When I was first asked to put this little report together, the first thing I thought was "How can you make a brief article about a show that takes two full days to walk?"

Well the answer is "you can�t" but I will do my best to keep this to a size that is palatable for the average internet reader.

There is good news and bad news of the horizon for the average spa buyer and the average spa dealer.

Good news, nobody is trying anything real experimental on the buying public, so there should be few surprises for all of us in the year to come.

Bad news: No one is doing anything really exciting either.

Sure there are a few new cabinets out there and yes televisions are getting bigger in the spa industry, but what does having a 60" plasma television or a stone look-a-like architectural foam cabinet have to do with quality and durability?

Is the American buying public really that blinded by glitz? Some of the major spa / hot tub manufacturers think so and are spending a lot of money hoping that they are right and the rest of us are just plain stupid.

Example? Stereo system, in your car $400 in your spa $2500. Television, in your house $2500 in your spa $7500! I know that there is a group of the buying public that will want a 60" television, a 2500 watt stereo surround sound system, a satellite up link for their laptop and a laser light show at the touch of a button, but what in the hell has that got to do with the rest of us? (Nothing I hope) I hope that the rest of us use our spas and hot tubs for fun, relaxation, therapy and an occasional intimate moment. I have a hard time seeing where having "The Lord of the Rings" in 12,000 watt Surround sound is particularly inductive to any of the above? Okay maybe it would be fun to have a TV screen the size of the empire state building pop out of your tub when the in-law that said you never would amount to much comes over. But how much is that worth??? (and no it does not count if you have my parents as your in-laws)

If you look through this web site you will see a number of links to http://www.rhtubs.com  (Robert�s Hot Tubs) perhaps they are the only sane ones left? Hot water, clam quite and enough room for 2 to 4 on average.

Some people that read this will think that I am anti-progress, but the opposite is true, I am anti-sales bull, and I am anti-glitz but progress is the one thing that the pool and spa industry desperately needs! When you think about it, how old is the technology that is being sold for spa controls? 15 � 20 years? And how many corners can the motor manufacturers cut to make their products cheaper? (A number of motors used in the spa and pool industry use copper coated aluminum wires for their windings!)

Then there are the simple things, who has a study that shows the effectiveness of ozone in a spa or hot tub?

Who has real evidence of what pressure is best for therapy in the jets? Who has cost studies for the various ways to insulate portable tubs? Who publishes flow rates rather than fictitious horsepower ratings to show how effective their plumbing is? The answer� nobody I saw at one of the largest shows (conventions) of the year!

My advice to the consumer, is beware of glitz and beware of large numbers, such as horsepower and jet count, what has been true in the past is still true, wet test, wet test, wet test! Buy what feels good and not a bunch of sales "stuff".

My goals for the industry for 2005:

1. Real horsepower ratings on motors! (like 1 Hp = 746 watts) see http://auto.howstuffworks.com/horsepower1.htm
   
2. Some form of efficacy testing for ozone and other "alternative" sanitizing methods.
3. Meeting and exceeding the UL 1563 5^th Edition standards.
4. Less glitz and more substance!
5. Better quality components!  If every spa manufacturer required top quality components the price needed to stay competitive would naturally follow.