Editorial
Front Page - Friday, January 29, 2010
The Pool Place offers the latest in spas, not hot tubs
David Laprad
Certain things come to mind when someone says “hot tub,” few of which are appropriate to mention in a business information newspaper. Maybe being able to say more about his product in polite company is one of the reasons Jeff Halling, store manager at The Pool Place in Chattanooga, has switched to calling them “spas.” Targeting a broader market than the partying set might have something to do with the change, too.
“They’re very therapeutic,” Halling says. “Many of our customers buy one to help with back and neck issues.”
That doesn’t mean spas no longer serve the needs of the leisure crowd, it’s just that Halling has a more family-friendly vision of why people purchase his merchandise. “If the kids are out of the house and it’s just a husband and wife, then they might want a spa for recreational purposes,” he says. “Plus, we’ve had several customers tell us they’ve become closer as a family since they’ve owned a spa because there’s no TV or video games; there’s just quiet, peaceful one-on-one time.”
Whether a customer is looking to ease the effects of fibromyalgia or relax with his spouse, Halling says today’s spas offer many appealing features. One of the first he mentions is foot blasters, large helix jets that can be installed at the bottom of a spa. As water shoots out of the jets, they spin, giving the occupant a soothing foot massage.
Halling is also proud of the neck jets his spas offer. “Some spas offer jets that don’t hit your neck; they just hit your back and lower shoulder blades,” he says. “We have jets that are able to massage all of your neck.”
Other models feature seats with jets that target a person’s lower back or lounge chairs that allow an occupant to lie down and enjoy a full body massage. People also enjoy the non-therapeutic spa accessories The Pool Place offers, such as stereo systems, a variety of LED lighting configurations and ozonators, devices that attack bacteria and keep the water in a spa looking crystal clear. The Pool Place even sells a spa that allows the user to turn on individual jets, reducing the wear and tear on the other seats and keeping the operating costs at a minimum.
Cost is an obstacle for many people who’d like to own a spa. To address this concern, The Pool Place sells a line of scaled down units from South Seas that still offer a relaxing experience and many therapeutic benefits. From there, The Pool Place sells three lines of spas manufactured in Las Vegas: the Island Class, the Platinum Class and the Platinum Elite Class. Prices start at around $3,000 and go as high as five times that amount.
Even if money is no object, Halling says a potential customer should still consider a few things before buying a spa, including where he wants to install it. “The best thing you can do is place them on a concrete slab, but we do put them on decks,” he says. “If you have a tall deck or a narrow walkway going up the steps, we can even contract a crane company to do the job.”
In terms of operating costs, Halling says spas generally have a negligible impact on a budget. Used three times a week, the average spa will add about $35 a month to an electric bill and require about the same level of investment in chemicals.
Health concerns such as high blood pressure also come into play, although Halling says hypertension does not disqualify someone from using a spa. “There are truths and myths about that,” Halling says. “If you have high blood pressure, you’ll want to dial down the temperature and regulate the amount of time you spend in the water.”
Finally, there’s upkeep, which Halling says The Pool Place has well in hand. “We do our service in-house. You won’t be asked to call an 800 number and you won’t talk with someone in Indonesia,” he says. “Our spa tech has been with us over 20 years, and he knows what he’s doing. You call here and we’ll generally be at your place in a day or two.”
The Pool Place also offersfree in-house water testing.
Halling says spas are a year-round activity, so his sales team will be working through the winter months to move inventory. That said, people looking for a deal should check out The Pool Place near the beginning of spring, which is when the store plans to launch a number of specials. Financing is available and each spa comes with at least a three-year warranty.
And don’t worry about slipping and saying “hot tub.” Even Halling did it a few times.
Learn more at www.poolplaceonline.com.
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