A spa is an establishment for getting various personal care treatments. Hot tubbing may be one of those treatments. Or you can hot tub at home, without a spa.
Jacuzzi is a brand of hot tub. It’s like saying Chap Stick or Blistex for a lip balm. Spa is a completely different thing. However, I generally say these words interchangeably as well.
To me, a Jacuzzi is an indoor bath tub with jets, only filled with water during use. A hot tub is an outdoor (sometimes used indoors) unit that always has water in it. I do know a lot of people who use spa and hot tub interchangeably.
SPA stands for in latin: Sanus Per Aqua, wich means Healing By Water. So doesn’t make any difference if it’s a bathtub or jakuzzi, as long as you bathing in thermal- or mineral water. (Which helps to heal)
@Otto_King uh, that’s a bogus etymology. It’s from name of health resort in eastern Belgium, known since 14c., that featured mineral springs believed to have curative properties. The place name is from Walloon espa “spring, fountain.”
@zenvelo I think @Otto_King is actually right, but there are multiple etymologies, and @Otto_King FTW because that really sealed the deal for me that I was right about using spa.
Thank you @rskaletz. And @zenvelo, since when do people taking their bath time in springs and fountains? The whole SPA thing is about wellness, healing and relaxation, as it is 1000 years ago. The jakuzzi and its friends are just a “modern” way to enjoy water.
I disagree. A jacuzzi is synonymous with Hot tub but Jacuzzi isn’t synonymous with Spa. A spa and a Jacuzzi are two totally different things. Yes, jacuzzi’s are usually found in a a Spa, but no. They are absolutely not a synonym.