A hot tub from an old bathtub! Sol-Britt and Jussi built an eccentric soak spot heated by a wood stove
Inspired by a TV show, Sol-Britt and Jussi built a hot tub on the lakeside at their summer cottage—perfect for enjoying the Finnish spring and summer.
A stunning lake view, a lakeside sauna, and a spacious cottage garden full of comforts—yet something still felt missing. Sol-Britt and Jussi Kärki’s fully renovated inherited cottage in Kirkkonummi, Finland, got its finishing touch last summer: their very own hot tub.
The DIY-loving couple built their bathing spot from an old bathtub. Naturally, they placed their homemade hot tub by the shore next to the sauna.
“The tub is from Jussi’s childhood home, so it’s decades old. He once sandblasted and painted it himself. The idea for the hot tub came from an Australian TV series, where the main character had a tub in the garden and would lounge in it from time to time,” Sol-Britt explains.
The tub is heated by a custom-made stainless steel wood-burning stove. The craftsman who built it also installed it and drilled holes in the bathtub for two pipes. The stove and its installation were the only expenses, costing a few hundred euros.
“We’ve managed to work out our turns just fine.”
The couple use the hot tub in the summer, and it has worked flawlessly. The only drawback is the waiting time—heating it takes about an hour and a half.
“The temperature decides how long you can enjoy your soak. If you keep adding wood to the fire, it quickly gets too hot.”
Due to its size, the tub only holds one person at a time, but so far, there have been no arguments over whose turn it is.
“We’ve managed to work out our turns just fine. Last summer was in the middle of the pandemic, so we didn’t have many cottage visitors. The few who visited really enjoyed it.”
