Watkins Wellness: Refining the Brand Story
Watkins Wellness has restructured how its entry-level hot tubs are positioned, bringing the Freeflow line into the Hot Spring brand to create a more unified showroom story for dealers.
Olympic Hot Tub Acquires Spa Warehouse, Expanding Wellness Offerings Across Puget Sound
Olympic Hot Tub, a Pacific Northwest leader in hot tubs, swim spas and saunas, announced its acquisition of Spa Warehouse, a regional retailer and exclusive dealer of Caldera Spas.
Come to Life: The 50-Year Story of Caldera Spas
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.
Alice Cunningham
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 Appoints Steve Stigers as President
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.
PHTA Announces 2026 Board of Directors, Appointment of Scott Frost as Chairman
The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance announced Scott Frost has been appointed as chairman of the board for 2026.
Bachmann’s Pools, Spas and Saunas
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.
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.
The Science Behind the Soak
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.
Speed to Lead
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.
Freshwater IQ: Remotely Dose Water Care
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.
Evoking a Natural Experience
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.