Bubbles soak up the blues

Top-of-the-range spas such as this $35,000 Phoenix model come with flatscreen TVs. Photo / Doug Sherring

Not since the days of fondue sets, crockpots and progressive dinners have spa pools been quite so sexy.

When they arrived in Kiwi backyards in the late 70s and early 80s, they were power-hungry tubs of concrete and the fanciest gizmo was an on/off switch to control the bubbles.

People threw parties to celebrate the new asset and the combination of hot bubbles in the pool and chilled bubbles in a glass often became the perfect excuse for inappropriate behaviour.

Nowadays the flashiest models cost the same as a family car and come with inbuilt TVs, floating remote controls, drinks holders and seductive lighting.

And despite the recession, or perhaps because of it, spa pools are holding their own.

Manufacturers and retailers say some customers can't sell their homes and decide to install a spa instead.

Richard Holden, of HotSpring Portable Spas, says he's noticed a pattern of people delaying putting their homes on the market and deciding to make them "more fun to be in".

BBQ Factory Auckland regional manager Peter Drew says spa sales have been rising week by week: "We've had a good winter."

Like others in the industry, Drew thinks fallout from the recession has been good for business.

His main competitors are travel agents. People weigh up whether to spend money on a trip or invest in an asset for the home.

Top-of-the-range at the BBQ Factory is the new $35,000 Phoenix model which includes a 48-inch flatscreen home entertainment system, which rises at the press of a button. The company has sold several already, he says.

Other models boast massage jets which ripple up and down the back, a floating remote iPod control, aromatherapy options and programmable coloured lighting.

They cost anything from $5000 to $35,000, with sizes ranging from a snug two-seater to a party-sized 12-seater.

Thanks to stiff competition for that leisure dollar, there's never been a better time to buy.

Anthony Chan, owner of Poynters outdoor leisure store, describes the spa business as "a consumer's dream".

His company sells them for between $5000 and $20,000 but says the margins are extremely "lean".

"We don't rely on spa pools alone. We'd be gone if we did."

As well as adding value to a house, Holden thinks spa pools are good for family relationships. "You have a chance to talk. You don't do that sitting eating your dinner in front of a flatscreen TV."

Auckland businessman Simon Farrell, who recently bowed to pressure from wife Liz, son Tom and daughter Molly to buy a spa pool, agrees.

Since the pool's arrival at their Ellerslie home, his family has enjoyed some "idiotic and entertaining" conversations they wouldn't normally have had.