Decorating Inside & OutHome & Garden

We Got A ThermoSpas Hot Tub… Our First Hot Tub Ever!

thermospa-hot-tub-concord-blue.jpgJim and I always want to call it “ThermaSpa”(with an “a”), but technically the company name is ThermoSpas (with an “o” and usually plural). Confusing name, but their hot tubs are a supurb quality and we couldn’t be happier that we are the proud new owners of a ThermoSpa hot tub.

I just thought I’d share a little about how we were introduced to ThermoSpas and why we think they make some of the best hot tubs around.

 

I’m Not Really The Hot Tub Type
By the way, I never thought I would be the owner of a hot tub. It’s just not anything I’ve ever been interested in. I mean… we’ve had a swimming pool before (at a house we rented in Florida), so I know how we actually ended up using it much less than we initially thought we would.  And I’ve always put hot tubs in that same category as swimming pools, trampolines, jungle gyms, and weight machines — expensive things you always think you’ll use a lot. But in the end, you don’t.

That said (and much to my surprise), I’m actually extremely glad that we got a hot tub! Jim is, too. But I don’t think we would be as happy with just any hot tub. We like our ThermoSpas hot tub for several very specific reasons. (For what it’s worth… ThermoSpa says that their demographic is 35 to 64, with most being in their mid to late 40s. Yep, that’s us!)

First, a little about how we became sold on ThermoSpas and suddenly felt that we just had to have a one of their hot tubs…


The ThermoSpa Sales Process

I (probably like many of you) saw the commercial on TV that said:  “Call for your free gift and DVD about ThermoSpas.”

thermospas-dvd-and-brochure.jpgWith no intentions of actually buying a hot tub, I was still eager to watch the DVD and see what makes ThermoSpas “so different” than other hot tubs. Because… okay… I could far off in the distance see myself as a hot tub owner. Someday. But not now. So I looked at it as… I was “just doing research” in the event that we eventually decided to buy a hot tub. Someday.

Plus, I knew that our new log home would be built within the next year or so, and to be honest, the thought of us soaking in a hot tub out on our rustic wooded property sure sounded nice!

So I called.

A couple days later, the DVD and brochure arrived in the mail (along with the usual “Act now and get this too!” offers). We put it aside for a week or so. Finally, one morning, Jim and I decided to watch it “just for the heck of it”. Quite honestly, neither of us felt that a hot tub was calling our name. I’d say we were tetering between “lukewarm” and “cold” in terms of our interest level at that time.


First Impressions  

Neverthless, while parts of the DVD were a little salesy and over-the-top, the bottom line was: Jim & I were completely sold! We immediately wanted one.

And I bet the majority of those who watch that DVD for the first time feel the very same way. It’s only natural, because you’re hearing all of the most positive things about ThermoSpas hot tubs.

Specifically, what stuck in our head was how the ThermoSpas removable wall panels and insulation system were so different from most other hot tub lines. Turns out, those features play a big part in why ThermoSpas last longer and customers are generally happier with ThermoSpa hot tubs.

Here are 2 pages from the ThermoSpas brochure that explain the insulation system better than I can:

wall-panels-thermospas-insullation-1.jpg wall-panels-thermospas-insullation-2.jpg

I just know that it’s much more efficient and easier to work with than hot tubs that use foam insulation.


About That “Free Site Visit
“…
A few days after watching the DVD, we got a call from ThermoSpas asking if we were interested in a “free site inspection” and more information about ThermoSpas. I didn’t want to do this just yet, because I know how impulsive we are with things like this — when Jim and I want something, we usually end up getting it. And I could tell that we were really starting to want one of these things!

I mostly felt that we should be focusing on saving money and building our new log home. Jim thought this would be the perfect addition for our new log home. I agreed. (Little or no arm-twisting was involved.) And to top it all off, we were excited by all the “freebies” they were throwing in — including a discount on the price.

In the days leading up to the site visit, Jim and I went through all the reasons TO buy a hot tub now, versus all the reasons NOT to. We were definitely leaning toward not buying at this time — simply because the money would be better spent toward our log home.  Together, we agreed we’d just listen to what they had to say and gather information for that day when we might ultimately decide to buy a hot tub…. in the future.

thermospas-hot-tub-salesman.jpg When the sales guy showed up, it was November, and relatively cool outside — yet he was dressed casually, and tanned as if he’d just returned from a vacation in Jamaica. He was so not a salesman in the typical sense. Yet, he was extremely knowledgeable about ThermoSpas hot tubs. We liked his easy-going nature and laid-back attitude. Still… he knew just the right things to say and just the right ways to say them to keep us interested.

But quite honestly, we were very intrigued with the company and their products. It sounded like a very professional, reputable, and reliable company. Not to mention the fact that this guy had been with them for several years and seemed to be happy and treated well by the company. (That’s always a big sign to me… how happy a company’s employees are. In my mind, a company’s employees are representative of a lot of other things: overall reputation, reliability, longevity, morals, work ethic… you get the idea.)

Of course, before we knew it, we were to that point in the conversation where you have to make a decision: accept the offer now, or wait and decide later (but lose out on all the freebies). Ugh! Don’t you HATE that. It’s a stupid sales tactic. But gosh darn it, it works!

thermospas-hot-tub-difference.jpg So we picked out the size hot tub that would work best for us (the Concord Platinum II). And selected exactly where we wanted the jets — and how many. (In the end, we got more jets (99) than most hot tubs in this price range typically have, but they say the number & placement of jets are the biggest factors in the whole “spa experience”. Now, we’re so glad we did.) Finally, we haggled a bit on the price, signed on the dotted line, and awaited the day our hot tub would arrive.


Waiting For Our Hot Tub To Be Delivered

The plan was to have them deliver it to our “new” home — our log home — that (at the time) we thought would be built by the summer or fall of 2008.

Well, fortunately, ThermoSpas is completely flexible with their delivery dates. They ended up storing our hot tub for a good 7 months, until we finally decided that we’d just have them deliver it to our current home — as it’s clearly going to be several more months before we get started building our log home.

So we quickly put in a small patio, and now our Concord Platinum II hot tub has a permanent home!