The Legend Series line of hot tubs from Master Spas has been around for many years, but this high-end line of premium products recently got a boost from the company’s relationship with Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps. With the economy rebounding and consumer increasingly aware of healthcare and wellness issues, Bob Lauter, CEO of Master Spas, Inc., in Fort Wayne, Indiana, says the time was right to offer a new set of products.
“We saw opportunities for the business coming back,” Lauter says of the higher end of the marketplace. “We decided we would re-launch the Legend Series as the Michael Phelps Legend Series.” The company asked Phelps to be part of the development process and the new line was designed around the unique proportions of the famed swimmer. “We got his dimensions from his sitting position, from bottom to shoulder, from shoulder to elbow and elbow to wrist, so we could create a seat that would perfectly contour to Michael’s body,” Lauter says. These measurements set the size for the largest hot tub in the series which, at 9 feet by 8 feet, can accommodate even very tall users comfortably.
The Michael Phelps Legend Series sits at the top of the Master Spas line and offers a range of features not found in many other products. “All the valves and air controls are custom designed, so there’s nothing off the shelf,” Lauter says. “It’s the same with the jets. They’re all specially tooled just for us.” Customers looking for the best of the best will find a lot to like in the Phelps-inspired hot tubs, and the features aren’t just focused on comfort.
Elite-level athletes have long known the value of hydrotherapy. It’s an area that heavily influenced the design of the Michael Phelps Legend Series, which sports 72 jets in the largest model, each located to relax, massage, and loosen stiff or stressed muscles. “Michael Phelps, on days he was training in the swim spa, would always start at the end with the jets, loosening his muscles and listening to music,” Lauter recalls. At the end of a workout, Phelps would again use the jets to cool down and relax. It’s a practice popular among athletes working at peak performance. “At the last two Olympic trials in Omaha, we supplied not only a swim spa in the athlete’s area where the training pool is, but we also provided hot tubs there. They were mobbed,” Lauter says.
These unique, upscale features make the product line a perfect fit for those high-end consumers interested in the very best. At Phoenix Hot Tubs and Swim Spas, owner John Flanigan separates the Michael Phelps Legend Series hot tubs from the rest of the displays so they aren’t intermingled with other products. He believes the hot tubs are better shown as a standalone type. “It’s a better hot tub from the ground up,” Flanigan says. “The quality of the construction, the different features and everything it offers.” That’s also how his team sells the product. “We bill it as being a better hot tub with more functions, more therapeutic features, better purification, a better warranty and stronger jets,” he explains.
Lauter says the jets on the Michael Phelps Legend Series are larger, more powerful and more numerous than those found on most other offerings, and the Mast3rPurTM Water Management System creates cleaner, clearer water with fewer chemicals and less chlorine. “The challenge for every spa manufacturer is to make the product as maintenance free as possible,” he explains. Customers can even quickly set the temperature and manage the hot tub’s filter cycles through an application on their mobile device. “We’ve taken all the best technology and practices and put all of them into the Michael Phelps Legend Series,” Lauter says.
Customers don’t need to be Olympic-level athletes to appreciate how therapeutic features and leading-edge engineering contribute to an enjoyable hot tub ownership experience. “I also think they’re impressed by the warranty,” Flanigan says of buyers. With a five-year, 100-percent warranty, he says, “They have peace of mind knowing they’re buying a high-end, quality product.” Because customers are likely to have their hot tub for many years, Flanigan encourages them to find a product with the aspects they most enjoy and value, such as those included standard on the Michael Phelps Legend Series. “If you buy exactly what you want, you’ll get more of your money’s worth instead of something that isn’t what you really wanted, or something where you settled for the price point.”
