Carolyn Koenig

Building Your Support System

It may be scaling your business, navigating market uncertainties or being thrust into a leadership role. Whatever the catalyst, many spa retailers eventually realize they can’t — and shouldn’t — do everything alone. At that point, they begin exploring coaches, peer groups or professional communities that offer the experience, perspective and accountability for personal and professional growth.

Current Issue | Operations

The SOP Update

People are drawn to the spa industry for many reasons, but standard operating procedures (SOPs) usually aren’t one of them. “They’re difficult,” says Brandon Jones, co-owner of St. Cyr Pool & Spa in Middleton, Massachusetts. “It’s tempting to want to put SOPs on the back burner,” especially amid the everyday hustle of running a business.

Chemicals

Filter Fix

For many hot tub owners, cleaning filters feels frustrating, time-consuming and easy to put off. The task is not high on their weekend to-do list. Some buyers even tune out during the sales pitch — hearing only “low maintenance … every three months” — and assume if a filter looks clean, it is.

Accessories

Leisure Concepts: Deck Out Your Showroom Swim Spa

When a new product takes off, it often inspires others to design accessories that enhance it even further. Take swim spas. Their rise in popularity has boosted sales opportunities not just for manufacturers but also for retailers. Still, their height — typically 53 inches or more — creates a challenge: How do buyers get in?

Backyard Living

Hot Spring Goes Cold

Few wellness trends have captured consumers’ imaginations like the cold plunge. Step into 39-degree water and you’ll feel the jolt — a spike of adrenaline, tingling skin and a rush of clarity.

Accessories

Gecko Alliance: Connected and In Control

Based in Québec City, Québec, Gecko Alliance Group has been a leader in spa design and manufacturing for over 30 years. While its core customers remain OEMs, manufacturers and distributors, Gecko has recently turned its attention toward a different audience: hot tub owners.

Operations

Balancing Demand, Stock and Strategy

For spa retailers, stock management is typically straightforward, with sales data from previous years offering a solid foundation for forecasting — barring the occasional hiccup.

Chemicals

More than Maintenance

For many spa owners, cleaning filters is an occasional chore that is often procrastinated until there’s an issue with cloudy water or a spa that’s mysteriously not heating. But for spa professionals, filters are foundational to a hot tub’s performance and longevity.

Operations

Paying the Rent and Securing the Future

Looking beyond one-time sales, spa retailers count on recurring revenue to provide a consistent, reliable source of income to manage expenses, plan for growth and navigate a sometimes uncertain market.

Profile

More Than Numbers

Retiring from a job you love can be bittersweet, but leaving a lasting legacy is a true joy. It’s something Ken McCargar, former Western territory sales manager for MAAX Spas, knows well after retiring in December following 25 years of service.

Swim Spas

Triathlon’s Tri-Zones Set New Bar for Tubs

Sometimes a new hot tub or swim spa product launches with a ripple of interest, but other times, as in the case of GPM Distributors’ new Icelandic Triathlon, it hits the market with a splash.

Profile

From Family Business to Industry Icon

Like many experts in the hot tub industry, Corinne “Corie” Kraft developed her business acumen and adventuresome spirit at an early age.

Building Your Support System

The SOP Update

Leisure Concepts: Deck Out Your Showroom Swim Spa

Hot Spring Goes Cold

Gecko Alliance: Connected and In Control

Balancing Demand, Stock and Strategy

More than Maintenance

Paying the Rent and Securing the Future

More Than Numbers

Triathlon’s Tri-Zones Set New Bar for Tubs

From Family Business to Industry Icon

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