Limelight Spas: Premium Features at a Mid Level Price

Our Limelight line from Watkins Manufacturing,  the maker of Hot Spring Spas, is a mid level priced spa line that has many of the same features as the Hot Spring Spa line.  The spas are beautiful with an elegantly detailed spa shell.  The seating is spacious and incredibly comfortable.  The cabinets are well built with steel frames and low maintenance ELMwood simulated wood. 

http://www.limelighthottubs.com/

Limelight use the same Wavemaster Pumps as the Hot Spring Line.  The Silent Flo circulation pump automatically filters and heats the water.  It is quiet and very energy efficient.  The titanium No-Fault heater is dependable, efficient and backed by an exclusive No-Fault warranty.

Limelight features include the Raio Lighting System that illuminates the entire hot tub with multiple points of light.  This lighting accents the contemporary lines of the spa shell, the four corners of the spa and the tranquil arch of the Vidro waterfall.  The six colors can  change through a rotating loop or remain constant, while illuminating at 3 different brightness levels.  The jet configurations are varied and effective in providing superior hydrotherapy.   Limelight Spas are now available with the Ace Salt Water Sanitizing System as well.

These mid priced spas are more than equal to the competition's premium priced spa lines.  They are a choice that can save you money and still give you many of the important features of our Hot Spring Spas.

The Best Colorado Hot Tub is a Spa from Hot Spring Spas

     In the spirit of a mission statement I thought I'd make it perfectly clear why I started this blog. I want to earn your business. Our quality products, our fair prices, and our commitment to service are the tools I'll use to earn your business. No spa is the equal of a Hot Spring Spa. In Denver, International Hot Tub Company represents Hot Spring Spas. For over 32 years IHT has been selling Hot Spring. Over 22,000 spas sold. This is an effort to open another line of communication for my customers and prospective customers. I hope to help anyone, with any type spa, with any issue or concern they have. I invite everyone to comment.

     Make no mistake about it. Hot Spring Spas are the best engineered, most therapeutic, most reliable, quietest, and most energy efficient spas made. In my posts I discuss specifics that support this.  For now I'll leave you with the following endorsements.

ACE™ salt water sanitizing system - Hot Spring Spas

While the rest of the spa universe is reeling from the economic recession and struggling just to survive, for the past four and a half years Hot Spring Spas has been testing the industry's most advanced water care system for spas ever developed. The Ace Salt Water Sanitizing System is the first and only integrated salt water system for spas that uses "Diamond Technology"!




This is absolutely cutting edge, state of the art, none better, but most of all.......really really cool. This thing makes it's own readable, testable sanitizers. It makes water chemistry fun. It makes spa water clean in a natural way. No acidic stabilizing agents that give chlorine it's strong chemical smell. You easily manage settings through your spa's main control panel. The system tells you when it to check and test, once every 30 days.

I can't keep my hands off of the spa we have on our floor with Ace. I keep testing and touching the water. My strip reads 5 ppm (parts per million) chlorine. But the water smells fresh. I know if I had that level of chlorine from a granular source, my eyes and nose would be stinging from the chemical. These natural sanitizers are so much milder to the senses. And I love using the integrated control to test and display the salt levels. The salt level bar with its line level indicator.........on the main control display!! Ace Salt Water Sanitizing System makes maintaining your spa easy and fun!!

More on Ace

The Ace Salt Water Sanitizing System is one of Hot Spring Spa's best selling options.  Over half of my customers have opted to include this state of the art water purification system on their new Hot Spring Spas.  Many have had similar questions about the system.  This article will address some of those common concerns. 

                                                                             

The Ace System generates a bundle of five, natural, sanitizers from salt and water.  It is integrated into the spa control system and uses a diamond generating cell.  It is the only water care system for a spa that uses this diamond technology.  These five natural sanitizers are Active Oxygen, Chlorine, Ozone, Hydrogen Peroxide, and (when pH down is present in the water) Mono per Sulfate. Conventional, granular sanitizers are loaded with acidic stabilizers.  These acid stabilizers are necessary to produce a granular product.  The side effect is that they give the products their chemical odor, and can dry on your skin leaving it itching or irritated.  Sanitizers produced by the Ace Salt Water System do not have any acid characteristics.  They feel and smell clean, natural, better than their conventional counterparts.

Some common questions and my responses include :

1. Does that mean I don't have to do anything to my spa water with the Ace System?  No.  The system does require initial balancing and setup.  However, after an initial set up period, the Ace system will allow the spa to sanitize itself and be hands free for up to 30 days.

2.  Does the Ace System completely eliminate all conventional bottled chemicals?  No, pH will need to be adjusted.  Granular Chlorine is added to shock the water every 30 days.  Also on start up, with a fresh batch of water, it can take up to three days for the Ace System to generate proper Chlorine levels.  If the spa is used right away, GLB Granular will need to be added.  In fact, our Ace chemical package includes a complete set of conventional chemicals to be used if necessary.

3.  Will the Ace System save money? Yes probably.  You will use less conventional chemical, but will have the cost of salt, replacing the generating cell every 3 years, and you will need a Vanishing Act Calcium reducer when ever spa water is changed.  But Ace is about more than just saving money.  It is about clean, natural, organic sanitizers that greatly improve your spa experience. 

4.  Can I go longer in between water changes with the Ace System?  Yes.  Hot Spring says you will be able to go 6 months or longer before needing to drain and refill your spa.

5.  Can I install an Ace Salt Water Sanitizing System on any spa?  No.  Ace is designed and integrated into 2010 and newer Hot Spring Spas and Limelight Spas.

                                                                                     

6.  What's the difference between the Ace Salt Water System and the salt systems I've seen on other spas?  Ace is the only Salt Water System that uses diamonds as part of the generating cell.  This allows the system to work with lower salt levels.  The Vanishing Act Calcium reducer, part of the Ace system, softens the water leaving it silky and smooth.  Other spas use salt systems originally designed for swimming pools.  These systems work great in cooler pool temperature water, but have corrosion and scaling issues in hot water.

Only Hot Spring has the Ace Salt Water Sanitizing System.  It uses proprietary technology that is simply not available on any other spa product.  It was tested in multiple locations throughout the country for 3 years before Hot Spring sold a single system.  It is reliable, state of the art and simply the best spa water care system in the world.

    

No Bypass, 100% filtration.

      I thought a few words about filtration might be appropriate. Hot Spring was the first spa manufacturer to incorporate no bypass, 100% water filtration into their spas. Every Hot Spring Spa includes this feature.  It means that when you're using a Hot Spring Spa,  the water stays cleaner.
     To understand water filtration, lets start with some basics. Filtering water means pumping it through a media that allows the water to flow, but stops solids or particles and traps them in the media. The filter media is then cleaned periodically. Swimming pools use sand or diatomaceous earth filters. These filter media are inexpensive and easy to clean. A swimming pool filter is backwashed to clean the media. Back washing is simply running water backwards through the filter and then out of the system. It usually removes a couple hundred gallons of water from the pool which is insignificant when your pool holds tens of thousands of gallons of water.  Auto fill valves or a garden hose replaces the water.

      Spas don't use sand or d. e. filters because they need to backwash to be cleaned.  Dumping "hot" water on the ground is very energy wasteful and expensive.  Spas use cartridge filters to remove solids from the water.  These cartridges are easy to clean and replace.  Almost all spas use these types of cartridges.  Most spa manufacturers use a filter with a bypass in their spas so they can accommodate large volumes of moving water when the jets are running.  This means when you're sitting in the tub with the jets on, most of the water being pumped against your body is not filtered.  Manufacturers do this to save money.  They can filter the water adequately with only one filter cartridge.  Usually a 2 speed pump is used, with the low speed for filtration.  Low speed will run for several hours everyday keeping the water clean.

      Hot Spring uses as many as five filters in their spas.  They do this to filter the water better.  Each jet pump uses two filter cartridges, the silent flo circulation pump uses one.  Every drop of water that circulates in a Hot Spring spa is filtered.  This means that while you sit in a Hot Spring Spa the water is cleaner than that of a spa using bypass filtration with only one cartridge.  You can see the difference if you wet test in our showrooms.  We have as many as 6 wet spas in our showrooms and some have conventional bypass spa filtration.  I have seen customers sit in various spas in a wet test situation.  They usually spend time in different spas, trying the different models and features.  When they're finished, the water in the spas with standard bypass filtration has a more clouded look.  The Hot Spring Spas are cleaner, the water is clear and sparkling.  The spas with standard bypass filtration have the pump running on low speed after each use and will be clear after a period of time.  But Hot Spring just does it better.

Ace Cell Cleaning Procedure

The Ace Salt Water Sanitizing System from Hot Spring Spas has a simple cleaning procedure that should be proformed when necessary.

The Colorado Life Style

My wife and I just got back from a few days in the mountains.  It was the kind of trip many Coloradoans make.  Whether it's camping, or a B & B, or a remote family property,  we love to head to the hills.  After all, those hills are the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado Rocky Mountains!  When we get there we go hiking, strolling, biking, climbing, hunting, fishing.........endless options.  One option many enjoy are the thermal hot springs found all over the state.

 

                                                                                                      
Mineral hot springs are geothermal features that many resorts have been built around.  Glenwood Springs for example, has two huge pools fed by a natural hot spring.  There are many natural hot springs in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Around the world, for thousands of years and in many different cultures, soaking in hot water has been enjoyed by many.

It's one of the common threads we all share.  It's one of the pleasures of being human. If you're a human being, it feels GREAT to soak in hot water when your body is aching. If you live in Colorado, where people have so many options for fitness and recreation, one may find oneself overdoing it a bit.  And that  was my situation returning from our mountain get away.  We had spent a few days with a canoe on a gorgeous, pristine mountain lake.  Purple mountain majesties towering above us.  We were out twice the first day, then 3 times the next.  Even past dark to watch a nearly full moon rise on the lake.  While being novice canoers we over did it.  Sore is a mild way to put it.

                                                                                                                 

When finally home we indulged ourselves in a mind blowing, pain relieving soak in our spa that made our Colorado getaway perfect.  A spa in our back yard is like having access to a hot spring resort 24/7, all year long.  We love it!!  After all, we're only human.

Beware the Pack

In the hot tub world there is one leader.  One manufacturer that is head and shoulders above the rest.  Watkins Manufacturing is the worlds oldest, largest and leading spa maker.  Watkins makes Hot Spring Spas, Caldera, Limelight, and Hot Spot Spas.  Watkins is a  MASCO company.   http://www.masco.com/  MASCO includes Behr Paint, Delta Faucet and 3 dozen other home improvement companies.  Watkins is the only spa manufacturer that is part of a publicly traded, fortune 500 company.  This makes them not only the strongest, most financially stable company, but also the spa maker with the most resources. 

Watkins employs engineers and designers, while having access to those from other MASCO divisions.  It has the financial strength  to do the research and development necessary to be the industry leader.    Watkins newest innovation, the Ace Salt Water Sanitizing System was in Beta testing for three years.  In many different locations through out the country.   

The second tier has several spa makers like Sundance, Jacuzzi, and Dimension One.  These are good spas, not the equal of Hot Spring, but good.  These spa makers have UL listed products.  They have some level of engineering and do some research and development, as well as testing.  They have national dealer networks and are generally good companies. 

The Pack is all the other spa makers.  Many have products that are not UL listed.  Some are small assemblers that purchase spa shells and equipment from bigger spa makers and then build their products using equipment they did not manufacture.  Most of the pack has no engineering departments at all.  Research and development is nonexistent.  They buy products from original equipment makers and put them in their own.  They are the smallest companies, many with fewer than 20 employees.  Some have fewer than five.  They are companies that have the weakest financial foundations.  That means you take the biggest risk when doing business with them.  They have fewer resources to honor warranties and have the most chance of failure.  They are the companies that can close down one day and open the next under a different name.  So beware the pack.

Before you buy a Cal Spa, Watch This!

Nordic Spas, The Industry Leader In Its Class

International Hot Tub Company has been known for 33 years as offering the very best spas from Hot Spring Spas.  But Hot Spring is not the only manufacturer we represent.  In an effort to provide the very best in all price ranges IHT began offering Nordic Spas 5 years ago.  They have been received by our customers with exceptional success.  These spas are great values.  Now IHT has a premium spa in every price range. The Robb Report, internationally-renowned for rating premium products, selected Nordic as one of the five best spas in the world.





Nordic says these spas are "Simple, Therapeutic, Affordable, and Reliable".  They are indeed, exactly that!  Nordic is one of only a very few spa makers that still offer a tradition round hot tub.  This simple design has advantages that many square designs lack.  It is easy to move about the spa with its barrier free bench seating, no lifting your body over an arm rest or bucket seat divider.  This round spa allows for a special whirlpool jet to provide the classic, training room style hydrotherapy.  With the whirlpool jet operating, all the spa's power is directed to this one big jet creating a giant whirlpool.  This is the kind of hydrotherapy that professional athletes have found  gives the most positive results.  Nordic does all this with a very low price tag.  Many models are available at under $5000.00.  Finally, these tubs are very reliable.  We have very few issues with these spas.  That makes our customers and our management very happy.  So, if you're on a budget, but still want a fantastic spa experience, consider our Nordic Spas.  Great spas at great prices, at IHT we have something for everyone.

Kids and Spas

If you have children you know how much they love the water.  As an adult, I can vividly remember family time as a child including water often.  Being older than (dirt, as well as) most of the spa industry, my memories are of vacations and outings.    The seashore or east coast campgrounds with lakes, streams and creeks.  Water always being there to enjoy and play in. 

My kids grew up in Colorado with a spa in their back yard.  When they were small, it was constant!  "Can we take a hot tub?"  They'd spend hours playing, under a watchful eye, in the tub.  We introduced them to our spa as babies.  It was tender and bonding, while giving them confidence and experience with water.  They learned to swim quicker because of their early experiences with the spa.  There was no need to teach them not to be afraid to put their face in the water, they'd learned that years before diving to the very bottom to retrieve their latest favorite toy. 

As parents, we enjoyed our time with and without the kids in the spa.  Family time is important, but so is alone time.  Simply relaxing with the quiet, night sky.  Kids can be stressful.  A spa in your backyard can take care of the whole family, the kids, or sometimes, take care of just you.

Hot Spring Equipment and Serial # Locations

For our new customers, this might be helpful. I show how to access your Hot Spring Spa's equipment compartment, and identify some major components.  I also point our where your spa's serial number is located.

Golden Opportunity 2010 Model BLOWOUT Sale!

If you've ever told yourself "I'm just waiting for the right time", to buy my new spa, well here it is.  The time is now! At IHT we have 40 brand new model 2010 spas that are priced to move.  In fact, we've rolled back prices on these 2010 spas to 2007 price levels.  This is a real sale.  The lowest prices we have ever had on these 2010 spas.  Never will prices be this low again.  Remember, this is a limited time offer.  When they're gone, they're gone.

                                                                                 

You can make this New Year your Best Year ever!  Stop by and visit with me.  I can show you the way a new Hot Spring Spa can improve the quality of your life.  And for less cash than ever.  Value is what it's all about.  The Absolute Best Lifetime Ownership Experience.

Happy Holidays and Winter Fun

Tis the season, Hot Tub Season.  Imagine the ultimate Christmas gift.  A gift everyone can enjoy.  A gift the whole family can use together.  A gift that can be enjoyed anytime time of day or night.  A gift that can be used in any season, at any time of year, year after year.  The ultimate holiday gift is a new spa from Hot Spring!

Whether your dashing through the snow to a holiday gathering, shopping, or just trying to get home after work, a new hot tub will brighten your holiday season.  Why put it off.  It's been something you've been thinking about forever. 

                                                                                
Now is the time to make your life better, more relaxing and at the same time make this the best Christmas ever!

Ace now Available on Limelight spas

The same Diamond Technology that's available on Hot Spring Spas is now available on the Limelight spa line as well.  It's completely integrated into the Limelight spa control, state of the art, and available immediately. 

To Lounge or not to Lounge

That is the question, certainly for most first time hot tub buyers.  In fact, it may not be a question at all, but a feature that is an absolute must.  I've heard my prospective customers say it over and over.  "We want a spa with a lounger."  A lounge in a spa can be very appealing.  To recline in a soothing, warm spa environment with the jets working your sore and tired muscles sure seems like heaven to me. This perception is reality for many, but not for everyone.  Many spa users, while being enthralled with the thought of a lounger at first, find their preconceptions were misplaced.  There are several issues that make a lounger work well for one individual and not so well for another.

                                                              

         

Let's begin with defining just what a lounger in a spa is.  A lounger is an area in a spa the allows the bather to recline in a position that puts your feet up and your shoulders back, often with your head on a spa pillow.  It's like lying in a bed of soothing warm water.  At least that is the goal, which many spa makers fall short of. 

If the lounger in a spa is not designed well, if it allows your hips to float up when you recline, then you feel as if you must hold on to keep from floating out into the spa. Some spas makers put too many jets in a lounger.  When the jets operate, they can lift you off the lounge, again making you hold on in a less than relaxing manner.

Hot Spring  has designed their loungers to keep your center of gravity under your shoulders, with the knees slightly higher.  This allows most bathers to completely relax their body and not float.  I say "most" because individuals vary in shape and size.  The very smallest may never be able to enjoy a lounge the way they may have imagined, feeling that if completely relaxed, their head would slip under water.  My point is that people come in many different sizes and shapes.  Hot Spring designed their loungers to accommodate most body types.  But one size can never fit everyone.

I do have a very general rule for loungers.  Women have more tendency to float than men.  But this is general and for you to know if a lounger in a particular spa is right for you, you MUST wet test the spa.  Sitting in the spa dry gives many insights to a prospective customer, but only a wet test can tell you if a lounger is right for you.  So bring your suits the next time you visit one of our stores and wet test.  You'll be glad you did.         

The Swim Spa Fallacy

     You've seen or at least heard of the Swim Spa.  It's a hydrotherapy/exercise product that can be a self-contained, all in one product, like a portable spa. A swim spa can also be an in-ground, custom built product, like a swimming pool.  They are smaller than a pool and able to heat to temperatures like a hot tub. The swim spa will use powerful pumps that move water to create a flowing current one can swim against.  The idea is that it can be used for soaking in hot water, like a hot tub, and it can also be used for exercise, swimming in a stationary manner.  Like running on a tread mill.

     The fallacy in this perception is the water temperature required for soaking comfortably is much higher than the temperature that makes swimming for exercise comfortable.  At your local swimming pool the water temperature is around 82 degrees.  This temperature allows a swimmer to raise his heart rate and get the cardio exercise desired, while not over heating.  A water temperature of 100 - 104 is required to comfortably soak in a hot tub.  Anything lower than body temperature cools you to the point of being chilled if you're not moving or exercising.  So the images many of these swim spa makers present of people enjoying the soak while a family member exercises are not realistic.

     Another issue I have is the constant nature of the water flow.  When I swim laps to exercise I am constantly changing speed.  As I feel winded or tired I slow, as I begin to feel stronger I increase my speed.  I even change strokes, free style for when I'm feeling strong and breast stroke for when I tire.  When water flow is created mechanically it is constant.  The speed of the current does not slow when you swim slower or increase when you swim faster.  It is difficult to use these products the way the makers claim they can be.                                                                                                                            

The Horse Power Conundrum

     One of the things many spa sales people talk about is horsepower and jet numbers.  They'll say things like this tub has "two, five horsepower pumps and 80 jets".  You might hear another say "two, seven horsepower pumps and 100 jets".  The idea is that more is better.  It does seem logical, if 1 is good, 2 must be better.  I think the most jets I've ever heard of in a spa is 150.  What is being implied is that if you have more horsepower and more jets, the better the hydrotherapy, the better the spa.  In fact, horsepower and the number of jets in a spa have very little to do with the quality of the hydrotherapy or the quality of the spa.  

     What makes for quality hydrotherapy is engineering and design.  It is not how many jets or how much horsepower, it is the way the spa feels when you use it.  Are the jet configurations designed to deliver a comfortable massage?  Does the spa work different areas of the body as you move from one seat to another?  Can you sit in a multi jet therapy seat for more than just a few minutes before the jets start to feel uncomfortable or irritating?  When you turn on the jet pumps do they operate quietly or are they loud and noisy?  A Hot Spring Spa delivers superior hydrotherapy, quietly and energy efficiently.  They accomplish this through superior design and engineering. 

     The Moto-Massage DX jet is an exclusive jet system in Hot Spring Spas. Imagine two warm streams of water sweeping up and down the entire length of your back, soothing overworked muscles and loosening all the little knots of tension. With just a slight shift of your body, the warm stream glides easily over the muscles on either side of your spine.

The Soothing Seven jets are unique as well.  Each jet's seven outlets broadcast a large volume of water. Positioned side by side, these hot tub jets provide gentle treatment to your shoulders and upper back. A Hot Spring spa exclusive.

These are just two of the nine different jet systems you'll find in a Hot Spring Spa.  They provide excellent hydrotherapy.  And they do it quietly and in an energy efficient manner.  It's all about engineering and design.

Silk Balance spa water care system

     Soft, silky, sparkling, clean water.  Silk Balance, a water care system for spas that leaves your skin silky smooth, soft, and moisturized.  It's like a  spa salon skin treatment every time you use your personal backyard spa!  This is real luxury!  You'll feel like a million bucks!!!    

     This product is the real deal.  Finally, a water care system for spas that is simple.  Really!!  Simple!! No testing.  No balancing. Just put the products in and your done.  It's used with spa chlorine, monpersulfate (non-chlorine shock), and a silver ion mineral purifier (Nature II).  It will work with any spa but it's best with a spa that features a constant circulation pump and a 24-hour ozonator. This product was made for a Hot Spring Spa that uses a Silent Flo Circ pump and constantly injects ozone.

     I know many struggle with dry skin in Colorado, especially in the winter.  Some may even use their spa less.....or not at all.  And that's a shame.  Hot water therapy is a wonderful thing and for anyone who has been forced to limit his or her time in a spa, Silk may be the answer.  We've been selling Silk for over 18 months and have overwhelmingly positive customer feedback.  I can recommend it with complete confidence.  There's a 30 day guarantee.  If your not satisfied with the product, return it and we'll replace it with conventional chemical products of your choice.  Try it, you'll love it!!  
   

Fun Friends & Family

Of all the things you can do outside, in your own backyard, in Colorado, nothing can have a more positive effect on your life than a Hot Tub. Everyone who has ever soaked in a spa knows how fantastic it feels. The aches and pains of daily life, the stress from all of life's demands, they all seemed to melt away in a hot tub . So I've started this blog to help my friends and customers with the adventure of spa ownership.

While owning the right spa is a wonderful thing, finding the right spa can be a confusing process. There are so many choices, so many decisions, it can be overwhelming. But it doesn't need to be. I'm going to talk about one specific issue in each of my posts. And in the spirit of first things first, why do you want to own a hot tub? Understanding your own spa dream, the reasons you want to own a spa, that's the first step.

Your Spa Vision "Where should I put it?"

     When you fantasize about the luxury of a personal spa in your own back yard, what do you see?  Do you see scenes from that new movie, Hot Tub Time Machine? For some, perhaps. Maybe you see family time, with the kids or grandkids. How about quiet time, early, early morning. Just before sunrise. You're in the tub listening to the birds begin their morning melodies, sipping a cup of your favorite brew. I could go on and on.....the reasons you want a spa are personal and unique. But understanding those reasons enable you to begin deciding, how big, where, what features and so forth.

    

    One thing many prospective spa owners struggle with is choosing to install the spa outdoors rather than indoors.  Concerns for privacy and weather conditions often lead  one toward an indoor installation.  It's easy to assume you'll use your spa more inside than you would out.  But exactly the opposite is true for most people, especially in Colorado.   The dry weather and air make an outside installation a wonderful experience.  The beautiful night sky, the sunsets and sunrises make your hot tub experience visual and well as tactile.

     There are some things you can do to make an outdoor installation work best.  First, the closer to the door the better.  Taking just a few steps from the door to the spa makes it easy and comfortable to use your spa.  Longer distances from the door to the spa can make it more chilling than warming.  Also, a cover lifter makes removing and replacing the cover simple and easy.  Of course your landscaping and garden beds, patio furniture and grill equipment,  make everything come together to create  your vision, your backyard paradise.