As with anything that involves water safety, you have to be careful when selecting what to use in and around your hot tub. Horseplay is a big no-no, so as tempting as it may be to pick toys and oversized inflatables that are designed for swimming pools or in-ground spas, we omitted these in favor of products that are designed specifically to enhance the hot tubs experience. We especially paid attention to safety concerns, water-resistant materials, and how well products are expected to hold up in a variety of environments and conditions. Our overall pick for Best Hot Tub Accessory is the Vevor Hot Tub Handrail, which is one of the more durable, versatile options on the market.Ahead are our picks for the best hot tub accessories. Many hot tub rails appear similar. But what puts the Vevor ahead of its competitors is the 8-inch rubber grip, wrapped around the railing’s handle. We especially appreciate this thoughtful design touch if you’re using a hot tub in an extremely cold or hot climate, as the spongy grip keeps your wet hand from touching a sizzling or freezing piece of metal. (If you’re familiar with the movie “A Christmas Story,” you know you don’t want wet skin touching an icy piece of metal!). Some handrails are designed to mount on the side of your hot tub such as a towel rack on a bathroom wall. But the Vevor doesn’t attach to your hot tub, so you have more flexibility as to where to place it. The Vevor is mounted on a roughly 20-inch-long bracket base, designed to slide underneath your hot tub, so the weight of your spa holds the handrail in place. If you want extra reassurance that your rail is stable, you can attach the base to another surface such as the deck your hot tub sits on. You can also use more than one Vevor, so you have a handrail on either side of you as you enter and exit your hot tub, an option that may be especially appealing to kids, the elderly or those who need additional stability.  Finally, the handrail loops around to serve as a makeshift towel holder/hook—a perk you might appreciate if you’re using an expensive device such as a smartphone and want easy access to a towel to dry your hands. Price at time of publish: $118 The product comes with two steps: a curved step and a step with more of a straight edge. These are interchangeable. So if your hot tub is curved, you could place the curved step as the top step to more closely align with the hot tub’s shape. Assembly requires no tools, and the steps lock in place. However, it may take a little while to figure out the directions.  At a maximum height of 15.5 inches, most people should find it comfortable to enter the hot tub from the top step, and access it to leave. While the manufacturer says the maximum weight is 320 pounds, we also note that  all steps “give” a little regardless of the weight put on it. Also, being plastic, the steps may tend to soften a bit if continuously placed in hot sun under extreme summer temperatures. Also, please note that these steps are designed to be positioned outside the hot tub. Because they are plastic, with hollow cores, they float in water, so they would need to be anchored to the hot tub floor—which could severely damage it. Price at time of publish: $100 Although solar lights might be more convenient for a pool, where they can leisurely float on the surface, a hot tub should be covered when not in use. So the Frontgate lights, which need to be charged (on an included plug-in stand), need to be stored. Nevertheless, charging is easier and error-proof than replacing batteries, which requires opening and successfully closing a waterproof case. A remote controls the light options, which include a standard white light and seven colored lights. You also can control the intensity of the lights and the speed at which the colors change. The smallest glow ball has a 10-inch diameter, which is slightly bigger than a basketball, which means you really only need one to start an impressive light show. Price at time of publish: $74 The cover is designed to fit most square or rectangular hot tubs with radius corners up to 8 feet. (Although we’ve noted that it may not fit spas with square corners.) The standard assembly can cover a hot tub up to 72", and up to 96 inches with its included coupler extension. Once assembled and attached to your hot tub, you fold the cover over the lift’s hinge, and use the bar to lift the cover off. The cover slides down the back of the hot tub. To replace the cover, push the bar the other way and extend the cover over the hot tub. The manufacturer suggests at least 4 feet between a wall and the hot tub. Blue Wave covers the NP5022 with a 1-year warranty. Price at time of publish: $150 When you’re not using your hot tub, you can leave the light in the water or enjoy in another underwater setting such as a fish tank, fountain, or bathtub; or even use it out of water as a makeshift party light.  The remote gives you a lot of control over the visuals: You can choose among 16 color options or rotate between the rainbow. You also use the remote to dim or flash the lights, which you can also program on a 2-, 4-, or 6-hour timer. Either way, you get a lot of options for little money. One downside: While the lights are waterproof, the remote is not. If you get it wet, the manufacturer says it will not work.  If you use these lights a lot, be prepared to change the battery every 35-50 hours, which presents its own challenges. Every time you unscrew the cap to change the battery, you run the risk of not closing and sealing it properly, which can quickly result in your light’s demise. Price at time of publish: $26 While you can toss most rubber ducks in a hot tub, our favorite is the Schylling Large Rubber Duck, an oversized version of the yellow classic bath tub toy. Many rubber ducks have holes in the bottom that can trap moisture and breed bacteria. Schylling’s ducks are sealed on the bottom to prevent moisture from getting inside and are also weighted, so they aren’t as likely to tip over. Schylling also makes smaller classic and themed-ducks, such as a bride and/or groom ducks that would look cute in a hot tub during your honeymoon. Price at time of publish: $13 The speaker doubles as a charger, so you can plug in a device such as a phone while simultaneously using it to play music. The Soundcore is designed to play music at a high volume while outdoors—helpful since bubbling hot tub jets are not the quietest sound. Price at time of publish: $75

We also prefer this product over patio umbrellas made specifically for hot tubs because it is easier to reposition. The manufacturer does recommend stabilizing the base with 220 pounds of sand. But many hot-tub-specific umbrella bases stabilize their poles by sliding the bases under the hot tub. Moving the umbrella requires emptying or lifting the hot tub.  Mood lighting is an additional perk for hot tub users, so we also love the environmentally friendly solar LED lights on the umbrella’s frame, which can be switched on or off. Price at time of publish: $700 The small footprint (under 11 inches) means the Intex PureSpa Cup Holder doesn’t overwhelm your hot tub’s perimeter, regardless of its size. And it removes as easily as it attaches, so you can cover your hot tub when not in use without out worrying about the cup holder breaking under the weight of the cover. We’ve also noted that the cup holder fits inflatable hot tub walls as well as permanent structures. However, this may not be the product for your hot tub if the walls are included or there are lights studding the perimeter, as there is no way to adjust the legs that secure this product to the walls. Price at time of publish: $18

Unlike liquid strips, which must be individually measured out, depending on the composition of your hot tub, using these 4-inch-long strips is as easy as taking one out of the container and immersing it in the water. the manufacturer says you get results within 15 seconds. We note that you also get recommendations for adding chemicals from the manufacturer website, based on your strip’s readings. We have noticed that at times, the product ships with an expired use-by date. Readings are inaccurate if the strips are expired. Price at time of publish: $10

For example, scented lotions and bath salts that may be appropriate for your bathtub aren’t recommended for hot tubs because they can mess with the tub’s chemicals and mechanics. Keeping the water chemistry just right is so important that you should rinse off before you use your hot tub. Your body’s oils, lotions and dead skin cells aren’t good for your hot tub. Even deodorant can cause the hot tub’s filter to clog up.  Although a product is designed for a hot tub, that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. We passed on recommending shelves that attach to sides of hot tubs because their screws can scratch the tub or cause cracking.

Safety

There are many guidelines regarding adults, kids, and hot tubs, and the rules are constantly changing. Based on our research, we believe adults should limit their hot tub use to around a half hour, and children, particularly older children, about half that. However, we don’t recommend full immersion because of the heat of the water (frequently over 104 degrees Fahrenheit). That means avoiding toys, such as diving sticks, that encourage children to spend time underwater. Instead, consider accessories that float so they can be enjoyed on the surface or used outside the water.

Durability

Anything that goes in the hot tub is obviously going to get wet, so consider whether products are waterproof or water resistant, especially when shopping for electronics. Even if an accessory can get wet, how you dry and store it after use should also be a consideration to avoid warping materials or attracting mold.  Hot tubs also produce steam and moisture that can affect nearby items. That means metallic items should last longer if they’re made from or treated with rust resistant materials.

Why Trust The Spruce

This article was written by Laurie Mansfield Reiter, a journalist with years of experience in researching, testing and recommending home and garden products. Laurie researched products from online retailers, hot tub vendors and big-box stores. In preparation for this article, she also consulted recommendations from the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, an association that develops the nation’s standards for hot tubs; and from Sundance Spas, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of hot tubs.