The Wave Spa Atlantic is our best inflatable hot tub for a small garden: a compact 600 L tub that heated fastest on test and cost least to run, with the smallest footprint here. Call it a couple's tub that four can squeeze into and you will be delighted. Here is what it does well, and where its size shows.
Tested April 2026 · last updated June 2026 · by Lewis Carter, outdoor leisure tester
Wave Spa is a UK brand that has carved out a name for affordable, well-kitted inflatable tubs, and the Atlantic is its most sensible small model. At around £300 it is built around a smaller 600 L volume and a compact 170 cm footprint, and that focus pays off where it counts: it was the fastest tub to heat and the cheapest to run on test. It is not a true six-seater and it has no app, but for a couple or a small patio it is exactly the right tub, which is why it wins our small-garden pick.
| Model | Price | Capacity | Heat-up time (15 to 40°C) | Running cost | Rating | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ★ Top pick Wave Spa Atlantic 2-4 Person Inflatable Hot Tub | £559.99 | 2-4 people / 600 L | ~16 hours | ~£34 / month | ★ 4.1 | View → |
£559.99
2-4 people / 600 L · ~16 hours · ~£34 / month
The verdict from Lewis Carter, outdoor leisure tester
The best inflatable hot tub for a small garden. The Wave Spa Atlantic is built around a smaller 600 L volume, and that is exactly why it heats fastest and costs least to run here, about £34 a month over a mild month and a comfortable 40°C reached in roughly 16 hours from a cold fill. Its 170 cm footprint slips onto a modest patio where the six-person tubs simply will not fit. Call it a two-person tub that four can squeeze into and you will be happy; expect a roomy six-seater and you will not.
Warms up while you are still at work and tucks into a corner most six-seat tubs cannot reach.
The Atlantic is the right tub if your garden is small or you mostly soak as a couple and you want the lowest possible running cost. At 170 cm across it has the smallest footprint of any tub here, so it slips onto a modest patio or balcony where the 196 cm and 204 cm six-person tubs simply will not fit. Two adults can stretch out in real comfort, and four can sit upright for a chat. Its smaller 600 L volume is the whole reason it heats fastest and costs least to run, so for the right buyer its size is a feature, not a compromise.
It is less suited to two groups. If you regularly want four or more people relaxing at once, it will feel tight, and a larger 795 L or 930 L tub such as the Lay-Z-Spa Paris or MSpa Comfort Bergen will serve you better. And if you want app control or LED lighting, you will need a different model, as the Atlantic keeps things simple at the panel. For a couple, a small household or a compact space, though, it is the smartest spend here.
The Atlantic was the fastest tub to heat on test, reaching the maximum 40°C in about 16 hours from a cold 15°C fill. The reason is simple physics: at 600 L it holds the least water here, so its 2,000 W heater has the least to warm. Heat retention was solid for the size, losing around 1.8°C an hour with the lid on, helped by the smaller surface area and the insulating lid and ground sheet that come in the box. Because there is less water to reheat, day-to-day warm-ups are quick, which makes the Atlantic the most spontaneous tub here to use.
This is where the Atlantic wins outright. Over a mild month of a few evening soaks a week, with the lid on, the supplied insulating sheet underneath and the heater on a timer, it cost us about £34 a month to run, the lowest of any tub on test. Again the explanation is its smaller 600 L volume: less water means less energy to heat it and less to keep it warm. If your single biggest concern is the running cost and you mostly tub as a couple, nothing here beats the Atlantic for value over a season. Our figures assume a unit rate broadly in line with the Ofgem energy price cap.
The Atlantic is well equipped for the money. It comes with an insulating lid and a ground sheet as standard, which is exactly what keeps its running cost down, and the 110-jet bubble system gives a pleasant, even fizz across the smaller floor. Inflation takes about 10 minutes from flat, the quickest here thanks to the smaller body, and it fills to its line in roughly 45 minutes from a hose. The build is honest rather than luxurious, with walls that feel a touch less firm than the rigid-frame MSpa, and the pump measured around 62 dB at one metre, among the quietest on test.
Two, both a function of its size. First, it is genuinely a two-person tub that four can squeeze into, not a roomy four-seater; if you regularly host groups it will feel cramped, and you should size up. Second, there is no app and no LED lighting, so you control it at the panel and soak by your garden's own light. Neither is a flaw given the Atlantic's brief and price; they are simply the trade-offs that make it small, fast to heat and cheap to run. As with any spa, observe the 40°C maximum water temperature and the soaking-time guidance set out in standards such as BS EN 17125.
Best for: the couple or small household with a compact garden who want the lowest running cost and fastest heat-up. Not the pick if you regularly host groups (try the Lay-Z-Spa Paris) or want the most solid, spacious tub (try the MSpa Comfort Bergen).
Yes, it was the cheapest tub to run on test, at about £34 a month over a mild month. The reason is simple physics: at 600 L it holds less water than the six-person tubs, so its 2,000 W heater has less to warm and less to keep warm. If your priority is the lowest running cost and you mostly tub as a couple, the smaller volume of the Atlantic is a feature, not a compromise.
That is exactly what it is built for. At 170 cm across inflated it has the smallest footprint of any tub here, so it slips onto a modest patio or balcony where a 196 cm or 204 cm six-person tub simply will not go. Remember to leave a little room around the edge to climb in and out, and to stand it on a flat, supportive surface with an insulating mat underneath.
It is sold as a two-to-four person tub, and that range is honest. Two adults can stretch out in real comfort, and four can sit upright for a chat. We would call it the ideal couple's tub that occasionally takes four, rather than a true four-seater. If you regularly want four or more people relaxing at once, step up to a larger 795 L or 930 L tub.
The Wave Spa Atlantic is our best inflatable hot tub for a small garden because it is built around the right idea: a smaller 600 L volume that heats fastest on test at about 16 hours and costs least to run at roughly £34 a month, in the smallest footprint here. It is held back only by being a genuine two-person tub rather than a roomy four-seater and by the lack of an app or lighting, neither of which matters for its intended buyer. If you need more seats, the Intex PureSpa Bubble is the budget four-seater and the Lay-Z-Spa Paris the six-person upgrade; if you want a slightly larger couple's tub with lighting, look at the Bestway Lay-Z-Spa Bali. To get the most out of its low running cost, read our running costs guide and our buying guide.