What to Look For
THE MANUFACTURER
- How long has the manufacturer been in business?
- How customer service oriented are they?
- Do they stand behind their warranty?
THE DEALERSHIP
- Do they include delivery, set up, and get your spa running for you?
- Do they teach you how to take care of your water and provide water testing?
- Will they provide prompt efficient service if you have an issue?
- Do they have qualified service technicians available to service your spa?
The Product
THE SHELL
- Is there is a LIFETIME guarantee that the spa will hold water?
- When you're using the spa, water will naturally be splashed in and around it. Does the spa have a 'triple lip' design to allow the water to drip off and not collect on or run down the side?
- Are there entry steps into the spa?
You're often entering and exiting the spa at night, so large steps allow for safe entry going in and out.
(When you've been in the spa for a while, you may wish to cool down a bit. You can sit on either of the top two steps, it's safer than sitting on the edge of the spa and you get to keep your legs in the water.)
INTERIOR SPA SIZE
- Look at how much room you actually have inside the spa. Everyone measures their spas externally, but it doesn't really tell you much space you have when you're in the spa.
CONTOURED SEATING
- Is the spa deep enough to keep your shoulders warm in the water without having to slide down in the seat?
- Does the spa have contoured seating? Contoured seating provides the user with a much more comfortable seat than the 'angular' seating found in many tubs.
- Does the spa have different seating styles and heights so that you can enjoy some variety as you move around the spa?
LARGE AND DEEP FOOT WELLS
- Does the spa's foot well allow you to sit upright comfortably with plenty of foot room when your friends or family are in the tub with you?
SHELL SUPPORT
- Is the shell supported at the lip only or only at pressure points?
- Is the supporting structure pressure treated wood or metal which can bend, rust and rattle?
FULL FOAM
- Does the spa come with full foam insulation?
- The main benefits of full foam are Energy Efficiency which saves you a lot of money over the life-time of the spa.
- The other great benefit of Full Foam is that the water lines are ensconced in foam so they don't move when the jets are turned during normal filtration. There is over 200 pounds of water hanging in the lines at any one time.
Every time the jets turn on, the water lines kick - that's the WATER HAMMER EFFECT. The foam keeps the plumbing lines in place and supported so they don't move.
QUALITY OF PLUMBING
- Does the spa use the best grade of flex pipe to plumb ther spa or does the spa use cheaper hoses and garden style hose clamps to secure the water lines to the jets?
- Are the pipes glued to the fittings?
- Are the pipes clamped? One of the main problems with clamps is they literally cut into the plastic over the years and also rust, so they lose strength.
MASSAGE THERAPY
- Are the seats designed with the help of a Chiropractor to provide deep tissue massage through the accu-pressure jets?
- Does the spa have a variety of different massage patterns in the various seats?
- Does the spa have a designated full massage seat?
- Does the spa have calf jets to massage tired legs?
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