Spa products, Supplies, and Parts
Welcome
to Spas-etc.com, a site dedicated to teaching about spa
products. Spas-etc.com is not only about equipment, but also provides
background about spa products in popular culture. This is an informational
site and does not endorse any particular product or method.
Spas can refer to two things. A spa can refer to a Jacuzzi or hot tub.
Also, it can refer to a larger resort that uses spa products and treatments
for relaxation. The resort does not necessarily have to have a Jacuzzi
to be considered a spa. It can also have health and beauty accessories.
Spas date back to antiquity. The Greeks and Romans used hot baths and
fountains. In addition, the earth has natural hot springs that can be
tapped into for bathing.
Spas and spa products also have found a place in contemporary popular
culture. They can be seen in numerous movies and TV shows.
For example, in the Academy award-winning picture The Godfather Part
Two, one scene refers to Roman spas. At the end of the movie it is revealed
that a member of the Corleone family has betrayed Michael Corleone by
giving secrets to the FBI. He is directed by the family consigliore
to commit suicide in a bathtub. This alludes to a ritual in Roman society
where an Italian who has done something wrong can find salvation through
self-sacrifice.
In the 1980s Jacuzzis were often seen in movies that pictured them
as getaways for wealthy teens or adults. This went hand-in-hand with
the new emphasis on materialism ushered in by Wall Street success stories.
Spas and spa products are also associated with romance and eroticism
in popular culture. According to The Internet Movie Database (IMDB),
Playboy videos from the 1980s and 1990s featured Jacuzzi and spa scenes.
In fact, the famous Playboy mansion has a grotto that has been featured
in numerous documentaries, TV shows, and movies.
Jacuzzis also have their dark side in movies. The IMDB reports that
hot tubs became popular for scenes in horror movies. This is not surprising
because movies in the 1980s began to feature stalkers and murderers
that invaded domestic and romantic places associated with privacy.
In recent years spas have been depicted as places to get away from
everyday life. For example, in Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon's character
has to question a murder suspect. The murder suspect is 200 miles away
from the nearest city retreating in a spa. When she is finally tracked
down, she is pictured in a face wrap with cucumbers over her eyes.
In Robert Altman's most commercially successful film, The Player, the
two main characters escape from a murderer by retreating to a spa in
the desert. They are covered from head to toe in a mud bath. Their identities
are hidden by the mud and they are momentarily free from the predator.
Of course, Hollywood does not usually depict the maintenance required
for Jacuzzis and spas. However, behind the scenes hired pool hands and
production associates must tend to the equipment. They need to purchase
supplies, parts, accessories, chemicals, and pool maintenance products
just as any health club or hot tub owner would have to.