Swim Spas: The Wave of the Future
By Debra Wood
Health professionals have long realized that regular exercise leads to improved health. Now, as more Americans recognize that swimming, stretching and strengthening can improve physical functioning and mood, many homeowners are choosing swim spas as their preferred vehicle to tone muscles, improve endurance and enhance performance.
Industry experts have noted an increasingly health-conscious population, some of whom have reached an age where they find it more taxing on the joints to work out on hard surfaces — yet they are not ready to abandon a physically active lifestyle. Heeding a call from these consumers, who are eager for aquatic exercise in the comfort and convenience of home, manufacturers will increase swim spas' appeal by offering a broader variety of options — different sizes, a variety of colors and new entertainment features. In keeping with some consumers' desire to perform upright exercises in their swim spas, watch for manufacturers to also offer deeper units.
Swim spas will continue to provide the benefits of a conventional pool in a smaller, easy-to-maintain package. Many units combine the usual exercise options with hydrotherapy. Special seats with massaging jets relieve tired and sore muscles or simply provide a spot to unwind and talk about the day with friends. Look for more lounger seats and a diversity of therapy seats in the year ahead. Some units will come equipped with dual-temperature heating, so water flowing from the therapy seats can be warmer than that in the exercise zone.
Many swim spas offer exercise versatility, providing additional jets or stations for performing different types of workouts. Exercise bars, rowing equipment and therapeutic stretch bands allow users to work a variety of muscle groups, all while benefiting from a water workout.
Swim spas also may come with a video to show the proper techniques for using the equipment, such as dumbbells or webbed fins to increase resistance, and performing upright exercises such as jogging or walking in place against the current.
Other manufacturers, in an attempt to meet more consumers' exercise needs, will offer accessories such as underwater treadmills and aqua bikes.
The industry will pay more attention to the heart of swim spas — their current — in a way that allows all levels of swimmers to enjoy and benefit. Adjustable currents let the novice dial down the flow and competitive swimmers training for a meet to turn it up. Paddlewheels, propellers, nozzles or jets can produce the water flow. They deliver different experiences, so swimmers should make sure they schedule a test swim before purchasing a unit to ensure it provides the desired current.
Consumers today are paying more attention to current flow, and manufacturers are listening to their requests. New designs will reduce turbulence, frothing and bubbling. Wider currents decrease the chance of a swimmer being pulled off-course, and manufacturers will continue to hone their designs to improve performance. Optional adjustable thigh jets can help stabilize swimmers and keep them centered in the swim lane.
In addition to providing a good workout, swim spas should look good and complement the purchaser's home. As a result, manufacturers will pay greater attention to appearance. Look for swim spas available in different colors, especially more clean-appearing, white-hued shells. Maintenance-free synthetic cabinetry will grace the exterior of more aboveground units.
Waterfalls and other water features that provide audible as well as visual appeal will become more common in the year ahead. Televisions and stereos will continue to be available, so swimmers can stay entertained while working out. Watch for sound systems with transducers, so those in the water can feel as well as hear the music.
Manufacturers also have taken note of consumers' desire for ease of entry and exit, designing wider steps and installing floor-mounted handrails for safer passage.
Installation of swim spas also will become simpler in 2009, with units ready to go once the crane lifts them onto a reinforced-concrete pad. Some companies design units for indoor applications, which can be built on-site in the basement or recreation room.
The industry has heeded consumers' calls for easy maintenance. Many swim spas will come equipped with ozonators, which disperse ozone molecules into the water to bind with contaminants and help remove them. Some will offer salt-water systems that generate bromine, a sanitizer less irritating to the eyes and skin than chlorine. The bromine-generating systems will enable swim spa owners to prolong the amount of time needed between draining and refilling the swim spa.
Easy-to-maintain swim spas will continue to offer an array of exercise options to people ready to enjoy the benefits of an underwater workout.