Hot tub privacy is a critical design element for people who want to build a relaxing and secluded backyard space. If you want to avoid nosy neighbors, these backyard hot tub privacy ideas will allow you to create a stylish and peaceful outdoor oasis. Whether you want to install a screen, fence, enclosure, pergola or wall, these hot tub designs are affordable, functional and elegant options that will maintain your privacy.
Most homeowners will want a simple wooden fence or screen for a hot tub on their deck, while others may prefer beautiful landscaping around their outdoor spa for a natural vibe. For a high-end feel, you can choose an enclosure or pergola with curtains and a bar area.
With so many DIY and pre-made choices, there are several cool ways to add privacy to your hot tub.
To inspire you, we’ve compiled these examples of the best hot tub privacy ideas. From simple and cheap to luxury, these privacy ideas will help you create the perfect backyard hot tub design.
Backyard Hot Tub Privacy Ideas
Build A Modern Pergola
Pergolas are outdoor garden structures used to create shelter from the sun in backyard areas. Typically consisting of cross beams and latticework supported by vertical posts or pillars, pergolas have been used for centuries to shade walkways and sitting areas. They can also serve as a stylish privacy screen for your backyard hot tub.
Historically, pergolas have been constructed from natural materials like stone and wood and adorned with ornamental vines like bougainvillea and wisteria. Modern pergolas are often made of man-made materials including aluminum, fiberglass, PVC, or vinyl, all of which tend to be more affordable. A streamlined modern pergola is a simple yet elegant way to hide away your hot tub and elevate your outdoor living space.
Install A Garden Trellis with A Wood Planter
Plants are a great way to create a beautiful barrier around a hot tub, but it’s not always practical or possible to plant trees and bushes in your yard. In situations like this, container planting can be an excellent alternative. A trellis is a light frame that is typically used as a support for climbing plants. These lightweight structures, which are usually made from wood or metal, can be attached to wooden boxes to create a trellis planter. Because they aren’t permanent structures, trellis planters are a good option for renters who can’t significantly alter the property.
Once you’ve set up your trellis planter, you can create a living natural wall with the climbing plant of your choice. Flowering vines like bougainvillea or climbing hydrangea can incorporate a bright pop of color into your landscaping. If you prefer something a little more understated, opt for simple yet sumptuous greenery like lush Virginia creeper.
Use Plants As A Privacy Screen
Creating a natural fence out of plants is a clever and thoughtful way to protect your hot tub from view without compromising the natural beauty of your backyard. Plants that are tall and thick provide visual privacy and can also muffle sounds from noisy neighbors.
There are a plethora of plants to pick from when it comes to concealing your hot tub from view. Fast-growing bamboo can create a spa-like environment, while a neat row of arborvitae will have a Zen appeal. If you’re looking for a more colorful display, plant lush, abundantly flowering shrubs like azaleas or rhododendron.
Attach A Wooden Screen
If your hot tub is out in the middle of a large yard, fully enclosing it may be the only way for you to achieve the level of privacy that you desire. Depending on the layout of your yard, you may not have to go to such extreme measures. If your garden already offers a modicum of privacy, consider mounting a wooden screen directly onto the hot tub, only to the sides that are most exposed.
Partial or corner screens are especially useful in a small yard because this low-profile option can keep your hot tub from feeling too cramped and claustrophobic. Instead of solid wood walls, opt for panels with narrow wooden slats. This still shields you from prying eyes but allows sunlight to filter in and doesn’t completely restrict your view.
Feature A Gazebo
Like pergolas, gazebos are outdoor structures used to create some cover from the sun. While pergolas have latticed tops and open sides, gazebos have a more rounded silhouette and are more solid in structure. These fundamental differences in design mean that the area under a pergola receives a mix of sun and shade, while a gazebo is fully shaded and can even provide shelter from the rain.
If seclusion is your primary concern, gazebos tend to offer significantly more privacy than pergolas do. However, since gazebos can be significantly more expensive, pergolas do have a budgetary advantage.
Put Up A Fence
Even a fenced backyard doesn’t always offer the level of seclusion that people may require. Placing additional fencing around part of the perimeter of your hot tub can provide a secondary layer of privacy. Fencing the area around your hot tub is also a great way to divide your backyard into multiple usable spaces and create a sense of separation within the space.
If you do decide to fence your hot tub, it’s a good idea to use the same materials you used to fence the rest of your yard. Maintaining consistency in your materials and design will make the space more polished and cohesive.
Invest In Frosted Glass
While privacy screens can help your hot tub feel more protected, they can sometimes make the surrounding space feel dark and cramped instead of relaxing and inviting. If these concerns resonate with you, a frosted glass privacy screen might be the solution you’ve been searching for.
Frosted glass is opaque enough to offer ample privacy but transparent enough to allow sunlight to filter through, giving your hot tub and the surrounding areas a light, airy feel. A privacy screen made from frosted glass will also have a sleek and contemporary design which may appeal to people with more modern tastes.
Elevated Backyard Layout
Many hot tub privacy options are geared towards hiding your hot tub from neighbors or people outside of your yard, but if you have a shared backyard space, you may need a more creative solution. Building an elevated platform that’s large enough to hold your hot tub is a great way to create a separate and discrete space.
Adding an element of elevation is also a thoughtful way to add usable space to a small backyard. If you have limited soiree footage, a hot tub may dominate your garden. Constructing an elevated deck will allow you to create a cozy seating area underneath, and will make your hot tub feel even more independent from the rest of the yard.
Create An Outdoor Room
Not only do structures like pergolas and gazebos provide shade and security for your hot tub, but they also can add an interesting architectural element to your yard. You can take this concept a step further by constructing an outdoor room. Outdoor rooms can consist of more permanent building structures that can be fitted with luxurious touches like electricity. This gives you the ability to outfit it with high-end features like interesting lighting and temperature control, which can make your hot tub usable at any time of day, all year round.
Outdoor rooms can allow you to explore your creativity. For example, you could build a structure with louvered sides that can open up to allow sunlight in or close to create a sense of seclusion. The only limit is your imagination.
Build A Privacy Wall
Structures like fences and screens can grant you plenty of privacy, but they can feel insubstantial or impermanent. If you want to make a bigger statement, you can use more rugged materials like stone to construct a solid and stylish privacy wall. Stone is excellent for outdoor use because it’s so durable and weather-resistant, but these same qualities make it difficult to move once it’s in place.
You’ll want to choose a stone for your privacy wall that fits with your decor style and theme. If you have a modern home, poured concrete walls have a crisp and clean silhouette. If your taste is more organic, a rustic stacked stone wall might be more to your taste.
Stylish Hot Tub Privacy Designs
A Hot Tub with A View
While this home backs up to open space, there are neighbors located to the side. This hot tub cleverly combines a corner wall and a pergola to provide privacy from the neighbors without compromising the view of the acreage behind the property. Although the pergola has an unfinished look that transitions seamlessly into the wooden deck, it’s been coated in a semi-transparent sealer to protect it from the elements.
Zen Zone
Thoughtful landscape design makes this urban backyard feel like a serene and secluded oasis. Zoning laws restricted the wooden fence and modern concrete walls to just six feet in height, but the mature trees around the perimeter of the enclosure introduce another level of privacy. Recessing the hot tub into the ground gives the illusion that the walls are much taller.
Bohemian Rhapsody
This boho backyard offers a fresh and fun take on outdoor living. A tiered deck is an excellent choice for a compact garden like this, as it creates a sense of elevation and offers built-in seating options. If you’re on a tight budget, consider getting an inflatable hot tub as they tend to be significantly less expensive.
Sophisticated Spa
When designing outdoor living spaces, it’s important to make sure they feel cohesive with the style of your home. The clean lines and deep gray hue of this modern pergola complement the dark neutral colors and understated style of the adjacent contemporary home. The hot tub under the pergola is placed on an elevated platform which adds a sense of refinement to the space.
Pick The Right Place
When deciding between privacy screen options, the location of your hot tub plays an important role. Putting a hot tub in the middle of a suburban backyard would likely necessitate a full enclosure. Because this spa is tucked away in the back corner of the yard, a simple corner screen is more than sufficient.
Lean Into Your Landscaping
This spacious backyard has a laid-back, organic vibe thanks to ample native flora and asymmetrical flagstone pavers. A massive hot tub with a shiny acrylic shell would stick out like a sore thumb in this yard, but a low-profile wood-wrapped unit blends in beautifully with its surroundings. Bountiful bushes and an enormous olive tree form a natural privacy screen.
Mix Materials
If you live in an arid region, xeriscaping is likely the most eco-friendly option for your backyard. This landscaping practice utilizes components like mulch, rocks, and drought-tolerant plants in place of grass to reduce or eliminate reliance on irrigation. The seating area in this backyard features gravel stones and concrete pavers, giving the space a sleek and sophisticated feel. The wood deck and pergola surrounding the hot tub add a touch of warmth to the backyard, preventing it from feeling too stark.
Seclusion in Suburbia
When homes in a neighborhood are packed in tightly, privacy may feel like a pipe dream. Building an elevated deck for your hot tub will keep it from being in the direct eye line of the neighbors, while a higher corner wall next to the hot tub itself amps up the privacy even more.
Blend Into The Background
Placement and material choices make this hot tub feel more like a natural water feature than a manmade structure. The tub is wrapped in textured natural stone and is framed on one side by trees and foliage that shelter it from view even within the yard itself. A corner wall made from vertical wood slats provides a visual barrier from the neighboring property.
Go with The Flow
When you have a large backyard, hardscaping elements like concrete, stones, and pavers can help delineate the space. A two-level stone patio makes this sloped backyard easier to navigate and creates multiple areas for lounging or entertaining. While the hot tub is visible from the lower level and to anyone walking up the curved staircase a high stone wall hides it from the upper patio and the backyard beyond.
Lay Your Foundation
Though this pergola filters the sun, its open sides don’t offer a lot of visual privacy. Introducing climbing vines to this structure is a simple way to make the hot tub underneath feel more secluded. Dense vines like Boston ivy or cape honeysuckle will amplify the privacy aspect.
Consider The Angles
If your property is large enough that there are no neighbors within sight, privacy may not seem like a concern, but the windows in a multi-story house could provide a bird’s eye view of the back deck. A pergola with a peaked roof hides the hot tub from anyone on the upper floors above without sacrificing any of the surrounding views.
Going Green
Manmade screens and enclosures offer a lot of privacy, but if you’re trying to create a relaxing environment they can also cause a distraction. The Zen effect created by the low-profile silhouette of this modern hot tub would be spoiled by a bulky wall or pergola. The lush greenery enclosing the yard creates all the privacy you need without creating clutter.
Take Advantage of The Trees
When your home is surrounded by towering trees, it mostly eliminates the need for a high privacy fence. While the upper deck is shielded from the neighbors by a wood partition, the lower deck gets away with a low railing thanks to lofty trees like a tall blue spruce. If you’re not fortunate enough to have mature trees on your property, fast-growing shade trees may be a good option for you to explore.
Natural Privacy Design
Plants can make beautiful, natural privacy screens but you may not think they’re a viable option in a xeriscaped yard. However, drought-tolerant native plants like sweet sagewort and Mexican feathergrass provide a surprising amount of cover around this low-rise corner hot tub while also adding visual texture to the space.
Some Like It Hot
This luxurious backyard retreat is packed with lavish indulgences, including a hot tub and an outdoor fireplace. Not only does the outdoor fireplace provide an upscale ambiance, but it also serves as a stylish privacy feature. Natural materials like the ledgestone pillars and fireplace facade and wood decking make the space feel as approachable as it is elegant.
Be Thoughtful With Your Materials
A covered hot tub area is a fantastic feature for a vacation cabin, but the modern look of this aluminum pergola is at odds with the more rustic character of the cabin. The addition of cedar paneling to the structure helps tie the newer structure in with the rest of the property.
Simple and Stylish Privacy Wall
Installing a hot tub can be an expensive proposition, and a privacy wall can drive the price up even higher. If you have the right skills, you can cut down on costs by building your own enclosure. For a stylish DIY space, this three-sided horizontal slat wall looks chic but can be relatively simple to replicate.
Double Duty Design
This creatively-designed backyard space demonstrates that a hot tub privacy screen can be multifunctional. In addition to hiding the hot tub from view, the structure also contains a wraparound bench sitting so you can relax and unwind between dips in the tub. Hooks mounted into the adjacent fence serve as a smart but simple solution for towel storage.
Take The Tropics Home
With the right decor, it’s easy to transform your backyard into a resort-style retreat. This backyard space has a tropical flair thanks to an assortment of potted palm trees and a charmingly rustic bamboo fence. Splurge on outdoor furniture like the kind you might find at a high-end hotel overlooking the beach and soak up some sun.
Set The Mood
This gorgeous setup proves that you can go on a romantic getaway without ever leaving your property. An ornate wrought iron gazebo is draped with creamy-colored canvas to protect against the elements and provide privacy. The curtain panels can be untied and drawn closed to make the space feel even more intimate. The faux leather hot tub exterior enhances the upscale vibe.
Augment Your Architecture
While gazebos tend to be freestanding, pergolas can stand alone or project from the side of a building. Not only does this help create privacy, but it can also add a fashionable architectural feature to your home. Here, a charming wooden pergola helps this suburban home stand out from the other identical houses on the block.
Light It Up
Soaking in a hot tub at night can feel decadent, but it can also become dangerous if your backyard isn’t well-lit. However, bright outdoor lighting might have the neighbors looking toward your backyard. This elevated hot tub includes subtle built-in lighting around the platform and under the stairs, so you can see where you’re going without attracting unwanted attention.
Don’t Mind The Gap
There are many different degrees of privacy in the world of hot tub enclosures. Some people want to be completely hidden away, while others may prefer just enough coverage that they don’t feel conspicuous. With its vertical slats offering glimpses of the surrounding view, this cedar gazebo is perfect for consumers in the latter category.
Luxury Design
While some or all of the heavy panels of this canvas awning could easily be drawn closed for privacy, the hot tub underneath it would feel dim and dingy without the ambient outdoor lighting. A collection of hanging lanterns with flickering, flameless candles illuminate the space and create an inviting vibe whether you leave the panels open or closed.
Simple Privacy
Many consumers value privacy features in their hot tubs, but they also don’t want to completely close off their view. This tiered deck offers the perfect compromise. The hot tub is recessed into the middle deck, so it stays hidden from sight even with the stepped-down sides on the surrounding fence. People sitting in the chairs on the upper deck can still take in the sights without feeling constrained.
Compromise Is Key
When your home has an incredible view, you’ll want to make the most of it without feeling like you’re on display. This cedar gazebo introduces widely-spaced narrow wood slats, granting a modicum of privacy without obstructing the scenic mountain vista beyond.