A SPA.....A HOT TUB.....AN OUTDOOR JACUZZI?  

It was late summer 2002 when we came to a momentous decision  -

"The holiday cottage will have to go, but let's indulge ourselves by getting a spa/hot tub instead, to luxuriate in at home." (Heaven forbid that any sale proceeds should just gather dust in a savings account!).

We had owned the cottage for almost 22 years and enjoyed many happy times there, although as the years sneaked past we knew that eventually the need to visit regularly to tend the large garden area and maintain the building could become a worry.

Surprisingly, we had the sense to decide to sell before that point was reached and the projected tub was to be our reward, replacing 'Our Place In The Country' with 'Our Watering Hole In The Back Garden.'

It should be said that our previous knowledge of these exotic artifacts was limited to the basic hot tubs which are often provided as an alternative, or in addition, to the swimming pools available at many hotels and holiday camps - a sort of adult paddling pool - but nonetheless very pleasant in which to relax, hence our interest.

As mentioned above, this decision was taken at the end of August, and as we did not want the onset of winter to dampen interest in the cottage, we found an agent who would put the property on the market quickly, while we simultaneously began a closer study of  available sources of information on hot tubs, initially via the internet, magazine adverts, and local telephone directories.

Brochures poured through our letterbox and it soon became clear that deciding on the right spa for us would not be easy, given our lack of knowledge of what were the really important features within the wide range of models on offer.

In reality, we suspected that for most first time purchasers, 'what you haven't had you don't miss' would be fair comment so long as, features at least matched any previous experience, the chosen spa didn't look as though it would fall apart the first time it got wet and that there was a suitable place to put it!

This 'pearl of wisdom' did not however stop us spending long hours agonising over the choices available and led, we hope, to a more informed decision as to which came out top with the features we thought we wanted, and at the same time represented value for money.

The time had come to visit showrooms, listen to some salespersons and look at the actual goods on offer, and so in early September we took the plunge (sorry!), and went forth.

Naturally our first visit was to the nearest Spa Shop to our home, but when we got there, it was far too small to display any spas!

This, it turned out, was not a problem, as they directed us to their recently opened purpose-built showroom nearby, displaying a variety of models complete with  eager (but pleasant) salespersons, and more brochures for our perusal.

We were also invited to come back and try 'a wet test' in one or more of the spas that were currently filled, and bubbling away to themselves, before making a final decision - and this offer was repeated by other firms - although we never did, being rather shy and, more particularly, both elderly and overweight. How many people do take up these offers we wonder! Only those whose bodies have recently been honed to perfection in the local gym we suspect.

We were quite impressed with the showroom which we visited first, and in the end they nearly got our business, but obviously we needed to see what else was on offer, as there were significant price variations between different manufacturers products which apparently offered similar features.

So, off we went on our travels, taking in another three showrooms and many new models, gradually getting ever more confused with the surfeit of choices, and beginning to lose track of what we had seen, and what merited more detailed consideration.

In the meantime, the cottage had sold quickly and without difficulty, so we decided, "One more showroom and then it's make your mind up time".