Visakha

With warmer spring days and cooler nights upon us, plus summer vacations (hopefully) in the not-too-distant future, it's officially hot tub season. (Not to mention The Bachelorette starts back up again on Monday, meaning a summer full of steamy hot tub moments awaits on reality TV if not in actual real life.)

But while a soak in the hot tub may sound relaxing, is it hygienic? Does shaking in a few chemicals actually do the trick? We turned to a couple of experts -- Michele Hlavsa, RN, MPH, an epidemiologist and chief of healthy swimming for the Centers for Disease Control of Prevention and Charles Gerba, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology and environmental studies at The University of Arizona -- to find out.