We've had so much rain lately. OK..it's a relief from the freezing temperatures and snow.  It was great fun to soak in our Hot Spring Spa with snow coming down. That is gentle soft snow with big fat flakes. The rain's another story. Driving rain shouldn't keep you from using the tub.  After all, what's a rainy night in the hot tub without an umbrella hat?  Silly and stupid looking, but oh so practical. How else will you preserve your hair-do on rainy nights? Keep a conversation going? Avoid mopping your face every five seconds? Order enough for the whole family, guests, too! Umbrella hats from Olympic Hot Tub are a hot tub must have. Be sure to check our e-store for availability as inventory is limited. SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for health through water.

Limelight Hot Tub's waterfalls are visually stunning.  Did you know that hot tub waterfalls are not only visually appealing but  can play an active role in stress relief?  It's not only the trickling sound or the visual play on water that is so calming. The air at the bottom of waterfalls contains a significantly higher concentration of negative ions-electron packed molecules that have been shown to have an anti-depressant effect. A 2006 study at Wesleyan University found that exposure to negative ions alleviated depression within 15-20 minutes.  One possible explanation for this effect according to lead researcher, Naomi Gael, PhD,  Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, is that negative ions increase the amount and activity of serotonin ( a chemical that regulates mood) in the brain.  So alleviate New Year stress by sitting in your new Limelight Hot Tub from Olympic Hot Tub Company. If you're lucky enough to have a model with a waterfall, grab the seat next to it, relax and breathe deeply.

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for health through water.

 

So you're making time to go out to soak in your Hot Spring Spa? But will you take a break? Will you take a book, a report, notepad, self-help audio tape, your cell phone out with you? But I'll bet you won't take a break. No you won't. You'll do something "productive". Like filling your time up with mind clogging stuff. Are you prone to multi-task while relaxing? How about filling your hot tub break with idleness instead? Yes, idleness. As in doing nothing. Yes, we know you've got a million things to do. But idleness can't wait. The western world in particular has forgotten what it means to be idle. To just sit and do nothing. Not read. Certainly not pick up the phone. Just sit and watch the world go by. You DO NOT have to fill your hot tub soaking time with things to do. It's more beneficial to do nothing. As in N-O-T-H-I-N-G. Can you let yourself soak in your Hot Spring Spa and do "nothing"? Try it. Just be lazy. Even the word lazy has a negative connotation. Appreciating nature is not being lazy. Watch butterflies or listen to birds. Gaze at the stars. But be idle. Because as an ancient Chinese saying goes: Man who sits by river all day, and doesn't think it's a waste of time, is a wise man. Re-written as woman who soaks in hot tub and lets mind wander, is a wise woman who will be refreshed and live long. Thanks to Psychotactics, New Zealand for the inspiration on the topic of idleness. SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

Thanks to Cindy & Dave Lorengo for the lovely Christmas card sent to their salesperson, Jim Gatens, who manages our Olympic Hot Tub Issaquah store. Jim shared it with me because it illustrates a very important point about hot tub buying: Dear Jim: Can't tell you how much you helped us find the perfect spa! Dave told me the one pictured would be more than enough, but thank God I insisted on seeing you first!! Thanks again! May you and your family have a great holiday! Love Cindy & Dave Lorengo. Jim is a gifted listener. He listened to Cindy and Dave's need and wants and matched them with a new Limelight Flair model.  It's ultra spacious for two; roomy for 4 and, in a pinch, will seat 6.  The original picture they'd looked at was much smaller. You can understand why they're so happy! Yes..size does matter in a hot tub. Buy the smallest one and you'll regret it forever. In our 31 one years in the hot tub business, no one has ever come back saying the one they bought was too big!  As long as it fits the setting and doesn't overwhelm the space (i.e. small urban backyard), go for the roomiest model you can afford.  More water equals more deep relaxation. More space guarantees more pleasure. SANUM PER AQUA.- Latin for Health through Water.

Sound too good to be true? Normally you wouldn't think that soaking in a hot tub and coffee go together.  The tub relaxes you and the caffeine gets you going.  However, if you jump in your hot tub for a short time-say 10 minutes, you'll find that you're revved up and ready to go. If you sometimes suffer from stress headaches and ibuprofen is your pain reliever of choice, you'll be interested in research from the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. We all know that soaking in your Hot Spring Spa can help relieve tension and the kind of stress that causes headaches.  Also, a combination of caffeine and ibuprofen appears to bring faster and longer lasting relief from tension headaches than either substance taken alone. And, while it's well known that caffeine helps pain relievers work better, this is the first clinical study to show that caffeine alone can work as an analgesic. Researchers gave volunteers either ibuprofen, ibuprofen and caffeine, or a dummy pill.  In the first hour and a half, the group taking caffeine alone had just as much pain relief as the ibuprofen/caffeine group indicating initially that caffeine was responsible for the actual analgesic effect. A number of pain medication contain caffeine, but for now no manufacturer makes an ibuprofen/caffeine combination. It seems that you can get the same effect by taking ibuprofen with a cup of coffee or two. More research is needed on the ibuprofen/caffeine pain relief connection.  We do know that  even faster, more effective tension relief can result if you hop in the hot tub after taking ibuprofen with a cup of coffee.  Soaking speeds up your circulation and makes both substances work more quickly on your headache!  Many of our Olympic Hot Tub Company customers have told us that this is a sure cure for a tension headache. After New Year's Eve, you may have sought hangover headache relief...yes, soaking in your Hot Spring Spa "the morning after" speeds recovery. SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through water.

Tonight's the night for our yearly ritual. We soak in the tub with a glass of bubbly and celebrate our good fortune.  We can hear the bells & horns and see tips of fireworks  across the lake from our rooftop Hot Spring Spa. Safe, warm and away from the traffic, it's just the two of us. We toast the year to come and wish for another year of health and happiness, continued good fortune, a great business, family & friends.  Here's to all of you hot tubbers who are doing the same tonight: Happy New Year! May all of your wishes come true.

      This is the Dream. This is the Dream we carry through the world that something fantastic will happen that it has to happen that time will open by itself that doors shall open by themselves that the heart will find itself open that mountain springs will rise up that the dream will open itself that we will one early morning slip into a harbor we have never know before. Thanks to Robert Bly for this translation of the poem from the late Norwegian poet Olav Hauge. That sums up my feeling about the hot tub: dreams are dreampt and feelings felt and explored like no where else on earth.  We wouldn't be without our dream machine! Happy New Year! From all of us at Olympic Hot Tub. RES EST SERVAS VOLUPTAS. Pleasure is Serious Business.

This fan letter from an Olympic hot tub owner says it all.  SilkBalance has been a skin saver during our recent snows and bad weather.  Read on:

"I'm a family physician in his sixties. Over the years my skin has gotten drier, and during the winter I get eczema rashes. I had to limit my use of my Olympic Hot Tub (the Bengal) to once a week or less. Any more frequently increased the itchy rash. This was a big disappointment to me because the hot tub has long been part of my stress management. When I get into the tub, the stress just melts away. The family is also the beneficiary of my better mood! I was in the showroom, buying some more Spa Shock, when I saw someone with this tear-shaped orange bottle. He was telling the salesperson that he used the SilkBalance treatment weekly, and since he did, his skin was much better. Having overheard him and sensing his delight with the product, I decided to try it myself. I purged the tub and filled it with fresh water, according to the instructions. I did not use the Calcium Hardener, but did use the shock, SilkBalance, and a bit of chlorine. Then I started using the tub daily. What is truly amazing is that my dry skin and rash have diminished dramatically. The water feels soft on my skin, and my sense is that the natural oils are not washed away as much with the softer water. I also enjoy the feel of the softer water compared to the Calcium hardened water. The further benefit is that I don't have to check the chemical balance of the tub anymore. I just trust that with weekly application of the SilkBalance, the balance will be maintained appropriately. I've been using the SilkBalance weekly ever since. My skin continues to be way better, and I need way less moisturizing and cortisone creams. I'm afraid I've become a true believer." Hope that's helpful. My bottle of SilkBalance is near gone. Let me know when I can drop by and pick up another. Warm thanks, Bruce Davis If you haven't tried SilkBalance yet, what are you waiting for? Enhance your spa experience, save your skin AND use your tub with less hassle. It's a win/win!  Order today at our estore. We ship nationwide: If you're already a SilkBalance user, I'd love to hear what you think about it in your hot tub! SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

Holiday cheer-that's tea by the hot tub-brought by our friendly, ready for any weather delivery crew! Want your new hot tub by New Year's Eve? We're ready to deliver it for you! I just got an email from an Olympic Hot Tub customer about hot tubbing in the snow:  

We are really enjoying our hot tub. Good way to warm up when it's so darn cold. (My feet get like ice. Is it because they are so far away from my heart? Do short women have warm feet?)

The first day it snowed - we suited up and headed out to the hot tub. It is such a rush to be in  the freezing air one minute and up to your neck in hot water the next!!

We caught our breaths, laid back with the winter sun in our faces, snow glistening on the branches above our heads. Keith turned to me and said "this is the moment hot tub owners look forward to all year. I mean,  isn't this what's it all about?"

I told him he sounded like a commercial!

But he's right. No matter how wonderful it is to soak under the stars in the summer or to a chorus of peeper frogs in the spring- the first soak after the first snowfall is magical. She's so right about magical. Saturday night my husband and I got in our rooftop Hot Spring Spa as the snow fell. We live on a steep hill and even at 11PM we could hear people skiing and sledding down the hill laughing all the way. The snow was so wet we had to wear hats-Blair in an old felt cowboy hat I'd had from a costume party years ago; I in a Minne Pearl straw number I use to keep the sun off while gardening.  We were a sight. But the water was heavenly, the snow on the trees magical and we had a wonderful time.  What a perfect way to end the day. Did anyone else take a soak in the snowstorm?  I'd love to hear about it.   Anyone making snow angels? I was tempted, but didn't want to give up the enveloping warmth that takes over your body after soaking in the cold.  I hear there's more snow on the way. Stay warm in your hot tubs.  And, if you don't have one yet, you don't know what you're missing!

There's an intersting blog called Journey to the Hot Tub by Hot Tub Lizzy aka Beth G. Intrigued, I emailed her and asked her why she used that title. Here's her reply: "Here's the deal with the hot tub. I've been separated for a year, and going through divorce. I've met a WONDERFUL new man, who I just adore, and we were talking about what could make our wedding night special, since we've both been married and had kids and all that... stuff. I said something about always wanting to have someone with me in a hot tub that I could cuddle with and just enjoy (my ex was SO not a cuddler or anything like that) so we decided that on our wedding night we will for sure get a room with a big hot tub... so my blog started out as just as my thoughts and feelings as he and I start to get to know each other and as we progress towards the day we get married... but then it sort of took over a life of it's own.. :)" Beth, best of luck on your "journey to the hot tub" via walking down the aisle!! You've made the right choice for a wedding night: a room with a hot tub. Here's my 2009 wish for you: a hot tub of your own that you can soak in every night with your new husband!! Happy Holidays. RES EST SERVA VOLUPTAS. Pleasure is a serious business!