Someone knows the answer...

[Guest Kathy]

We want a good therapeutic spa, but one that seats 6-7 people as well. So far the Marquis was no good only because you can't have all the jets going at once (at least not to a power enough to make everyone feel they are getting something). I've tried Hotsprings. Their "firehose" blasting jets did not do anything to relieve my sore feet and tight muscles. Don't know why, but I think I like jets that are designed to pulsate more or something...it's a mystery to me. I liked some of Caldera's jets and may yet go back to that spa, but it's a small outfit here in my state and the service might not be there after my purchase. Haven't tried Artesian. I gave D1 a quick wet test and I loved the seat massage, but I'm questioning their quality in another thread for people to respond to. I don't think it is as difficult to recommend spas as people suggest, if the buyer knows what they are looking for: I am looking for a spa that has jets designed to do more than just blast your muscles. I would like a seat that massages the backs of thighs and calves (who wouldn't once you have experienced it...(the D1 seat...aaaaah). I want to be able to have the entire spa bubbling my guests into relaxation all at the same time. Musical chairs for therapeutic benefit in each seat is fine, but must we have half the spa shut off so the other half can do it's thing? (I am referring to the wonderful, but flawed Marquis's problem here...I am sure they will fix this problem a few years down the road.) It would be great to have a jet or two positioned on the side of a flatter seat so you can position your body for a good quad massage. I would like a spa with at least one seat that really gets to your shoulders and neck (about the C3 level where all the tension settles). Lastly, it will have to hold up and be a good quality spa. Am I asking for too many things or is there a spa out there that does all this? THANKS....

[Chas]

As to all jets on at once: if this is important to you, then it is important to you. However, that would put you strongly in the minority of tub owners. I have sold these crazy things for twenty years, and I have yet to see a spa with one person per seat where therapy was still the issue. That would be called a "party," and if some of the seats don't have a jet or two running, the conversation and general fun will be just as good. In fact, in my experience the more people in the spa, the more likely we are to shut off the jets to facilitate the talking and laughing. YMMV!

For day-to-day use, I find that one or two people, moving around from seat to seat is the norm. Caldera has designed "Circuit Therapy" so you can float from seat to seat moving the focus of massage up and down the back and legs. Even though other brands may not have an official title for it, most do about the same. To me, having the ability to run a cluster of four jets out of ten is a wonderful way to fine-tune the massage to get just what you want right now, with the possibility of something quite different tomorrow night. Keep in mind that diverters can be run in the mid-point giving infinite pressure control to the various jets. Again this is my personal prefrence, but I would find that feature very hard to give up.

I have had spas with the calf jets, and I didn't understand how they were supposed to know what part of my calf I wanted massaged. They always hit the same spots, since the calf is sitting right on top of them, and I had to do major contortions to ge them to massage different spots. If you liked the calf jets in a wet test, that's great - go for it. But be aware that a large jet or two near the foot of a recliner or at the bottom of the spa can do wonders for your calf muscles - and you can 'walk' that massage up and down the length of the muscle by making a very small motion with your leg.

I still don't get why the HS Jetstream didn't impress you as powerful: in all of the thousands of HS products I have sold most of the owners tell me later that they run them at half pressure for day-to-day use and only ocaasionally run them at full boogy. I am wondering if your sales guy was asleep at the switch: I will admit that with all of the adjustability they craft into these things it does take a long time to try everything out. Especially if you are moving jet nozzles around, trying the diverters in different positions and then adding or limiting the amount of air in different jets or groups of jets. Keep one other thing in mind: many people get good results for tired feet from a cluster of smaller jets or the rotary jets. HS has some models with those jest positioned for your feet.

Keep posting - you know they are making changes here - some HotSpring owners are bound to come along and help - I know hearing this from a sales guy is tough.

For what it's worth, I think Marquis and D1 make fine tubs - I like the sequential jet system. I was leary of it when they introduced it: seemed like a lot to go wrong, but it has proven itself, and for what it does they have produced it with as few parts as possible.