7 Best Chairs for Your Pool’s Tanning Ledge

Looking for a nice ‘pool chair’ for your tanning ledge? Spoiler alert: not all are created equal. Instead of providing a list of cheap pool chairs, today I want to cover 7 of the best chairs for your tanning ledge on the market today.

In this post, I’ll break down what I like about each one, what to keep in mind based on your pool, and provide information on where you can purchase them.

If you have a shallow tanning ledge that holds 2-3” of water most any chairs for tanning ledges should work, but it’s a good idea to double-check.

Below is a table with the dimensions and a few other specs for the top in-pool chairs on the market that I’ll break down in detail.

I’ll start with the resort-quality chairs available that are the best in my opinion. There are cheaper options out there as I’ll cover, but you get what you pay for with these!

Much like ‘ Kleenex’ who pioneered facial tissue, when people describe an in-pool chaise lounge, they often refer to it as a Ledge Lounger®. Ledge Lounger is actually a company that designs in-pool furniture, including their classic chaise lounge chair.

This chaise lounge, like all products from Ledge Lounger, is designed specifically for in-pool use even though it can be used outside your pool. Each chaise lounge is designed to be filled with water so it can remain on your tanning ledge without blowing away.

The chaise lounge chairs by Ledge Lounger come in three varieties: 

• Signature: Now UV20 rated, Ideal for shallow ledges with less than 9” of water
• Signature Deep: UV20 rated, ideal for 10-15” of water.
• Autograph Chaise: UV20 rated, more ergonomic design with lumbar support; can be used in water up to 12”.

Ledge Lounger offers great support after the sale and their team is responsive whenever I have questions. Ledge Lounger offers a 2-year warranty for any material defects and all products are made in America.

If you’ve seen an in-pool chaise lounge at a resort hotel, there’s a good chance it’s a Ledge Lounger.

Aside from Ledge Lounger, another major contender in the in-pool furniture category is Floating Luxuries.

Their Kai model comes with different drain holes, including one in the middle (to keep your butt dry) if it rains or water gets in the seat. The cupholder even has a drain hole so it never fills up.

This one is rated for 9 inches of water, so keep that in mind; if you have a deeper ledge, I’d go with one of the Ledge Loungers.

The Floating Luxuries product selection is growing, and I personally love the addition of the cupholders and phone holders on these chaise lounge chairs.

Another in-pool chaise lounge designed for deeper ledges is made by a company called S.R. Smith. This chair only weighs 25 pounds empty, while the Floating Luxuries Kai model weighs in at 41 pounds.

If you need a chaise lounge chair for a deeper ledge (that’s lightweight), the Destination Lounger by S.R. Smith or the Ledge Lounger Signature Deep would be my recommendation. Both are of similar build quality.

This S.R. Smith model weighing 25lbs when empty as opposed to the Ledge Lounger Signature deep that weighs in at 60 pounds.

If you plan to maneuver your chair around quite a bit, the Destination model is among the lightest I’ve seen.

I’ll start by saying this particular chair (and others like it) are not ideal for all tanning ledges. Some ledges are quite deep (7 to 9 inches minimum), so you need chairs large enough so they won’t float away when filled with water.

If you only have a few inches of water on your tanning ledge, this model by Robelle may suffice. If you want an in-pool chair that actually floats like a pool float (and can be used on shallow ledges), this is a good budget option.

I recommend both the Ledge Lounger and Floating Luxuries pool chairs for the tanning ledge category, but for less than a couple of hundred bucks, this chair is ideal if you want something portable you plan to move around.

One up-and-coming pool furniture company that has a pretty unique chair on the market is made by a company called Temjam. 

Their Shayz in-pool lounger comes with patent-pending ‘Speed Fill’ technology which helps fill and drain the chair quicker than most. This model also has a cupholder which is nice, and a bit lighter than Ledge Loungers.

You can purchase risers of 4”, 8”, or 12” depending on how much water you prefer in your tanning ledge. If you have a deeper ledge, I’d pesonally stick with Ledge Lounger, but this feature is a nice addition if you like the look of these.

Okay, so let’s switch gears. If you want a chair for your tanning ledge you can sit up in to read a magazine or sip a drink, I recommend this low-back chair from Ledge Lounger.

These low-back chairs are designed for use on ledges up to 9”; you can even pick up their optional side table or side table with ice storage (pretty awesome).

The Autograph chair by Ledge Lounger is a slightly modern version of the low-back, one of the coolest designs I’ve seen for pools. These are slightly more expensive, but solidly built from UV16 resin.

These arrive assembled, and when paired with the headrest pillow really look amazing in or out of the pool. I’ve seen these placed on patios and inside; you can also pick up a side table with these to use for entertaining.

One last note

Quality matters if you don’t want outdoor furniture to fade after a few weeks, so always look for a high UV rating and chairs designed for in-pool use.

While it can be tempting to find cheaper pool chair options made of, vinyl, wood, or metal, cheap chairs can damage your pool and even rip vinyl liners since many aren’t designed with smooth contact points (and don’t come with warranties).

Looking for more ideas? Check out my post on these Baja shelf furniture options if you’re in the market for an umbrella or other poolside accessories.