9 Above Ground Swim Spa Landscaping Ideas

Above-ground swim spas have been slowly becoming some of the best backyard decors on the market. These swim spas come on all different levels and costs, starting at the most simple swim spa ideas out there and turning into some of the most luxury-based swim spa ideas.

It can take hours and hours of thorough research and picture scanning to get a nice vision board of ideas going, but no one wants to waste time. Turn your outdoor living space into an overall magical space with these top swim spa backyard landscaping ideas, and also check out the best swim spa brands.

9 Swim Spa Ideas For Your Landscaping Vision Boards

1. Should It Have Decking?

When first looking into creating a swim spa space in your backyard, the most traditional thought is a deck. Whether your idea is a basic wood deck or a luxury wood deck, it’s a well-planned and easily installable option. This is one of the most popular swim spa deck ideas that homeowners consider.

One important aspect of creating a custom deck for your pool spa is dimensions. Since these spas aren’t the same as regular pools and come in various sizes and shapes, understanding the dimensions can come to be quite the challenge. If you’re planning on integrating a deck with your new spa, read more here to obtain a deep understanding of the dimensions.

2. Bar Integration Could Change Everything

Now, if you love entertaining and your guests love being entertained by you, this might be your best bet when it comes to designing your spa pool area. Creating an outdoor space where guests feel welcome is sometimes difficult to accomplish. Not so when it comes to this cohesive backyard design. Using beautiful wood paneling to create a bar surrounding your spa will be amazing for your next backyard retreat. Use bar stools to have a comfortable and inviting space for your guests.

3. Place It Directly on the Lawn

If you have a lush green backyard, it might be a great idea to set your swim spa directly on the lawn itself. The best part about a swim spa is it naturally fits anywhere. Perfect for both a nighttime and daytime swim, a lawn landscaping plan works great with a larger swim spa. One of the best parts about putting the swim spa on the lawn is that swim spa buyers are able to have flowers and other greenery surrounding the pool itself, making for quite the stunning swim spa installation.

4. Everything Is Better with a Little Stone

Stone is an absolutely mesmerizing swim spa installation idea. Stone is beautiful no matter where you put it, especially in your exclusive space. If you have plenty of space to create a stone patio around your swim spa, our experts highly recommend it.

5. Raise It Up | Swim Spas and a Raised Base

A raised base swim spa is beautiful and can literally be designed to your heart’s content. This amazing swim spa installation is easy and will make your swim spa experience much more enjoyable. When we say can be designed to the heart’s content, we mean it can be surrounded by brick, rock, or wood paneling.

Along with that, the raised base will help to keep your swim spa incorporated with your outdoor living space. It can be great for a super fun pool party and, overall, make an incredible backyard feature.

6. Do You Need a Shelter?

There are so many benefits provided by having a shelter over your swim spa, but there are also some aspects that some spa owners aren’t too fond of.

Thankfully, our experts have come up with some recommendations to avoid running into this problem! One idea is to try an awning rather than a full-blown shelter. Another option is to install a ground-level patio with shade. This will help to have the best of both worlds. The options are really endless, and the best way to decide is to determine what fits best with your backyard renovations and overall backyard landscape design.

7. Don’t Let Your Swim Spa Fall Into the Background, Make It a Feature

Making your swim spa a central feature to the overall aesthetic of your backyard could be a make or break for some households. If this is your case, then take some of this advice to create the best possible swim spa experience for the look and size of your backyard.

In order to make it a feature, you’ll need to help it to blend in, but also stand out. With the proper, beautiful swim spa installation, this shouldn’t be too difficult. You’ll want to consider how much of your backyard the swim spa requires. Then, you can choose how to make your swim spa a feature without it dominating your entire backyard.

8. Privacy, Privacy, Privacy

Make your swim spa into one of the most intimate areas of your household. Using the proper privacy techniques will make it an optimal place to escape from the day-to-day, regular life.

The best options for a private space are privacy plants or shrubs, and privacy screens.

The top three plants that are the best for creating private locations are:

• Bamboo
• Skip Laurel
• Holly

Shrubs can work as privacy screens as well, especially if you plant them into raised beds where they can form a higher wall of foliage. Privacy screens are also an option. These may look artificial or could just be a boring fence.

Whichever you choose, the main idea is to create a private space for yourself and your family.

9. Private, Standalone Swim Spa

Creating a tranquil and private spa pool that is personalized to exactly what you’re looking for is a great option also. The aesthetic of this pool can be made with stone, wood, or bricks. It can be kept small and private.

You can create a private swim spa by placing it inside a small building, like a summer house or large shed. A thick hedge screen could create the same effect.

Deciding Where to Place Your Swim Spa

When deciding on the placement of your swim spa, one should focus on the most space being saved. While the middle of the yard may look very attractive, it’s not necessarily the best place for using most of your space.

Another thing to keep in mind is if you plan to use your swim spa in the colder months. In the colder months, you’re not going to want to run across your yard to get to it. Therefore, keeping it close to the door or entrance of your home is a very good idea. If you need some more ideas or in-depth knowledge of placement, check out this website.

Materials to Use

When planning out the integration of your new swim spa, it’s important to use materials that will fit in with the overall aesthetic of your backyard. Therefore, try to use materials that match with, for example, your patio, house siding, or gazebo. This way it will all be one cohesive environment.

Colors Could Make or Break It

When deciding on colors for your swim spa, there are two main colors you’ll be in charge of choosing. The first is the cabinet, and the second is the interior. Keep in mind that the interior is only seen when the cover is off, while the cabinet on the other hand is seen all the time.

Shape Can Pull It All Together

Making sure that the shape fits with the rest of your yard can be another make or break. Not only will the shape help the swim spa fit into your yard, it will also help to pull the yard together. Most swim spas are rectangular to help with the current flow. But your swim spa deck and installation don’t have to be rectangular. There are many above ground spa ideas that incorporate various shapes to suit different aesthetics.

Bring It Up with Levels

Levels can help smoothly bring that big boxed pool into your yard. It will help to make it fit in seamlessly, while also giving off a leveled aesthetic which is overall very pleasing to the eye. By levels, we mean different terraces or broad steps. So, your swim spa could sit at the highest level, while a lower level with seating and loungers camouflages the raised deck holding your spa cabinet.

Make It All Accessible

Just like with a regular hot tub, upkeep often requires maintenance. In order to properly provide maintenance to your swim spa, you’ll need to keep it in a place where it can be easily accessed.

Lighting Will Enhance Any Mood and Aesthetic

String lights, fire pits, and all other lights imaginable are exactly what you need to add to your backyard oasis. Lighting can quickly add life to any aesthetic you put your mind to, making your backyard the perfect destination for a nighttime pool party or for a little nighttime rest and relaxation.

Don’t Forget the Swim Spa Cover

Adding a swim spa cover that will only add to your landscaping aesthetic is almost a no-brainer when it comes to creating your backyard’s enchanting place.

Conclusion

Overall, swim spas can make some of the best additions to your backyard landscaping. They can be surrounded by plants and grasses, or they can be hiked up on different levels covered in ash-colored bricks. Swim spas may not outweigh the overall traditional pools, but in some cases, they are much more preferred. If you’re not sure which one to go with, check out the differences here. With that in mind, there’s also often a bit of a toss-up between hot tubs and swim spas; read more about that here. Whatever aesthetic fits with your backyard ideas is the best option for you.

About The Author:

Manny Brambila

Pool & Spa Expert

Manny has been in the Pool & Spa industry for over 15 years and is considered a pool, swim spa, & hot tub expert. He has been a Certified Pool & Spa Operator (CPO) since 2009 and worked 15 years in aquatic training and development for the largest pool chemical and customer care company. He also has been an outside consultant for the Pool and Spa industry in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles since 2018. In the past few years Manny has become Director of Operations for Epic Hot Tubs with a priority of providing customers with the most reliable information and best service possible.