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.
“Filters are probably the most neglected part of water care, and yet they are one of the most important,” says Rob Anderson, vice president of Olympic Hot Tub in Seattle.
Filters trap debris, body oils, lotions and other contaminants. When they’re not cleaned properly or regularly, water quality suffers — and so does customer satisfaction. To address this, many retailers now bundle filter maintenance into subscription services or offer it as a paid add-on to valet programs.
Why offer a filter valet?
“We recommend filter cleaning more often than might be needed because most people will put it off,” says Sky Matula, president of The Hot Tub Store in Santa Rosa, California. “So if we tell them to clean them weekly, they might actually do it monthly. If we told them monthly, they would probably wait three months instead, which would make their water soaking experience less enjoyable.”
By building filter care into a recurring service, retailers help customers avoid costly water issues while creating a recurring revenue stream.
DIY vs. pro clean
While homeowners can rinse a filter, professionals go further. “One of the first things we do on a service call is to pull and soak the filter,” says Tim Gruich, assistant valet manager at Olympic, where its valet service program has grown steadily since launching in 2007 and become a profitable revenue stream. “We use a phosphate-free detergent that breaks down the stuff you can’t see.” After about a 20-minute soak, the team rinses the filter and reinstalls it.
At The Hot Tub Store, the process is even more seamless. “We have an extra set of filters that are soaking in a cleaning solution between appointments,” Matula says. “We swap the dirty filters out for clean ones at each visit.”
Fun Outdoor Living, headquartered in Monroe, North Carolina, also includes filter cleaning in its valet packages — going well beyond a rinse, says Andrey Fleyshman, general manager and executive vice president. “We’re making sure we clean them in a manner that gets to both the outer and inner pleats,” he says.
Filter care also provides an opportunity for additional touchpoints during service visits.
“When our valet techs are on-site, they take a look at the life of the filter,” Fleyshman says. “Homeowners often will let filters go for years, assuming that if they’re still functional, they can use it.”
How often and how much?
Most companies recommend professional cleaning every month, though usage and spa model can affect that.
Another point-of-sale option is ceramic-based filters, offered by many high-end hot tub manufacturers. These filters cost about double the price of standard ones, but they’re easier to maintain and last longer — in the three-to-five-year range, Anderson says.
Fleyshman recommends filter replacement every six months, while Matula leans toward once a year. “Filters can often last longer, but new filters create easier water care maintenance and help generate recurring revenue for our business,” Matula says.
Pricing for filter valet services varies. Olympic includes it in its broader valet package, while others, like Fun Outdoor Living, may offer it as a stand-alone or bundled option. Subscription pricing tends to work best. “It keeps customers consistent,” Fleyshman says.
Selling the service
Many retailers position filter valet services as part of their spa ownership education — especially during orientation and new spa delivery.
Matula says his team walks customers through the not-so-sexy side of spa ownership: maintenance. “With the recommended filter cleaning maintenance schedule, people are more interested in having our team do the work and sign up for our paid valet service,” he says.
Matula notes that their showrooms stock filters specifically for their spa models. “We only stock filters for our spas, and we only service the spas we sell,” he says. “This helps customers choose our company and our products because they know that we can take care of their needs if they buy from us.”
Marketing efforts include reminder campaigns, in-store signage and showroom displays showing what a clean vs. dirty filter looks like. Demand also spikes after high-usage events or seasons like pool parties or holidays.
A revenue stream that keeps water clean
Filter valet services go beyond keeping water clean — they support long-term spa performance and give customers a more enjoyable ownership experience. They can also boost a retailer’s bottom line. As Fleyshman says, filters are a great revenue stream for retailers, but they also contribute to customer satisfaction because “in the end, they’ll be happy with their tub.”