Tub shops? We used to rent a hot tub with a mattress, tv and radio for 3 hours on the weekends, bring munchies and get drunk. Did you hang out in tub shops?
Posted by Designer-Bid-3155@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 197 comments
Queasy-Trip1777@reddit
Wait....you RENTED a place to go get drunk for 3 hours because it had a hot tub and a mattress? Lemme guess....you're not a real producer, and there is no job?
Designer-Bid-3155@reddit (OP)
It was the 90s!
monstermack1977@reddit
In my hometown there was a place to rent hot tubs by the hour. I used it for muscle relief every so often while playing sports. A couple times I took a girlfriend with me, but no real funny business. They were always kept super clean and on the up and up.
But then it changed owners and got significantly worse. It started to attract a second kind of rental choice and that's where I noped out. It eventually got busted for facilitating prostitution and went out of business.
BigFatHonu@reddit
I've heard that kind of place referred to as a "soak and poke."
ToyotaPartsGod@reddit
yo wtf?
marihada@reddit
I forgot about these! My sister worked at one in Seattle in the 80’s.
Annual_Monk_9745@reddit
Tubs! A friend’s older brother worked there. We teased him a lot about what he was mopping.
RockShowSparky@reddit
You know how much money the average jizz-mopper makes per hour?
christopherDdouglas@reddit
Tubs. Grew up in North Seattle. We all knew, don't go to Tubs.
critic2029@reddit
This feels like a very WI or MN idea.
Brym@reddit
We do have a spot like this near me on Chicago’s South Side, so Midwest.
critic2029@reddit
This makes sense.
rosie_thechaosqueen@reddit
It was a MI thing. Kind of. There were a couple in the city where I grew up. But no mattresses.
anannanne@reddit
Minnesota here. No “tub shops,” but I remember the neighbors renting a hot tub for my dad’s 40th birthday. It arrived on a trailer and they parked it in the driveway.
VehementVillager@reddit
Not a MN thing... I have no clue what a "tub shop" is, and how you'd rent one as OP is describing.
Given the amount of confusion in the replies, I'm guessing this must be a VERY region-specific thing, or OP left out specific context (like noting that it entails getting a hotel room that has a hot tub, or something like that).
shylock2k202@reddit
Up until about 10 years ago there was a place called the Hot Tub Club. I never visited the place myself but apparently you could rent out a room with a hot tub and have a party. I’m sure it was a family friendly place that was extremely clean and hygienic, at least that’s what I like to believe.
Sea2Chi@reddit
Remember that show blind date? Where they'd film a couple going on a blind date and add funny captions about what they were thinking? They'd always go to one of those places.
My high school girlfriend and I would watch that a lot and were always confused about how a place like that existed. There were hot tubs at the city pool, but neither of us had ever heard of renting a private hot tub room before.
Angis3000@reddit
That was the best fucking show
msmoneypenpen@reddit
It seriously was.
Adventurous_Pin_344@reddit
I watched a lot of Blind Date back in the day. And Ship Mates, which was on immediately afterwards. The premise of Ship Mates was insane - they made people go on a three day blind date on a cruise ship.
HappyKadaver666@reddit
That makes sense! I always wondered where they were finding all these hot tubs for those dates too!
Baked_Potato_732@reddit
That was such a weird show but I laughed my ass off when they referenced it in Scott Pilgrim vs the World.
flotusspunkmeyer@reddit
Yes! This was definitely a feature from Blind Date. I can’t remember if they had a room, too though. The fee seems too high for that show😆
msmoneypenpen@reddit
Omg they used to have one in LA in the early 2000’s…it was on a dating show all the time
NeedItRightMeow@reddit
It was called Splash relaxation spa. Had to look it up!
msmoneypenpen@reddit
Nice work!
Ok_Percentage5157@reddit
Oh wait... Is this the blind date show another user referenced? On mtv?
msmoneypenpen@reddit
Yep Blind Date. But I don’t think it was MTV
dharmavoid@reddit
I've literally never heard of this. Did OP just open a Tub rental shop?
onion4everyoccasion@reddit
I have to admit that my town had one and I banged a girl there... still banging that same (and only) girl more than 25 years later so you tell me if it "worked"😂
Few-Statistician8740@reddit
Moms been dead for 15 years now dad. Seriously fucking bury her already!
prosequare@reddit
Jesus Christ dad
onion4everyoccasion@reddit
If you want to tell me to 'get a room.' I did-- a hot tub room-- a couple decades ago
tryanloveoneanother@reddit
I guess I'm gross but being able to rent a hot tub sounds awesome!!
joshmoney@reddit
Never heard of such a thing. Sounds kinda gross tho
Designer-Bid-3155@reddit (OP)
Hotels have tubs and pools. They're tested and cleaned and there's never been an issue
Gullible_Rich_7156@reddit
Yeah I own a hot tub (that I maintain myself) and I don’t go in public hot tubs. Pools, sure, as you really have to be negligent for there to be a real problem, but when hot tubs are not meticulously maintained with consistency you might as well just go swim in the headworks of your local sewage plant.
theelephantupstream@reddit
My husband and I used to have a hot tub that we maintained meticulously. Had it for years with no issues. Then, I got folliculitis from it—everything from the neck down was covered in pustules and I had to take heavy-duty antibiotics for weeks. We do not have a hot tub anymore lol.
Camandchat@reddit
Fucking hell you just scared the shit out of me, I'm going away in 2 weeks and was so looking forward to the hot tub
Darkstar67@reddit
Don’t live scared. Enjoy your hot tub time. I’ve been soaking for decades and I ain’t been burned yet
theelephantupstream@reddit
Ok in fairness, I later discovered i have a mild autoimmune condition so I’m sure that was a factor. I used that hot tub every week for 5 years and I was fine until then. If it smells like chemicals you’ll prob be fine—the odds are on your side. Shower right after and enjoy your vacation!
Camandchat@reddit
It's at a nice private condo with maintenance on site, it's not a hotel. I'm thinking it'll be ok. I friggin hope so
Gullible_Rich_7156@reddit
I suppose you could buy some test strips at any store that sells pool supplies and test the water before you go in. As long as the total chlorine/free chlorine numbers are good you should be fine.
AirportHot8094@reddit
The fact that you believe and trust them is saying something. You think a retail worker is cleaning human fluids out between each guest? Lol
BoudiccasWrath79@reddit
Oh you sweet summer child.
spaketto@reddit
My husband, kids, and I got the worst pink eye I've ever had from a hot tub at an expensive resort where we stayed in a cabin with its own personal hot tub. The pink eye lasted for days and was super painful. That was a few years ago and I haven't been back in once since.
Ionlydateteachers@reddit
I caught cellulitis from a tub in a Topeka Kansas hotel once. It was a nice historical place that you'd think would keep up on that stuff. 2 of 4 people got really sick. I don't trust most tubs anymore.
SlimeTribe@reddit
Im almost 100% sure there has been plenty of issues...
ughyoujag@reddit
No. No, man. Shit no.
PoopingDogEyeContact@reddit
I dunno, renting a hot tub sounds like something you’d do with two chicks at the same time man
ughyoujag@reddit
And I think if I were a millionaire I could hook that up, too; 'cause chicks dig dudes with money
bokatan778@reddit
Why is this photo the absolute perfect response to this post
ughyoujag@reddit
It’s wild how many things in the world bring this reaction from me these days
Bubbly_Wave_4049@reddit
I was just about to type this lol! Most accurate reply ever!🤣
bokatan778@reddit
Like I can hear his voice 🤣
IkidIgoat@reddit
Sounds like an hourly motel with a hot tub? For uh, business?
Vintage_Visionary@reddit
Do they charge by the hour? JK
OkieRising@reddit
Seconded
spuldup@reddit
A whole hour! After 15 minutes in the tub I'm loopy, then just 2 minutes on the mattress is enough. How much for 20 minute session?
Designer-Bid-3155@reddit (OP)
Sex drink, dance, fuck, listen to music
spuldup@reddit
It was the best of times, it was the...best of times.
Possible-Tangelo9344@reddit
Never heard of this and it sounds kinda weird, like going to a Walmart and getting drunk except getting to be in someone else's urine.
BlackCatArmy99@reddit
Dick Broth
Possible-Tangelo9344@reddit
Wasn't he a senator?
snuffy_smith_@reddit
Nah he became the VP of the US
peachwafffle@reddit
Not just urine! Liquefied smegma broth, ass crack water, and foot tea as well.
VelocityGrrl39@reddit
I worked in vet med for years before I learned that was an actual medical term and not just some grandma’s Yiddish word for it.
peachwafffle@reddit
You thought smegma was Yiddish? 💀
Ayyyy lmaoo that is hysterical
VelocityGrrl39@reddit
I’d always heard it pronounced schmeg-ma. Sounds Yiddish. Or made up. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I was young. It was pre-internet everywhere.
DraculasDog@reddit
Hopefully just urine.
Lehk@reddit
The heat and bromine will kill the sperms
Alaska_Pipeliner@reddit
Still looks like egg drop soup. A churning vat of it.
Huckleberry_83@reddit
I totally gagged. Kudos to you.
bedtimedoesntsuitme@reddit
Yep! My mom took my best friend and I for my birthday one year. It was fun.
oxnardmontalvo7@reddit
Yeah, no… we got our diseases the old fashioned way: poverty and no health care
EliteJoz@reddit
I got my immune system from swimming in ditches after really bad thunderstorms.
linseeds@reddit
I used to swim in creek flood water. I do have a great immune system now.
Santos_L_Halper_II@reddit
Or the occasional apartment complex hot tub.
Due-Explanation-7560@reddit
Yeah! And sharing needles and unprotected sex
Impossible_Memory_85@reddit
And the occasional public toliet seat
PutNameHere123@reddit
No. For like 80 bucks (this was 1999 dollars) we got a Residence Inn room for the night. Enough room for at least 6 people to crash, and even had an oven for a frozen pizza.
OskeyBug@reddit
I've seen enough episodes of Blind Date to know better.
Asleep_Onion@reddit
I'm so goddamn confused by this post. Is this really a thing? I have literally never heard of this concept before now. And it sounds insane and like a horrible idea.
Educational-Cut572@reddit
I never saw one in person, but this gem of a commercial was shared in the Columbus sub! https://youtu.be/cv-z9bBxsLI?si=iPb4ZjcWd_sxCq6M
lavasca@reddit
Always wanted to try it. My husband says no. He is super grossed out and drew an analogy between such tubs and a weWork facility.
Big_Downstairs_6969@reddit
Processing img dccazp280aug1...
Ok_Researcher_9796@reddit
Never heard of it before
al_rey503@reddit
We did this but we used to sneak into all the resort hot tubs in Palm Springs lol
HerebutNotreally9@reddit
The closest thing to this that I’m aware of is the Subarus
Some-Exchange-4711@reddit
Is that where Sybians are from?
Tinyhulk27@reddit
Well both those and the hot tub rental by the hour place showed up in the same sections on Craigslist before they went "legitimate".
So they are related.
Some-Exchange-4711@reddit
Interesting! 🧐
PickledPixie83@reddit
We always joke about going to Sybaris and then I am always skeeved out about why is in the water.
Avocado-Pretty@reddit
And that’s a stretch compared to what he described.
GaspSpit@reddit
My parents told me you had to be married to get a room there. Once we heard they had pools and swings in their rooms, we assumed it was a water park hotel type place.
NindieNation@reddit
I rented something like that one time in my life.
I did get drunk, but I was with my wife, not my buds...
Based on what we did in that room, I've not been in a shared space like that since.
CherryCherry5@reddit
What??
Corn_Beefies@reddit
I feel like this is a very specific regional thing. Like definitely an Albany activity.
snoopyh42@reddit
Ah, the good old "soak n' poke". There's still at least one in the Bay Area. "Watercourse Way" in Palo Alto, sometimes called "Intercourse Way" for very obvious reasons. Nice place, though. Classier than some of the other options that are now closed.
cranberries87@reddit
I never saw or heard of a hot tub shop. They should bring that back!
The closest I know of is the sensory deprivation tank floats that are becoming popular. Also, a local spa used to offer a type of bathtub with fancy LED lights and scented oils. They discontinued it though.
aitatrash@reddit
If anyone's interested in the Bay Area, there's a place in Palo Alto called Watercourse Way, affectionately called Intercourse Way by certain people. They have legit daybed-type mattresses in every room. I haven't been there since my 20s, but it was more of a nice place for a date, not a TV and radio one.
unbalancedcentrifuge@reddit
That has to be the #1 place that I do NOT want to bring in a UV light.
Jerkrollatex@reddit
We rented hotel rooms that had hot tubs. It was more of a couples thing than a party.
TrashBoatTrashBoat@reddit
I’m sorry, a mattress?
Designer-Bid-3155@reddit (OP)
It's a plastic mat
VelocityGrrl39@reddit
That’s not better.
Adventurous_Pin_344@reddit
It's for fucking
Ginger_Snaps_Back@reddit
No sheets, just a mattress on the floor.
Vintage_Visionary@reddit
DrDeboGalaxy@reddit
You talkin about Sybaris?
Icy_Hippo@reddit
went to refillable ones, which were hot springs, was more of a couple thing, every couple I know fucked in it.
flerchin@reddit
I was still kinda heartbroken about my ex girlfriend in 1998 when she drunkenly confessed to being spit roasted in one of these after we broke up. I got over being heartbroken after that.
PaliDudeBro@reddit
Only time I went to a place like this - called a Wellness Center on the side of the building! - it ended up being a gay bath house and I saw things in the first 10 of being there that I can never unsee.
SmokedPapfreaka@reddit
30 mins from my house 😊
camptastic_plastic@reddit
Not the sound proof walls… 😂
AsparagusOverall8454@reddit
No…that was reserved for places that had rooms and charged people by the hour.
YousAPenguinLookinMF@reddit
Pretty sure this was a brothel.
lunicorn@reddit
Don’t walk in with a black light.
MetaPhalanges@reddit
We didn't have these. Best we could do is sleazy sex suites with heart shaped beds and hot tubs slippery with old lube.
GateDeep3282@reddit
In the late 80's I'd take women to a place like this. Typically once we'd already been intimate although a couple of times I went with women who were just really good friends. Good times.
And yes, they drained and sanitized after every use.
disaffectedlawyer@reddit
Just like with a transmission, water heater, or ketchup bottle, draining and filling doesn’t clean a damn thing.
EmmalouEsq@reddit
I'm imagining a group of 20 somethings partying in the bathtub aisle at a home improvement store. What's a tub shop and why do I feel itchy now like I need a shower?
FestivusRestOfUs@reddit
cracked-tumbleweed@reddit
unbalancedcentrifuge@reddit
What in the defunct Poconos resort hell is a tub shop????
Suedeonquaaludes@reddit
😂😭☠️
BDLTalks@reddit
Top-Difficulty5202@reddit
Oh, yes. Never went myself, but in my town it was called Oasis. Different room themes. Not sure how they cleaned out, but I imagine it is like going to a public pool. Just chlorine and if there is any shenannigans they would just empty. But, yeah....this is popular especially in the north.
graveybrains@reddit
The last time I heard about one of those places was when that girl drowned in one.
timsea99@reddit
This is for sex work dude. You were hanging out in a petri dish of venereal diseases
TheDangDeal@reddit
Nope. Though we did rent a 15 person one once for a party we were throwing at our house in college.
Ineedavodka2019@reddit
There was one in the city I lived by but it looked sketchy.
ferret96@reddit
This is like the dude with the poop knife. This was just you, nobody else does this :)
TheAskewOne@reddit
Tf is that? I don’t remember hot tubs Neu bf a thing where I lived.
westgazer@reddit
I have no idea what this is. When was this a thing?
Designer-Bid-3155@reddit (OP)
High school
bokatan778@reddit
Where? I’ve never heard of this either
Designer-Bid-3155@reddit (OP)
Boston. I assumed these were all over. Lots if colleges and high schools over here. We were always filling that place up, especially during the winter.
mariah188@reddit
We had these places too. And it was during HS that this was a thing. I never went though.
bokatan778@reddit
Interesting, maybe it was a regional thing. I grew up in California and have never heard of this.
Easy_Hearing8247@reddit
This is in America??? (43yr old us citizen here)
mariah188@reddit
I remember these! We use to call it “going to the hot tubs.” I never did it because I was too young, but I knew of others who did.
What happened to these kinds of places?
christopherDdouglas@reddit
We had one in the area I grew up in. Tubs. Everyone knew, you don't go to Tubs...
Momosufusu@reddit
Wait these don’t exist anymore?
Ok_Percentage5157@reddit
Uh... What?
Redeyebandit87@reddit
disaffectedlawyer@reddit
Do not turn on the black light
dustractor@reddit
brings new meaning to bed, bath, and beyond
Rsubs33@reddit
Def not. Pool halls sure. Hot tub halls no.
Nousernamesleft81@reddit
I mean, I’m aware that places like this exist, but never really associated with being a Xennial.
Gullible_Rich_7156@reddit
Hot tubs for rent by the hour that you’re allowed to eat and drink alcohol in? What could possibly go wrong?
Designer-Bid-3155@reddit (OP)
When you're 17 in the 90s...
ChristyLovesGuitars@reddit
I’ve never heard of tub shops. Is/was that a thing?
ryaca@reddit
There was this place in Seattle called Tubs where you could do that. Car stereo mounted in the wall, chaise lounge with mystery stains. It was the kind of place to enjoy with a hooker and an 8-ball.
nikki_therese@reddit
Ew
Dave_Labels@reddit
Bro these are for hook ups. I can guarantee many foreign fluids have plastered every inch of these places. I know, I’ve plastered.
edasto42@reddit
Yes but we didn’t rent one out to drink at.
andronicus_14@reddit
Whatever nonsense this is never made its way to Indiana.
Queasy_Connection738@reddit
Tubs in Seattle! One is still in business, y’all can Google Elliott Bay hot tubs and check it out. Rent it for an hour, maybe not use hot tub but definitely bang in the sauna and/or padded bench then check out. Good times!
Designer-Bid-3155@reddit (OP)
Yes! A sauna too!
DachshundNursery@reddit
We used to rent a spot at a more spa-like kind of place when we were feeling classy. When we weren't we just got the "honeymoon suite" at a cheap motel.
No_Raisin_250@reddit
Never a tub shop but we rented motel rooms to hang out in.
napalmthechild@reddit
In Asia we call them soapies and it comes with an extra guest included 👀
ZaphodBeeblebrahx@reddit
Is a snorkel included?
cloudydays2021@reddit
Is this a regional thing? I grew up in NYC and sometimes things like this don’t resonate but I’m really curious
Designer-Bid-3155@reddit (OP)
Greater Boston
ZaphodBeeblebrahx@reddit
Boston isn’t that great
Comprehensive-Fact94@reddit
I've heard people in the Seattle area talk about these kinds of places.
Here in the bible belt, I'm not sure this exists. We wallow in the sewage filled lakes all summer like 'civilized humans'. 🤣
noonesaidityet@reddit
What is even happening right now?
shmelse@reddit
Santos_L_Halper_II@reddit
This seems like one of those things that was highly regional or maybe even just a thing in your town. I’ve never heard of such a thing but maybe that’s because I’ve always lived in Texas and the air outside usually feels like hot tub water so this wouldn’t thrive here.
Opposite-Mushroom940@reddit
Yeah no. That tub was full of DNA.
theloop82@reddit
I went to one of these once. They had a mattress covered in plastic like your grandmas couch and I bet the water chemistry was 16% body fluids. Never went to one again and got my own hot tub eventually and even with just us going in there keeping the water on point is sort of a pain. It sort of ruined Public/hotel hot tubs for me
Spartan04@reddit
I remember a place like that being advertised, and even then it sounded nasty. I didn’t know anyone that actually went.
Impressive-Record839@reddit
Absolutely not. In college we did used to just go to hotel pools and act like we were staying there quite a bit
Bubbleguts420@reddit
Make some egg drop soup in that thing… Amirite?!?!?!
owlthebeer97@reddit
What state is this haha? I'm from Florida and we just used to crash condo/hotel hot tubs and pools.
Designer-Bid-3155@reddit (OP)
Boston
throwaway402342@reddit
Yes, in the early 2000s there was a place like this in Lincoln, Nebraska called The Tubbery. It was awesome.
HopelessMagic@reddit
I think you lived in a very privileged neighborhood. We climbed up in the neighbors barn and fooled around until the farmer came back down the road. Then we ran for the cornfield and hoped he didn't see us. 😂
Designer-Bid-3155@reddit (OP)
Greater Boston
HopelessMagic@reddit
Yeah, you should know... That's not normal. 😂
ECNV1978@reddit
Yep, there was a spa where I went to college that you could rent a hot tub room for an hour at a time. Most people did it before or after a massage (this was a high end place in Palo Alto). I don’t think I’d do it now but in college my friends and I went in on a room quite a few times.
TheDeansPeanuts@reddit
Uh, does anybody want to tell OP what hotels that charge by the hour are for…
timbreandsteel@reddit
Getting drunk and munching out...
6thBornSOB@reddit
I didn’t know this was even a thing! Probably for the best, no way I could’ve afforded it🤣
denotsmai83@reddit
Only other time I’ve ever heard of one of these was also on Reddit, though more people (not me) seemed to know what they were. And the people who had been to one were very open about having sex in them.
El_Hefe_Ese@reddit
I went to one in Michigan a few years ago. It was great I'm the snow No mattress tho, that's just...too much
18randomcharacters@reddit
People saying this is gross don't understand that the water is drained and refilled for each guest. And cleaned inbetween. Like a bath tub.
In Denver, there's the Oakwell Beer Spa (https://oakwell.com). Went there for an anniversary with my wife, it was a very nice experience.
HansMoleman78@reddit
Cuddles and Bubbles!!
assa9sks@reddit
Still do..Onsen’s are all over the PNW
Intelligent_Owl_377@reddit
This guy hot tubs 😉
moarlo@reddit
Seems like a place meant for “other activities”
gravteck@reddit
What is this sorcery? Even my Google Fi was struggling. I found a couple "marketplace" hubs that can find rentals by the hour, but Xennial wise, no reference point whatsoever.
PetSoundsSucks@reddit
Did one of your friends bet you to hang out at the crusiest location in town and you both kept escalating?
Square_Manufacturer2@reddit
What are you even talking about??!
Impossible_Memory_85@reddit
What is this gross nonsense