and out of their hot tub. A spa surround makes certain that people can get in and out of the hot tub from different sides. It also gives the hot tub a more substantial, richer appearance. Choose a surround based on other structures in your backyard, your house, and what kind of mood and look you are trying to achieve.

A personal hot tub can be great to relax in, but creating a gorgeous environment for the hot tub can be almost as much fun as the tub itself. By landscaping a space with trees, lighting, and a spa surround, you can change the area from a simple backyard to a magical oasis.