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 Whether young or old, people report having more
and more problems resting and getting adequate sleep. Our homes have
become our domiciles, the place where we go to get away from the
stress and receive what we need to become functional, rested, and
productive again.
“Hot tubs used to be thought of only as a recreational thing,” said
Andrew Gonzales, hot tub expert at P&W Pools in Lincoln. “Now they
are being shown to be a therapeutic device to restore health.”
On the
Hotspring website there is help defining some of the
overlapping, confusing terms used in this article.
The words 'hot tub,' 'spa' and 'jacuzzi' are often used
interchangeably to describe three very different products. There are
in-ground spas and also above-ground portable spas, known as hot
tubs. A jetted bathtub is a jacuzzi.
Not to be confused with a day spa, the term spa is often used to
describe an in-ground spa. An in-ground spa is a body of water built
into the ground, much like an in-ground pool. In residential
settings, in-ground spas are usually built attached to the in-ground
pool and are also what you are most likely to see at a hotel or gym.
In-ground spas typically have a bench seat and a few jets built-in
around the perimeter. They take a long time to heat up, and require
a significant amount of energy to keep hot.
Hot tub is typically used to refer to an above-ground portable spa.
A hot tub or portable spa is a completely self-contained vessel. All
of the plumbing, as well as the electrical control system and other
components, are built inside the hot tub cabinet. This means that
there is no plumbing required. A hot tub is filled with a garden
hose, can be drained anytime, and can even be relocated to a new
home if you move.
One of the best things about hot tubs is their ability to hold a set
temperature. Thanks to advancements in technology, you can set a
selected temperature and expect your hot tub to be hot and ready to
use anytime you are. There is no need to wait for the hot tub to
heat up.
Hot tubs can range from very simple designs with a few jets, to
intricate acrylic shells with an extremely high jet count. Hot tubs
today have come a long way from the round redwood vessels of the
past, and generally offer a much better experience than in-ground
spas because they are more comfortable, more energy efficient,
easier to care for, and provide better massage.
Much like Kleenex® and Xerox®, Jacuzzi® is a brand name that has
come to take on a generic meaning. The word ‘jacuzzi’ is often heard
when referring to an in-ground spa, a jetted bathtub, or an above
ground portable spa or hot tub. The Jacuzzi brothers invented the
first underwater jet, originally used in bathtubs, and called it a
Jacuzzi jet. The Jacuzzi® brand today makes bathtubs as well as
portable hot tubs – but since Jacuzzi® is a brand name, it’s a good
thing to remember that not every hot tub or jetted bathtub is a
Jacuzzi®. - Descriptions courtesy of
https://www.hotspring.com.
The heat and the jets in a spa or hot tub provide a therapeutic
massaging action to relieve your body of aches, pain and knots
caused during modern life. They have been shown to be helpful with
conditions like Fibromyalgia, and aid your body in achieving total
relaxation. People talk all the time about going home and getting in
the hot tub, and those listening react with longing and envy.
There are cheap hot tubs made out of plastic, offering fewer jets,
lower pressure, higher maintenance and a very limited lifetime, and
more expensive acrylic hot tubs which are said to last forever if
cared for properly.
Hot tubs are also recreational devices, and come equipped with a
myriad of exciting accessories such as waterfalls and fountains,
lighting sets, spinning jets, lounge chairs, and Bluetooth speakers
to name a few. Your hot tub can even talk via Wi-Fi to you to tell
you its status, temperature and whether the filter needs to be
cleaned (if it is the middle of the winter and your hot tub does not
answer when you try to connect with your cell phone app, it might
mean that the power has gone out and you need to hustle home before
your hot tub freezes).
VIDEO:
10 Tips For
Buying a Hot Tub
There are hundreds, if not thousands of places to get hot tubs in
this day and age. Most big-box home improvement stores offer hot
tubs that you can order and have shipped to your house. Club stores
like Sam’s Club and Costco offer hot tubs of all different designs,
colors, sizes and accessorized in all kinds of ways. The internet
hosts thousands of websites offering hot tubs. The problem with all
of these hot tub suppliers is that, although the shipping is
generally included in the price, your three to four hundred pound
hot tub will be delivered via semi truck to the end of your
driveway, and from there the rest is up to you.
You have to unbox it right there at the end of the drive while the
truck is still there in case there is damage or something is
missing. You have to haul it to the place you will be putting it
(BTW – four hundred pounds of big bulky hot tub is not easily
moved). And you get the pleasure of either hiring an electrician to
do the wiring or you get to do it yourself.
[to top of second column] |
P&W Pools in Lincoln sells three different brands of
hot tubs, with sizes fitting anywhere between three people up to 24
people in a “swimming” hot tub. All varieties of colors and
accessories that are available in acrylic hot tubs are available
through Rick and Sue Whiteman’s company, P&W Pools and Spas, which
has been serving customers in Springfield, Bloomington and Logan
County for 37 years. The big advantage of buying from a feature-rich
company like P&W Pools is that you not only get a hot tub for
similar pricing to the online and big box stores, but they include
delivery to the very spot you want it, setup, and offer continual
and emergency maintenance and care. Local service and expertise is
invaluable to attaining and maintaining that relaxation you are
seeking with a spa experience.
VIDEO:
Tuff Spa | P&W
Pool and Spa Inc.
Saunas are also a home therapeutic device. On their website, Almost
Heaven Saunas (https://almostheaven.com/about-saunas/sauna-faqs/)
describes a sauna as: a room made from softwood and that
incorporates a heater — either electric or wood-burning — that is
capable of reaching 190° Fahrenheit and up. An average healthy
individual can tolerate that kind of heat because it is a dry
environment with extremely low humidity. This is called a dry sauna
experience.
However, one other integral traditional sauna component is sauna
stones. These are placed in or on the heater, and when they’re good
and hot, you sprinkle some water on them to create a burst of steam.
This is called a wet sauna experience because it generates humidity.
So to summarize, a sauna is a wooden room with an exceptional heater
that is capable of producing either dry or wet heat.
VIDEO:
Six best home
saunas
Almost Heaven Saunas says that the way you take a sauna is
traditionally a rotation of dry, wet, dry, wet, etc. with cool-down
breaks in between. A cool-down break can be anything as basic as
sitting outside the sauna until you’re ready to enter again or it
can be something as crazy as jumping in an icy lake. However,
sitting in the sauna for an extended period of time with no breaks
is not recommended. The rest is up to you. Some say that the rule of
thumb for sauna usage is whatever makes you comfortable. The moment
it ceases to be comfortable, it ceases to be the proper way to take
a sauna.
The health benefits of taking a sauna are linked to the fact that
sauna rooms get hot. These benefits include improved circulation,
lower blood pressure, enhanced immune system, respiratory relief,
detoxification, burned calories, better skin tone, joint and muscle
pain relief, lose weight and sleep better (information courtesy of
https://almostheaven.com).
VIDEO:
Almost heaven
barrel sauna 6'
There are many big-box and club stores that sell “saunas,” but the
objects they generally label as saunas are actually dry heat closets
heated by uv lights or carbon heaters, rather than real saunas. They
generally do not achieve the heat level of a traditional sauna, and
do not give you the full benefit of a quality wet/dry sauna.
There are no local companies which sell saunas, however. For more
information about home saunas, do a Google search for saunas and
compare features, warrantees, features and prices.
Having a home sauna or hot tub would be a welcome thing to come home
to, ready and waiting to help you relax and recover, and would be a
welcome addition to enhance your home beyond the basics.
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