SpaRetailer — The Voice of the Hot Tub Industry

Hidden Revenue
Rising costs. Tightening margins. Quieter showrooms. Retailers’ instincts may tell them to chase more customers, but examining business operations can reveal a more immediate opportunity: increasing…
Cold Tubs: Hype Cycle or Staying Power?
Cold plunging in lakes and oceans has long appealed to athletes and wellness enthusiasts, but those experiences aren’t always accessible or practical. When cold tubs…
Beyond the Brand
Change usually starts before anyone says it out loud. A product line shifts. A strategy evolves. A partnership ends — but expectations don’t.
Great Bay Spa & Sauna
Great Bay Spa & Sauna has been part of the New England hot tub industry since its earliest days. Founded in 1976 by three college friends…
Monetize Your Customer List
You already have one of the most valuable marketing assets in your business — and there’s a good chance you’re not using it.
Watkins Wellness: Refining the Brand Story
Watkins Wellness has restructured how its entry-level hot tubs are positioned, bringing the Freeflow line into the Hot Spring brand to create a more unified…
Dynasty Spas: Finding the Middle Ground
For many backyard buyers, the decision between a pool and a swim spa doesn’t always end with a purchase — it often stalls somewhere in…
Think Inside the Box
The U.S. sauna market is no longer niche. “In America and the West, sauna is coming out of its infancy and exploding,” says Arash Amini,…
The Visual Language of Luxury Spas
“Less is more” is the mantra of upscale retail businesses that attract high-income customers. Years ago, I ghostwrote the visual standards manual for Saks Fifth…
Unlocking Hidden Revenue
For many hot tub retailers, success has traditionally been measured by spa sales. But experienced dealers know long-term stability isn’t just about selling more units;…
Engineering the Industry
Many people in the hot tub industry come to it through family businesses or early career opportunities. Others, like Angelo Pugliese, who recently retired as senior…
Clip Problem, Solved
When Logan Dowson owned a hot tub dealership, he regularly heard the same complaints: broken rear cover clips and the hassle of reaching behind the…
Haviland’s Creative Chemistry Center
Haviland Enterprises, Inc., a globally recognized chemical manufacturer and distributor, has opened its Creative Chemistry Center, a $7 million, 11,000-square-foot research and development lab in…
If you had to audit a typical spa retailer, where do you think they’re leaving the most money on the table right now?
SpaRetailer Insiders: If you had to audit a typical spa retailer, where do you think they’re leaving the most money on the table right now?
Recalibrate the Right Way
This issue, we look at where retailers focus their energy when the easy answers aren’t there.

GPM Brands Announces Appointment of 2 New Executives to Its Sauna Division

Pool & Hot Tub Alliance Announces Faculty Chairs for Center of Excellence

Superior Wellness Celebrates Multiple Wins at the 2026 WhatSpa? Awards

PHTA Announces Public Review Period for Revised PHTA-6 Standard for Residential Portable Spas and Exercise Spas

Latest Issue

SpaRetailer

June/July 2026

The newest issue of SpaRetailer explores how today’s spa retailers are adapting in a market where growth looks different than it did just a few…

View Full Issue View Archive

Online Partners

At the Shop

Great Bay Spa & Sauna
Expansion, culture and customer connection are driving the next chapter of a nearly 50-year-old business

Great Bay Spa & Sauna has been part of the New England hot tub industry since its earliest days. Founded in 1976 by three college friends selling wood hot tubs off trailers at ski mountains, the company grew alongside the industry, becoming one of the region’s long-standing Sundance dealers.

Read More

Built to Last, Ready to Grow
By Gary Metivier
As QCA Spas prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary, the company is doing more than reflecting on the past—it’s building on a legacy. What began…
Simplifying Water Chemistry: FROG®’s New Balancing Basics Kit Takes the Guesswork Out of Hot Tub & Swim Spa Care
By King Technology
Revolutionary all-in-one solution addresses top customer pain points For spa retailers, few customer service calls are as frequent—or as frustrating—as those about water chemistry problems. Cloudy…
Turn Old Models Into New Sales: 10 Strategies to Move Year-End Inventory
By Dan McManus
As fall hits and Q4 races to the finish, one question looms: What’s your plan to clear out this year’s inventory before the new models land? Those…
60 Years of Craftsmanship Meets the Future of Spa Water
By Gary Metivier
For nearly six decades, QCA Spas has been building high-quality hot tubs with the kind of Midwestern craftsmanship that never goes out of style. As…

Latest Industry News

GPM Brands Announces Appointment of 2 New Executives to Its Sauna Division

Pool & Hot Tub Alliance Announces Faculty Chairs for Center of Excellence

Superior Wellness Celebrates Multiple Wins at the 2026 WhatSpa? Awards

PHTA Announces Public Review Period for Revised PHTA-6 Standard for Residential Portable Spas and Exercise Spas

The SpaRetailer Podcast

Episode #144 Maximizing Customer Satisfaction Through Effective Hot Tub Setup

In this episode of The SpaRetailer Podcast, host Megan Kendrick welcomes back Alex Granlund of King Technology to discuss a…