Obituary: Paul Schaben
May 16, 1939 – March 8, 2026
Paul Adolph Schaben, founder of Hot Spring Spas of Iowa & the Twin Cities and a longtime Iowa entrepreneur, died March 8, 2026, in Carroll, Iowa. He was 86.
Schaben was born on May 16, 1939. He built the foundation for the spa retail business in the early 1980s after first operating Agri-Bolt & Cabinet Co., a hardware cabinet company serving farmers throughout the Midwest. In 1983, he added Hot Spring Spas to his product lineup, introducing hot tubs to rural customers and eventually opening a dedicated retail store in the Des Moines area.
The company grew from those early beginnings into a multistore operation serving customers across Iowa and Minnesota and is now recognized as one of Watkins Wellness’ top-performing Hot Spring dealerships in the United States.
Schaben’s children, Sean, Thad and Ryan, continue to operate the business their father founded. His daughter, Rani Schaben, who also worked in the company, died in 2025 after a battle with cancer. In addition to his sons, Paul is survived by his wife, Jane Schaben.
