Fifty years is a rare milestone in any consumer industry. In the hot tub business, it’s almost unheard of. Caldera Spas reaches that mark in 2026 — still distinct, still growing and still recognizable to the dealers who have built their businesses around it for decades.
When Alice Cunningham walked away from a prestigious federal career in the mid-1970s to start a hot tub business, her father cried. She had a month of vacation, excellent benefits and a senior role administering job training programs for tens of thousands of people nationwide. She was, by every conventional measure, doing exactly what she was supposed to do.
Watkins Wellness, a subsidiary of Masco Corporation and a global manufacturer of home wellness products, including hot tubs, aquatic fitness systems, saunas and cold plunges, announced the appointment of Steve Stigers as its new president, effective Dec. 1. Stigers succeeds VJ Teenarsipur, who has accepted the position of president of Behr Paint Company, another Masco Corporation subsidiary.
The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance announced Scott Frost has been appointed as chairman of the board for 2026.
When Fred Bachmann’s store won the Locksin-Thompson Dealer of the Year Award at the annual Watkins Wellness conference, he was stunned. The honor recognizes dealers who have shown excellence, leadership and pretty darn good sales.
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.
Hot tubs are fun. And fun sells. But for health-conscious customers, including those with debilitating or chronic health issues, hot tubs and spa-adjacent products also enhance quality of life, serving as key parts of wellness routines.
If you don’t respond to a customer inquiry within five minutes, you’ll likely lose the sale.
“[Retailers] are leaving money on the table if they neglect it,” says Cole Taylor, owner of Southern Leisure Spas and Patio in Flower Mound, Texas.
Watkins Wellness has been perfecting its saltwater sanitization system since it introduced ACE Saltwater in 2010. In 2019, the company launched a reimagined saltwater system under the FreshWater brand and has been building on its capabilities since.
There’s a stark contrast between the purpose of a showroom — designed to highlight the benefits of owning a hot tub — and the indoor environment where the products are displayed.
In this episode of The SpaRetailer podcast, host Megan Kendrick interviews Steve Hammock, former president of Watkins Wellness. Steve discusses…
Weeks into his second term, President Donald Trump has announced and enacted a variety of tariffs on key U.S. trading partners. The original tariffs — 25% on goods from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% on imports from China — have been delayed or modified, creating more uncertainty for the hot tub industry.