Hot in the Springs

Some people just can’t live without their spas, like John Weeks, a father of three, who says that life would be a duller, sadder thing without it.

Complete with a massage system that targets pressure points throughout the body while soothing muscles and hydrating the skin, the luxury versions, not surprisingly, are what attract many Colorado Springs spa buyers.

“The jets just put you back to life,” Weeks said of his spa, a Hot Spring Grandee. “Especially if you’ve exerted your muscles. It’s just great.”

It’s people like Weeks who are helping hot tub sales bubble over in the Springs. Local sales are increasing, as much as 30 percent this year at some stores, dealers said, in the face of a national decline, according to the Associated Pool and Spa Association.

Helping propel sales are luxury features such as built-in flat-screen TVs and surround-sound systems. The luxuries make the hot tubs of the past now be known as spas.

Andy Rusk, owner of Hanson Spas, attributed his growing sales in Colorado to the climate.

“Colorado’s weather is perfect for a spa,” Rusk said. “It’s not like Arizona where the heat doesn’t go down. In Colorado, nights are cool and so it’s ideal.”

Local popularity of spas has made the industry as competitive as ever, with brands and features emerging daily. The competition is so fierce that one local spa retail owner, Matt Young, described it as “cutthroat.”

“It’s extremely competitive,” said Young, co-owner of Colorado Mountain Spas.

“Everyone’s trying to outdo everyone else with putting more motors, jets, lowering prices, having quicker service, etcetera.”

Young’s business expanded from one Woodland Park store to one that he and his father opened in Colorado Springs in April.

Although local dealers say business is good, nationally a weaker economy has led to a 4 percent decline in spa sales in the past year, said Lisa Poincenot, Hot Spring Spas’ national marketing director.

Consumers either don’t have enough money or would rather buy other luxury goods such as plasma TVs or a car, she said.

“The product is a hard sell,” Poincenot said. “People don’t have extra money to spend.”

But Ed Lachendro, owner of Juscozi Spas in Colorado Springs, said that’s not a problem in the Springs because spas are always in demand.

“It’s au naturel here, and it’s a trendy thing for a lot of yuppies,” he said. “Besides, what are the two things that hot tubs breed? People will always love their sex and therapy.”

CONTACT THE WRITER: david.yi@gazette.com or 636-0368