After 50 years on the market, home hot tubs are now enjoying overnight success status as Albertans acquire the disposable income, living space and the respective weary bones in need of a thousand tiny bubbles to massage those aches away. Showrooms around Calgary are seeing plenty of traffic and many of those tire kickers are coming back with chequebooks and design plans in hand.

Globally and through the ages, communal hot springs and baths have provided relief, relaxation and comfort to rich and poor alike. In 1956 the Jacuzzi brothers applied the healing properties from ancient Roman baths to a family member’s arthritis symptoms with a hydrotherapy pump. With modifications and modern detailing, we arrive at the kind of snazzy selection of home spas one might expect at a prestige auto dealership.

A luxury item, clearly, but given the aggressive work ethic of Calgarians, Darren Jordison, general manager of Jacuzzi Premium Spas of Calgary, sees it as a just reward. “People are so wound up. It’s simplistic for me to say that hot tubs make your life better — but they do!” he says. The combination of warmth, weightlessness, and gentle friction from the bubbles or water jets is said to break down the buildup of lactic acid caused by stress or anxiety. Circulation is improved with the opening of blood vessels, the muscles around arthritic joints are relaxed, and the endorphin flow increases.

Customized jets to target muscle groups or specific physical concerns are features available with today’s hot tubs. And major manufacturers, like Jacuzzi and like Cal Spas sold through Harbour Spas Home & Leisure, provide a huge variety of seating configurations to suit purposes such as regular hydrotherapy treatment, entertainment centres for parties, or as a space for families to relax and rejuvenate together. Cal Spas are proud of the ergonomic therapy seats available where the “performance jets” are lined up with your aching neck, back or even calves.

Meanwhile, Jacuzzi’s patents on the PowerPro jets and other advancements in pump systems not only deliver the “ahh” factor, but they also work in conjunction with other design standards to continually address customer fears of the cost and maintenance of a home spa. In fact, having the luxury of a home spa is much cheaper than you might think.

“I can’t stress this enough,” says Jordison, adding, “(but) you need the right insulation.” He explains that by using 100 per cent foam insulation in the tub, the unit holds heat better so you’re not using as much energy to keep the water hot and you’re not replacing heating elements either. He says the cost to run a Jacuzzi hot tub for 30 minutes a day at 102 F in Alberta is between $5 and $28 a month. On top of that you have a system with a lower power, but more efficient and quiet motor in the pump. “You don’t want to listen to rattle and hum unless it’s rock and roll,” says Jordison.

The new generation of hot tub owners get all the value-added features you’d expect in a “lifestyle” purchase. First on the must-have list from Jacuzzi is the CD stereo system with waterproof speakers, MP3 or IPod hook-ups in some units, and a remote control built into the system. Harbour’s Cal Spas have the auto-rising and auto-storing 20-inch LCD TV and 42-inch plasma screen — a sure hit with soakers who enjoy watching sports or movies.

Coloured waterfalls, underwater disco lights, LED trays, glasses and pillows, and scent treatments that won’t harm the units are also among selling options that conspire to turn anyone who dares take a test drive/soak in one, into a hot tub wannabe owner.

– EDITED BY METRO CALGARY