Inground Spas Built to Last a Lifetime
There's a significant difference between a portable hot tub and a custom inground spa. A portable unit sits on your deck, ages in four to eight years, and never quite looks like it belongs. A custom gunite spa is built into the ground, finished to match your pool, and designed to be there for the life of your home.
Scott Payne Custom Pools has been building inground spas alongside custom pools for over 25 years. Every spa we build is engineered as part of the pool's hydraulic system — not an afterthought, not a separate unit. The result is a spa that performs beautifully, heats efficiently, and looks like it was always meant to be there.
Spa Design Options
Attached Pool-Spa Combos
The most common configuration — a spa positioned adjacent to or connected to the pool, sharing the same equipment pad. Water can flow between the two, and the spa can be heated independently when you want it hot without heating the full pool.
Spillover Spas
The spa is elevated above the pool level, allowing water to cascade from the spa into the pool below. The spillover creates a waterfall effect and helps circulate and warm the pool water when the spa is running.
Freestanding Inground Spas
A standalone gunite spa without an attached pool — ideal for homeowners who want the permanence and quality of a custom spa without a full pool build. These are designed with their own dedicated equipment and can be positioned anywhere on the property.
Raised Spa Structures
A spa built on a raised platform or retaining wall, creating a focal point in the backyard and allowing for dramatic spillovers into the pool below. These are often combined with natural stone coping and decorative tile for a high-end finish.
Spa Features and Finish Options
Every spa we build is fully customizable. The number and placement of jets, the seating configuration, the interior finish, the coping material, and the lighting are all designed to your specifications. We work with you during the design phase to understand how you'll use the spa — whether that's hydrotherapy after workouts, family relaxation, or entertaining — and we design accordingly.
- Jet systems: 6-jet entry-level to 20+ jet hydrotherapy configurations
- Interior finishes: Pebble Tec, Pebble Sheen, quartz plaster, glass tile
- Coping: Travertine, bluestone, limestone, concrete, or natural stone to match the pool
- Lighting: LED color-changing lights integrated into the spa shell and steps
- Controls: Automation systems that allow you to heat and control the spa from your phone
Year-round use: Inground gunite spas are built to handle Pennsylvania and New Jersey winters. We design all spas with freeze protection systems and ensure the plumbing is properly configured for cold-weather operation. You can use your spa in January — and many of our clients do.
Energy Efficiency and Independent Heating
One of the most important design decisions in a pool-spa combination is how the heating system is configured. We design all pool-spa combos with independent heating circuits, which means you can heat the spa to 102–104°F without heating the entire pool. This is far more energy efficient and allows you to use the spa on cool evenings without the cost of running the full pool heater.
We also specify variable-speed pumps for all spa systems, which dramatically reduce operating costs compared to older single-speed equipment. The combination of independent heating and variable-speed pumps means your spa is both comfortable and cost-effective to operate year-round.
Serving PA, NJ & DE
We build custom inground spas throughout the greater Philadelphia region, including Montgomery County, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, and into South Jersey. Our service area includes some of the most architecturally distinctive residential properties in the region, and our spa work reflects that standard.
Explore our custom pool services, water features, or outdoor living to see how a spa fits into a complete backyard design.