Soak Up Everything There Is to Know About This Wood-Burning Hot Tub

When you own a cabin in Tillamook, Oregon, the ultimate luxury is having a hot tub. “I feel like the hot tub culture here is pretty strong,” says Karie Higgins. The weather has a lot to do with it: It’s rainy and chilly for a huge chunk of the year. It wasn’t long after Higgins turned her home on the Wilson River into an Airbnb that she had guests making comments like, “It’d just be so amazing if you had a hot tub as well.” “And we were like, we think so, too,” Higgins says. 

The problem was finding something that would jell with the rest of the home’s Scandinavian-inspired aesthetic. Higgins wasn’t about to stick a 40-jet, plastic-lined tub on the deck and call it a day. “I felt like it needed to be something that was more natural and minimal than that,” she says. As most things go now, Higgins was served the perfect solution via Instagram ad. A new company out of Canada called Goodland that makes a cedar-clad wood-burning tub caught her eye. She got on the preorder list ASAP. 

Now Higgins admits her family uses their hot tub even in the summertime. “You come out of the river, hop in there—it’s amazing,” she says. Soak in these basic facts, pros, and cons about Goodland’s hot tub to see if it’s right for your outdoor space. 

How does it work? 

Like a wood stove you might find inside a cabin, Goodland’s tub gets its warmth from you making a fire and using the energy produced by the flames to produce heat. Luckily, it doesn’t take a ton of materials to get it going. After you’ve filled the basin with water, you’ll need paper, an armful of dry kindling, matches, and some firewood to get started. It typically takes around 90 minutes to heat the tub up, and once you’re in, you can let the fire smolder during your soak or add more logs as necessary to keep it going. It’s a hands-on process, but that’s exactly the point. “I just love the fact that it’s slow-burning,” says Higgins. “You’re out there stoking it, picking up bits of kindling from the land—it’s a lovely ritual. It’s not just like, ‘Okay, let’s jump in the tub.’”

What does it cost? 

The hot tub and everything that comes with it (from the red cedar slats to the drainage kit) is listed at $6,295. While there are certainly cheaper hot tub options on the market, there are also more expensive ones. On Goodland’s FAQ, the brand argues that the cost encompasses the quality of materials and craftsmanship. For instance, the aluminum interior is 6061 marine aluminum, a more expensive grade due to its corrosion resistance.  

What’s the delivery time? 

Right now, Goodland boasts a three- to five-week-long delivery wait. The tub itself is delivered by a truck on a pallet and placed at the curb of your property. The whole thing weighs around 125 pounds, so anywhere from two to four people should be able to move it to your desired location. Then there is some further assembly required. “Basically, you screw all the big, metal components like the chimney together and put the cedar planks around the side,” explains Higgins. “It’s a little bit of a process, but it was relatively easy.” 

Where should you put it? 

Knowing that the river can flood in the winter, Higgins and her husband didn’t want to put their tub too close to the water, but they still wanted it to feel totally separate from the house. “We’ve got it sort of beyond our firepit, so you’re out there. You feel like you’re by yourself,” she says. 

How many people can fit in it? 

For Higgins, the most comfortable arrangement has been two adults. Or if the kids are around, one adult and three little ones.

Do you need to change out the water? 

You don’t need to drain the hot tub with each use. Goodland suggests the water can last for up to two weeks. But in Higgins’s case, where a variety of bathers are frequently soaking in the tub, she changes it with each visit. “The lovely thing is it only takes an hour to fill it back up,” she says.