This is a Freeflow sport 2020 Azure Sand spa lifestyle photo photographed in San Marcos by ODonnnell Photograf
Do you love to travel? If you’re like most people, you look forward to those few days a year when you can take a break from the worries and commitments of daily life and experience something new. But sometimes jetting off to an exotic destination or even taking a weekend road trip, just isn’t possible, especially during a pandemic. When that happens, the best we can do is try to experience the best things about vacation, without leaving home. It’s easier than you might think!
We did an informal poll, and asked people around the office what they enjoyed most about traveling. Here are some of the reasons they came up with:
Getting refreshed and revitalized
Having dedicated time to spend with your partner and kids
Socialization with friends
Time to reflect on your short and long-term goals
Appreciation of nature and you surroundings
Prioritizing pleasure over work and other not-so-fun obligations
With a little creativity, you can enjoy many of these same benefits at home. With a Hot Spring spa at home, wellness, happiness, and connection is as close as your own backyard.
Not quite convinced? This chart compares the overall wellness benefits of a hot tub versus a vacation.
Hot Tub
Vacation
Enjoyment Frequency
Many Hot Spring customers make “spa time” part of their daily routine. Even when used daily, a high-quality hot tub can last 15 to 20 years or longer with proper maintenance.
One to two-week duration once yearly. Memories can last a lifetime, although the experience itself is short.
Wellness
Daily or at least weekly opportunities for revitalizing massage, meditation, connection and socialization with family, friends and neighbors leads to an increased sense of well being.
Awesome for the one- to two-week period, but over quickly.
Socialization/ Community
Consistent opportunity to invite family, friends and neighbors to connect in a pleasant, natural setting.
Family and friends can join up on vacation. Great, but short-lived, fun. Out-of-pocket costs for all participants. Logistics can be a hassle for the organizer.
Connection to
Loved Ones
It’s tough to bring a smartphone, tablet or television into the tub. The burble of the bubbles fills in silences, giving soakers opportunities to discuss matters at their leisure.
Good opportunity to connect in stimulating new settings if friends and family members take out the headphones, put down the phones and stop to enjoy the experience.
Dedicated Relaxation
A hot tub can serve as your personal reset button, helping you melt away mental and physical tension. And since it’s in your own back yard, you can enjoy revitalization every day!
Opportunities to recharge, but also pressure to take advantage of everything the location has to offer; landmarks, museums, hikes, shows, athletic adventures, restaurants and more.
Meditation / Reflection time
There is nothing like warm water and jets to help you access the subconscious and reflect on your emotional and physical wellness. A practice of daily meditation is proven to make you happier over your lifetime.
Vacation brings a clear-eyed perspective back home. It also provides the necessary distance to re-evaluate goals and determine what matters. The problem is that resolutions discovered while away can be lost in frenetic home life.
Time in Nature
Regular time in your outdoor hot tub helps you tune into the beauty of nature from your own backyard. This awareness helps you feel part of a greater world, a notion that eases stress and improves happiness.
Visiting dramatic places like Yosemite or Big Sur can be life changing.
For an experience that leads to happiness, vitality, and connection, the hot tub wins over a vacation, hands down. A glance at our reviews illustrate the fact that hot tubbing is a popular backyard activity for families, empty nesters, athletes – just about anyone!
There will be time again someday to hop on a plane or take the kids to a theme park. In the meantime, your local Hot Spring Spas dealer can help you establish your own backyard retreat, where wellness, comfort, and connection are always available!
There are so many ways to benefit from your hot tub this holiday season. From relaxing to celebrating, a hot tub will be there to help! Let us paint you a picture.
Family time – Everyone is home for the holidays and you couldn’t be more excited to sit down and talk to your kids, grandkids, siblings or parents and just catch up and have some laughs. You can surely all sit around the TV in the living room with your phones in your hand OR you can unplug and head out to the hot tub for disconnected conversation.
Relaxation– You just spent 3 hours at the mall finishing up shopping for your family’s Christmas presents just to get home and spend another hour wrapping them. After finishing up, head to your hot tub to relax your mind and muscles and prepare for a great night sleep.
Christmas Eve– The kids are all winding down from their exciting day of playing in the snow or running around with the cousins. They are all on a Christmas cookies sugar high and they can’t stop talking about their excitement for Santa Claus to come. Take the kids out to the hot tub and watch the night sky and gaze into the stars watching for Santa before bed. The warm water will relax them as memories are being made as you create a Christmas Eve tradition of watching for Santa together.
A GetAway– Aunt Shirley and Uncle George have been staying at your house for 4 long days now and you need a get away. Head to your hot tub for your own personal oasis. Relax as you listen to the bubbling water, warm your body up as the air around you is freezing cold and clear your mind.
Snowfall– Close your eyes and picture the snow falling around you as you sit in your spa. Those huge snowflakes are falling, the ones that look like you’re in a snow globe that was just shaken up. As you’re sitting in warm water the cold flakes are falling right on your head, this is a moment like no other!
Celebration– You are having a few friends over to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The ball just dropped in Time Square at 11PM CT, you have just enough time to head out to the hot tub for an unplugged soak full of laughter with your buddies before it strikes midnight in the Midwest. Hello 2020!
There are so many ways to benefit from your hot tub this holiday season. From relaxing to celebrating, a hot tub will be there to help! Let us paint you a picture.
Family time – Everyone is home for the holidays and you couldn’t be more excited to sit down and talk to your kids, grandkids, siblings or parents and just catch up and have some laughs. You can surely all sit around the TV in the living room with your phones in your hand OR you can unplug and head out to the hot tub for disconnected conversation.
Relaxation– You just spent 3 hours at the mall finishing up shopping for your family’s Christmas presents just to get home and spend another hour wrapping them. After finishing up, head to your hot tub to relax your mind and muscles and prepare for a great night sleep.
Christmas Eve– The kids are all winding down from their exciting day of playing in the snow or running around with the cousins. They are all on a Christmas cookies sugar high and they can’t stop talking about their excitement for Santa Claus to come. Take the kids out to the hot tub and watch the night sky and gaze into the stars watching for Santa before bed. The warm water will relax them as memories are being made as you create a Christmas Eve tradition of watching for Santa together.
A GetAway– Aunt Shirley and Uncle George have been staying at your house for 4 long days now and you need a get away. Head to your hot tub for your own personal oasis. Relax as you listen to the bubbling water, warm your body up as the air around you is freezing cold and clear your mind.
Snowfall– Close your eyes and picture the snow falling around you as you sit in your spa. Those huge snowflakes are falling, the ones that look like you’re in a snow globe that was just shaken up. As you’re sitting in warm water the cold flakes are falling right on your head, this is a moment like no other!
Celebration– You are having a few friends over to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The ball just dropped in Time Square at 11PM CT, you have just enough time to head out to the hot tub for an unplugged soak full of laughter with your buddies before it strikes midnight in the Midwest. Hello 2020!
Does your family love camping but you can’t find the time to get away? Or does the thought of loading up the car with all those supplies for a quick weekend stop you in your tracks? Why not create your own backyard camping trip that the kids (and you) will never forget? The first thing you need is a tent big enough to fit the entire family. If you need to upgrade your accommodations or add a tent to your supplies, here are some great and affordable options for you to consider.
Stock up on easy-to-cook outdoor foods that the entire family can prepare together. And, of course, you have to prepare for the s’mores adventure! Check out 101 stress free camping foods to cook,
So, let’s recap:
Food
Lodging
S’mores
Now what?
To keep the kids entertained we would suggest some backyard games like bocce ball, washer toss, bag toss, and Wiffle ball. Use this as an excuse to add some new yard games to your supply like giant Jenga or Connect Four.
Some of these games are great for the parents as well, but you should try to carve out some time to relax. Installing a hammock is a great way to go.
Once the sun has set and the last s’more has been devoured, it’s time for some evening entertainment. Drape a white cloth in the darkest part of the yard and project a movie for all to enjoy. Better yet, just add water to create your own float-n-flick experience. Hot tubs are a great way to pull the family together for a memorable, relaxing experience on any budget and any backyard size. With plug’n’play models, all you need is a standard outlet to heat the water. No special wiring or electrical configuration required! Plus, the hot tub will be enjoyed well beyond the weekend camping trip.
Don’t have a hot tub yet? You will be surprised how affordable it can be. Check out our Freeflow Spas to learn more. Evaluate your options–from 2-person hot tubs to a 7-seater large enough for your entire family to enjoy together. You can even schedule a test soak!
Hot tubs can even be financed for low monthly payments that are way less than a weekend trip to the campground. Plus, you will benefit from the stress-reducing, family bonding, and personal escape of your very own hot tub any time you want.
When you have a loving partner and family, you come home to people you respect, admire, and support. If you have young children, you are provided with endless opportunities to see the world through their eyes and marvel at the things you take for granted as an adult.
There’s no substitute for the joy a family can bring, but caring for the people you love most isn’t always easy. You work hard professionally and at home to solve problems that arise and provide your partner and children with all they need. But a busy, demanding life can mean that you don’t always get to spend quality time with your family. So, you have to create that time. A home hot tub can help you do just that, as it provides a distraction-free environment in which you can reconnect with your partner and kids while letting them know exactly how much they mean to you.
RECONNECTING WITH YOUR SPOUSE THROUGH RELAXATION
When was the last time you really talked to your partner? Sure, you might ask how the day went, but do you ask about other things that might concern them— their thoughts and opinions that go beyond the kids, work, and errands? Are there things you wish your partner would ask you about?
Making time for conversation to check in with one another mentally and emotionally can make a strong relationship even stronger and confirm all of the reasons you were first drawn to each other.
Starting that conversation in a relaxing environment such as a hot tub can provide the comfort you both may need. Plus, if you make the time to soak together regularly, you may find that reconnecting with your spouse becomes a welcome part of a whole new wellness routine. Regular hot tub use offers wellness benefits that can enhance your mood and your overall quality of life. For example:
Daily hot tub use can help you sleep better. A lack of sleep can cause you to become frustrated more easily. But getting a full eight hours of restful sleep can help you be your best self.
A relaxing soak can help reduce the accumulated stress of daily life. Twenty minutes of hydrotherapy offers health benefits including relief of muscle aches, joint pain, and tension.
Practicingthe art of hot tub relaxation with the family can be a bonding experience. Taking the time to relax and even meditate as a family can renew your appreciation for one another.
When you’re rested and free of the tension and soreness that can accumulate in daily life, you may find that you’re more able to give your partner and children the attention they deserve. You might even notice that they’re more appreciative of you in return. This can be a great benefit, especially when your kids are on their way to becoming young adults. So plan a hot tub date night and get to relaxing!
A HOT TUB CAN HELP TWEENS AND TEENS RELAX AND OPEN UP
One of the things you and your spouse may worry about is spending too little time with your growing children. Your kids need your attention, especially adolescents nearing that age when their lives can get complicated.
Life concerns aren’t just for adults—and neither is your hot tub. A home spa can help your teens manage their stress in the same ways it can help you deal with anxiety. Enjoying a warm soak with your kids can provide you with a solid foundation for easing their fears and offering support and gratification, and it can give them the opportunity they need to confide in you about the things on their minds—school, friends, sports, and more.
By sharing a relaxing soak and meaningful conversation with your tween or teen you may help them in the following areas:
Overcome shyness and build self-esteem. You probably remember your own awkward years of adolescence and struggling to find your comfort zone. When you engage your teens regularly in conversation, you can help them feel valued and reinforce their confidence.
Develop more positive behaviors at home and at school. As a role model for your children, your positive actions can help them become better and more mature communicators. By learning through your example, they can get a head start on interacting in more meaningful ways with their peers.
Create great memories. The experiences you provide your kids with today will influence the adults they will become. One way to ensure that your kids look back fondly on the time you spend together now is to carve out time for them individually and mix in some fun with the thoughtful conversations.
A bonus benefit of a family spa is that your children might think of it as something very cool that could be shared with their friends. Supervising your kids and their friends in your spa can earn you major parent points and provide you with opportunities to better know their buddies.
CHOOSE THE PERFECT HOT TUB FOR YOUR FAMILY
To enjoy the benefits of spending time with family in a hot tub, you’ll need to choose a suitable spa. Size should be your primary consideration since you’ll want plenty of seating. The four-seat Hot Spring® Limelight® Beam spa is a great option for an average family. Large families might consider the five-, six- and seven-seat models from the Hot Spring Limelight® Collection and the Highlife® Collection.
No matter which Hot Spring spa you choose, reconnecting with your partner and children will prove to be one of its greatest benefits.
