Ever wonder why one hot tub may cost so much more than another comparable model? The true question is whether your money going towards quality components in a well-made hot tub, or if the majority of your purchase will line the pocket of the salesperson. While there is nothing wrong with a seller earning his living, when the price does not reflect the quality of the hot tub, there is a problem. That problem will ultimately become your's as you find your spa needed more and more costly maintenance just to keep it running.

When you buy a hot tub, you might be paying for more than the value of the spa itself. When you shop at a hot tub dealership, you have to factor in costs like spa showroom rent, advertising, employee salaries and other bills into the cost of the hot tubs. And what about accessories? Hot tub accessories can become something of a money pit, because one built in television or adjustable jet may look a lot like the next, but they may be priced very differently. These kinds of savings often do not find their way to the customer, and instead you pay for the difference.

So, while you are shopping for the best hot tub price, it might be prudent to do some research to find out just how much your money will buy - and where it all will go. Here are a few areas where your hard-earned cash is divided up:

Quality of product and materials is important!

This is the slice of the budget pie that needs to be pretty big. You want you hot tub to be constructed from high quality materials so that it remains durable for years and years to come. If you want you hot tub to be a long term investment, then you will want to be sure that you are choosing one made from long-lasting components.

This means that you will want to forego some of the "cheap hot tubs" that are made from inflatable plastic, or those which can be folded up and stored. You might not be paying for high quality materials when you buy these types of hot tubs - and it is most likely that the money you spend will only last for a few good years before you need to purchase a replacement. Even some elements like wood can rot and disintegrate without proper maintenance. (For more tips on how to recognize a cheap hot tub, check out my hub specifically about them)

On the market today, some of the most durable hot tubs are made from roto-molded plastic or acrylic. Most all roto-molded hot tubs have lifetime guarantees on the shell of the tub itself, because of its sheer indestructibility.

Other elements to be mindful of are the type of jets that the hot tub has. Are they eurojets or adjustable? Adjustable jets are best if they are made from metal or very sturdy plastic to ensure that they will hold up to years of use. Also ask what type of electronic control system the hot tub has - one that is generic should not cost the same amount as one that is made by a trusted manufacturer like Balboa.

Advertising and branding can hike the cost of a hot tub - but sometimes this means nothing in terms of product quality!

Often there will brands of hot tubs that you recognize from television advertisements. Because you have seen so many images of the hot tub and see their name flashed on the screen of your TV at every commercial break, you start to feel familiar with them. This is the primary goal of advertising campaigns - they want you to trust and recognize a product.

But don't let that familiar feeling sway you too much - the truth is that aggressive advertising campaigns can cost a lot of money. And where do you think that money goes? It becomes part of the price of your hot tub. How do you feel about paying for each of those ads that you watched on TV?

Often marketers try "branding" an item that they are trying to sell. This means that they are trying to shower you with the name of their product so much that it starts to feel familiar and trustworthy. The concept is true of other consumer goods like handbags, clothing, etc. A pair of blue jeans might be made from the same cotton and indigo dye as another, but because one bears the label of a branded store, like Guess or Seven, customer are willing to pay a higher price.

The same concept applies to hot tubs. Part of the cost of your hot tub may be simply based on the fact that the tub is made by a well-known brand. This doesn't necessarily mean that the branded hot tub is any more durable or superior to one from a company that didn't invest in advertising.

Just be aware that when you are shopping for a hot tub, the tubs you might recognize from TV ads may be just as good as one that is less expensive and made by another company. See what warrantees , types of materials and features a hot tub from an unfamiliar brand has - you might save yourself some money.

Different types of accessories can add up . . . and up and up . . .

Everyone enjoys the little extras that come with their hot tubs - like colored lights, waterfalls, ipod docks and even built in TV's. If you are working within a budget for your hot tub, you will find that all of these extras add up very quickly. Many hot tubs come with a certain amount of fun features, but others can be purchased as upgrades for an additional cost. It usually is the features, not the hot tub itself, that can start adding up to an $8,000 or $10,000 price tag. Make sure that you get the ones you will use!

In spite of the temptation to have the most tricked out hot tub on your street, you should consider how you will like these same features years down the road and whether they will be durable enough to withstand repeated use. Are those head and neck pillows going to leak, as many of them do after time, and then become mildewed and discolored? After the novelty of the flip-up television is gone, will you prefer a quiet meditative soak after a stressful day and consistently leave the TV off?

Before you buy all of the bells and whistles, make sure that you give some thought to the different features you picked. This way, you won't regret parting with an extra pay check for the TV or built-in disco ball that you don't use.

Dealership overhead may be an expense you didn't count on.

A beautiful showroom can really impress prospective buyers - but it can also be tacked on to the price of a hot tub. It is true that at a hot tub dealer's showroom, you can see different models up close, try out the controls - and in some cases, even get into your bathing suit and test one out. Yet the luxury of shopping at a fancy showroom can come at a cost. The bills each dealer has from overhead like electricity and rent will inevitably come out of your pocket.

This is not to say that a showroom is not the place to look for a hot tub - but before you surrender your credit card, make sure that you have done some price checking to be sure that you aren't being overcharged. The dealership showroom is designed to get you into the compulsive buyer mode, so make sure that you do your homework before you buy.

A good place to compare prices is on the internet. In fact many internet dealers who do not have the additional cost of overhead are happy to pass the savings on to you. So hit the local hot tub showroom for ideas, do the homework to make sure that you aren't paying more for the dealer's bills, and then purchase.

There are a couple of elements to be mindful of when you looking for a hot tub that will keep you from falling into the over-priced, poor quality pit.

• Read consumer reports. There is a myriad of different websites and sources that rate and review different hot tub brands. Make sure that you read what other customers have to say about their hot tubs. If you see a bad review of a product, ask your dealer about it and check it out for yourself. These sorts of consumer reports can offer a lot of insight, but sometimes there will be ranting and raving reviews over a small problem that may not phase you personally.
• Know how to recognize a cheap hot tub. There are ton of hot tubs that are not made of the high quality, durable materials that will pay off over the years. After a few years of use, these cheap hot tubs will start to fall apart. The important key is learning to recognize a cheap hot tub, versus an inexpensive one.
• Look for competitive dealerships or internet dealers. Competition between dealers may help you to save some money. While two different stores might be duking it out for your business, you will end up winning. Internet hot tub dealers are highly competitive because each dealer is just as easily shopped, as opposed to showroom dealers, who might not have a rival for miles and miles.