I've seen one or two producers using an inflatable spa as a rugged mess container. I think it's a great idea. Has anyone else here considered buying one? I have found that most inflatable pools will begin to leak very quickly and are far too thin. The idea of an inflatable spa came to mind.

I was able to order just the spa without the pump and filters, etc. at a reduced price. It has a drain in the floor that connects to a standard garden hose. Because the room this is going in is upstairs, we'll be able to run the hose straight into a drain pipe, plus there is a shower head on a hose with hot and cold taps for easy cleanups. I already have a lock for the door so nobody 'accidentally' discovers the room.

Although some substances won't go down the drain very easily, the fact that we can add water to help dilute messes is a bonus. Things like thick gunge, cake batter, etc. will become colored water and go straight down the drain once we're ready to clean it.

Please excuse the Photoshopped image, as it was just intended to get attention.

Thoughts?

Yep - consider the weight, especially if it's going in an upstairs room. Mine held literally 2 tonnes, so I think it's often fine but needs to be checked

If you are leaving out the pump and filters etc you'll have holes in the side that will need blocking (mine did anyway) I think I used flex tape to fix it

Have a plan in case of leakage

I would love to set something like this up in my garage for large sessions

Weight would be a concern if you're actually going to fill it- gunge (and just about everything else water based) is about 100kg per 100 liters. Clay/mud will be somewhat heavier (150-200kg)
A full spa will weigh a few tonnes. The good news is the weight is comparable to a water bed which gives you the discreet option when asking about the structural load.

Garden hose is a great option for cleaning/washing down, but likely too narrow of a pipe for taking away the mess (even when diluted) unless you're planning to invest in a pump too. The minimum size of pipe would really be about 40mm- the kind of thing under the kitchen sink (which also takes watered down semi-solid stuff).
Should you need a pump- pulling one out of an old dishwasher or washing machine might do the trick.

Also I'm wondering if investing in a wet and dry hoover would help a lot with cleaning once the main mess is drained out.

All great advice, and I had seen one in some of your videos. I'm pretty sure the one I've ordered will also have holes needing to be plugged. They are threaded fittings though, so with some luck, I might find caps that I can screw on, which would be more secure than tape, I think.

As for leakage, the room where it is going was once a kitchen and has a one-piece vinyl floor which will be great for small splashes. As for a major leak, we'd be screwed and would have to re-do the kitchen ceiling.


We will never fill it. Our plan is just to have a place to play in some slime/gunge, but not huge quantities. The benefit of the spa is that we don't need to worry about a jagged toe-nail tearing a hole in the side, plus this spa has a nice padded bottom. The high sides will help with stray slime staying in the spa and not splashing out into the room.

Our shower head on a hose will work for cleaning up, as it has a setting that is very much like a garden hose. The bathroom with a shower is just next door, so we can pre-shower in the spa, then just walk to the actual shower without leaving a mess on the floor. The drain in the spa is built into the bottom at the one end, so I cannot enlarge the diameter. But with mostly water and diluted slime doing down, I think the narrow drain pipe will do.

We also have a shop vac, as you suggested, and it could be useful at times. All great advice!