Hot Tub and Spa Safety for Kids and Adults

To use a hot tub safely, lock the cover after every use, keep children under 5 out of the water, keep the temperature at 104°F or below, skip the alcohol, and keep everyone away from the drains. If you're pregnant or have a health condition, ask your doctor before you soak.

A hot tub holds less water than a pool, but for a toddler it is still deep water, with heat and strong suction added.

Hot tubs are deep water for a toddler

95%

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) counted 55 reported spa-related drowning deaths of children under 15 from 2021 to 2023, and children younger than 5 accounted for 95% of them (opens in a new tab).

That's why CPSC's pool barrier guidelines count spas and hot tubs as pools (opens in a new tab), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says pool fences are for ALL pools, including hot tubs (opens in a new tab).

Locking covers and barriers

• Lock it every time. The AAP says to always cover and lock hot tubs, spas and whirlpools right after using them (opens in a new tab). CPSC says to always secure the safety cover on your spa or hot tub (opens in a new tab).
• A floating cover is not a barrier. CPSC warns that a solar cover can allow children to slip into the water while the cover appears to stay in place, hiding the child (opens in a new tab). See safety covers vs. solar covers.
• Keep it in working order. Replace worn straps and broken clips, and keep the locks where children can't undo them. Pool Safely says to keep pool and spa covers in working order (opens in a new tab).
• Fence or enclose it if it's outdoors and young children live in or visit your home, with the same self-closing, self-latching gate you'd use for a pool. See pool fences and gates.
• Lock the doors to it. A hot tub on a deck or patio is often just steps from a door. See backyard water hazards.

Drains and hair entrapment

Drains are a particular concern in hot tubs. In CPSC's latest entrapment report, 7 of the 11 entrapment victims from 2014 to 2018 were in spas or hot tubs (opens in a new tab), and hair entrapment was the most common type.

• Pool Safely says do not play or swim near drains or suction outlets, especially in spas (opens in a new tab), and never use a spa with a loose, broken or missing drain cover.
• Keep long hair tied up, and keep heads and hair away from drains and jets.
• Pool Safely also says to locate the emergency vacuum shutoff before getting in the water (opens in a new tab).

Full details are in pool and spa drain entrapment.

Heat, alcohol and health

Hot water affects the body, especially for young children, pregnant people and anyone with health conditions. Keep it simple and follow official guidance:

• Temperature: CDC says water temperature should not be higher than 104°F (40°C) (opens in a new tab). Check it with a thermometer, not just the control panel.
• Alcohol: CDC says don't drink alcohol before or during hot tub use (opens in a new tab). Among teens and adults, CDC reports that alcohol is involved in up to 70% of deaths associated with water recreation (opens in a new tab).
• Medicines: CDC advises people to avoid swimming if you take medications that impair your balance, coordination, or judgement (opens in a new tab). Ask your doctor or pharmacist whether hot water is safe with yours.
• Pregnancy: CDC says if you are pregnant, talk to a healthcare provider before using a hot tub (opens in a new tab).
• Heart and other conditions: CDC notes that heart conditions are associated with a higher risk of drowning (opens in a new tab). If you have one, ask your doctor first. See heart conditions, medicines and water.

This page is general safety information, not medical advice.

Rules for children

• Under 5: no hot tub. CDC says don't let children less than 5 years old use hot tubs (opens in a new tab).
• Older children: an adult sits with them and watches the whole time. Agree on a short soak, and get out if they feel too hot, dizzy or unwell.
• Head above water. No dunking, breath-holding games or putting heads under, near the drains.
• Never alone. No child uses a hot tub without an adult there, even a child who swims well.
• Cover goes on when everyone is out. Make the kids part of the routine: "Out, dry, cover on, locked."

Hotel, rental and friends' hot tubs

Many entrapment incidents happen away from home. CPSC found that 57% of spa entrapment victims were at nonresidential locations, such as a hotel or motel (opens in a new tab) (2014-2018). Before your family uses one:

• Look at the drain covers. Don't get in if any are loose, broken or missing.
• Find the emergency shutoff.
• Check the temperature reading.
• At a rental, check whether the hot tub has a locking cover and whether it's fenced from the house.

What you can do today

1. Check your cover lock. Does it latch every time, and can your child undo it?
2. Put a thermometer in the tub and confirm it reads 104°F or less.
3. Find and label the emergency shutoff.
4. Set the family rules, including "no hot tub under 5," and post them by the tub.
5. Check your barrier with the Pool barrier check. Hot tubs count.