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TidalFit: Swim Spa Party

TidalFit’s twin bench EP-14 swim spa seats nine

The first thing one may think of with a swim spa purchase is aquatic exercise, and most any dealer or manufacturer can tout those benefits. But there is an emerging trend for creating backyard family fun time with a smaller footprint than a traditional above- or in-ground swimming pool, says Jordon Silon, vice president of North American sales for May Manufacturing, maker of TidalFit swim spas and Artesian Spas.

And that’s why the TidalFit EP-14 now has the option for twin benches on the long sides of the swim spa. By combining its 14-foot TidalFit model with the twin bench seat option, TidalFit was able to not only leave a wide swim and exercise lane, but also seat up to nine people, each of whom can have his or her own individual therapy seat, Silon says.

The individual therapy seats are a big deal, says Seth Morgan, hot tub and barbecue sales manager for California Backyard in Sacramento. “There aren’t a lot of hot tubs this size that you can seat that many people [comfortably and correctly],” he says. “Often you can’t seat that many people in an actual position that was meant to be a seat rather than purposed for something else. But now everyone sitting in the tub can get a massage.”

The Tidalfit spa station has 28 triple therapy jets with neck and shoulder jet massage. When customers choose the twin bench option, 28 additional jets are added —14 on each side. The swim lane has two jet systems that can be optioned in: the Quad jet swim system or the Swift water trainer system. Swift comes with a touch-screen control that allows users to pre-program a swim workout before entering the swim spa.

In total, the EP-14 with twin benches has two pool pumps and four therapy pumps, along with variable-flow motors. The unit measures 168 by 91 by 52 inches and can hold up to 1,660 gallons of water.

Jason Allan, co-owner of Coastal Spa & Patio in Placentia, California, likes a lot about the new TidalFit EP-14, starting with the power. “With [so many] pumps, it can create a tremendous massage for everyone in the swim spa,” Allan says. “I think they did a great job on the design. I like the way they inserted the step into a dead space in the unit and how big the bench seating is with two seating heights. This swim spa is for the customer who wants it all: a big party hot tub and an exercise machine.”

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Midiam Demelo, owner of Hot Tub Central in Toms River, New Jersey, says that most of the company’s TidalFit customers are aged 65 and older. “They are purchasing for family time with the grandkids,” she says. “The new EP-14 with the bench gives them plenty of space for the grandkids to play and large family gathering.”

Hot Tub Central serves customers on the Jersey Shore, which Demelo says creates significant success with swim spas sales for summer homes by the water. “It’s very challenging and expensive to build pools in those usually small backyards,” she says. “We also have short summers. With the TidalFit swim spa they can be swimming within three weeks. We deliver in the morning and they will be swimming a few hours later. You can’t beat that.”

The EP-14, and all but one of the TidalFit swim spa models, also comes with the option to order a unit prepped for semi-inground installation, which lowers the profile of the swim spa for a sleeker look in the backyard and ease of entrance, Silon says.

Traditionally, Allan says, swim spas have internal equipment at the bottom of the spa, behind the cabinetry. If you inset a swim spa with this configuration, the manufacturer typically requires 24 inches of access around the swim spa to reach equipment for maintenance and repair.

With the semi-inground option for this and other TidalFit swim spa models, however, there is a false floor inside the unit and all the equipment is accessible from above the ground after draining the spa, Allan explains. Because a vault for the swim spa is not necessary, it can cost significantly less to have a semi-inground installation, he adds.

All of these features have the TidalFit EP-14 at the top of Allan’s list for showroom display models. “I like that I can sell two models from one,” Allan says. “With the bench listed as an upgrade, it is easy to sell this to two customers who are looking for something completely different. [TidalFit builds] a great product that gives options most manufacturers don’t have. It’s one of the best valued products on the market.”