Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

Hot Tub Boats Are the Next Phase in Social-Distance-Friendly Escapes

Mike Richard
By

Virtual events are helping most of us stay sane amid this pandemic. But, Zoom happy hours, travel videos, and online museum tours will never replace in-person get-togethers. If you’re itching for real-world socializing that feels almost normal, Seattle’s hot tub boats are an intimate, social-distance-friendly escape unlike any other.

Hot Tub Boats

Situated on Lake Union, the Hot Tub Boats experience is exactly what it sounds like: A floating hot tub on the water. The purpose-built pleasure craft boasts a full-sized hot tub with room for six and just enough decking around the edge to stand up. That’s it. The water is heated to a constant 104 degrees Fahrenheit, courtesy of an onboard diesel heater. Passengers maneuver the boat at a blistering five miles per hour by using a basic joystick. Bluetooth speakers allow for dialing in just the right atmosphere. A small storage hatch also provides enough watertight space for stowing snacks, booze, and smartphones.

Hot Tub Boats

Finding unique, social-distancing-friendly group activities is harder now than ever. What’s great about renting through Hot Tub Boats is that everything — from arrival to the changing rooms to “check-in” to boarding — is done outside. Passengers interact only with their own friends and family throughout the entire experience. The company also promises that the water is changed out and the boats thoroughly cleaned between every rental.

Recommended Videos

The idea for Hot Tub Boats came to company owner Adam Karpenske after living on a houseboat without a hot tub. With a background in wooden boat building, it occurred to him to just build a dedicated “hot tub boat.” His design meets the strict guidelines set forth by the U.S. Federal Regulations for Boat Builders. Karpenske has so perfected his one-of-a-kind boats that his company also sells them. Every detail from the paint job to how the boat is filled is customizable.

Hot Tub Boats

Sadly, Hot Tub Boats is only available in Seattle — for now. The year-round rentals start at $350 for two hours and each additional hour costs $100. Just bring a valid driver’s license, a swimsuit, and a towel, and you’re good to go.

If you like your social-distancing with a few more amenities and a lot more open water, GetMyBoat offers more than 130,000 rental boats in almost every country on Earth.

Editors' Recommendations

Mike Richard
Mike Richard
Contributor
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
Will Hulu’s Under the Bridge be your next true crime obsession?
Why you should make the time to catch Hulu's new true crime series, Under the Bridge.
Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone in Under the Bridge.

Although Shogun has easily been one of the best shows on Hulu this spring, it's going to have some competition soon. Later this month, Hulu will premiere Under the Bridge, a new original series that just might be your next true crime obsession. This show has the star power of a season of True Detective, and it's even based on real events. But more importantly, it has a serialized storyline that's going to keep viewers on the edge of their seats through its eight-episode run.

To get you ready for the show, we're sharing everything that you need to know about Under the Bridge, the Reena Virk story, and why you should watch this series on Hulu.
Who was Reena Virk?

Read more
These are the best Maduro cigars I’ve tried and tested in 2024
Maduro cigars on Spanish decorative tile table

Maduro cigars offer some pretty complex flavors. While there are a few major cigar wrappers, from Connecticut and Corojo to Habano and Maduro, Maduro is one of the broadest categories in the cigar world, second only to Natural (Connecticut). The tobacco used to create Maduro wrappers is usually harvested from the top of a tobacco plant, where it gets the most sun exposure. They're also aged and fermented, where most of the oils and darker colors come from. Maduro means "ripe" or "mature' in Spanish and is also called Capa Negra.

You may recognize Maduro cigars by their markedly darker colors and shades. Still, the Maduro category includes many types, like Connecticut Broadleaf, Double Maduro, Mexican San Andres, Colorado Maduro, and more. Most people mistake Maduro cigars as being the strongest, but that's not necessarily true, and it's not always the case. Maduro flavors are rich and full-bodied for sure, but also usually very sweet. Depending on the type and the blend -- including the filler and the binder -- you'll taste flavors like chocolate or cocoa, coffee, earth, wood, leather, and cream. Varying pepper levels may also come through, especially when smoking Nicaraguan cigars.

Read more
LeBron James-backed Stan Smith documentary celebrates a tennis and sneaker icon
What you need to know about this Stan Smith documentary
Stan Smith standing on a dock.

If you've got any understanding of sneakers, you likely know the name Stan Smith. That doesn't necessarily mean that you know who Stan Smith is, but a new documentary may help you answer that question. Who Is Stan Smith? is a new documentary film that will tell the story of Stan Smith's trajectory as a star in the world of tennis and the way he transitioned into a trailblazer in the world of fashion. The film is directed by Danny Lee and is produced by LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson, Alexandra Dell, and Donald Dell.
When will the film hit theaters?

The film is set to begin its theatrical run on May 3 when it will premiere in New York City. It will debut in Los Angeles on May 10, and also roll out to other cities after that, including  Atlanta, Washington D.C., Dallas, Denver, San Diego, Honolulu, San Francisco, Newport, Columbus, St. Louis, Arlington, Scottsdale, Cambridge, Indianapolis, Annapolis, Eugene, Frankfort, Royal Oak, Canton, Hartford, Novi, Plymouth, Hilton Head Island, and more.

Read more