At the recommendation of the store where I purchased a hot tub, I hired Boldt Theile, Inc. electrical/mechanical contractors to do the electrical work to get power to the spa. This included tapping into my panel, installing a GFI circuit (spa pack quick disconnect) inside the basement near the panel, and running the cable outside the house then undergound in a conduit to the tub.
The install was smooth and on time, and the electrician was very friendly, professional, and honest. The government electrical inspector said that he did an excellent job. There were no problems until recently (2 months later): there is no power to the tub. According to the hot tub sotre's maintenance people, the spa checks out ok, so they think the problem must be with the breaker or the GFI quick disconnect. I'm calling Boldt Theile tomorrow, so we'll see if it's covered under some sort of "warranty."
UPDATE: Follow-up service was outstanding! The electrician actually picked me up at the city bus station and drove me to my house. He did a troubleshoot and determined that it was not actually an electrical problem, but rather a hot tub issue. He spoke to the hot tub people (who originally wrongly misdiagnosed the problem) and they came out the next day and fixed it under warranty. Highly recommend Boldt Theile, Inc.