A Brief History of Hot Tubs

The history of hot tubs begins at the beginning of time here on earth, as the hot molten rock began to cool as giant asteroids of ice smashed deeper into it, cooling it miles below the surface and giving us giant oceans and underground wells. Our ancestors almost surely found the effects of a natural hot spring bringing heat from and bubbling water from the still hot core of the earth. As the effects were found pleasant the word was passed and humans began to use hot tubs as early as 200 B.C. to mimic the effect. Homemade tubs were first seen by the Egyptians. In ancient Greece during the time of Hippocrates ( 460-370) hot tubs were believed to have healing properties to heal diseases by adding minerals, sickness was thought to be lack of water in the human body. Following this other cultures adopted some form of hot tub; the Japanese ofuro around 737 A.D. and the opening of the first hot springs were built. The Romans had water rations for their citizens and when bathing became more popular the rations were increase. Public bathing became popular and bath houses for the rich mainly were built and were a popular place for artists to go for inspiration. Later public bathing and hot tub gathering was banned when the black plague came along and it was thought to be a spread of disease. Hot tub technology remained basically the same. Manufactured tubs with water in them were heated by placing sizzling hot rocks in them or by using an open flame. It wasn’t until the mid 20th century that a breakthrough came for hydrotherapy technology. Seven brothers who immigrated to California from Italy and became machinists and inventors, they started out by designing airplanes and agricultural pumps then took that knowledge and came up with a water pump product that could be placed in any bathtub and used for hydrotherapeutic massage.

Later family legacy continues and the Jacuzzi name releases and claims patents to other hot tub technology such as the “Roman Bathtub” which was the first fully enclosed, self heated tub with jets. These designs are what make the hot tubs of today. As hot tubs began to grow larger and larger and other companies began to adopt the technology different things have been adopted. A modern day hot tub can now be seen with fancy lighting and large flat screen TV’s that can be retracted by the flip of a switch. Hot tubs have become so large that some companies have started to design more energy efficient hot tubs. Such names include Dream Maker spas, or Beachcomber. These hot tubs have more energy efficient parts and components to try and save any waste of power. Most hot tubs need 220 volts or higher and some models now can operate on only 110 volts, however they are not necessarily recommended to those who live in freezing climates. A climate where water can come to freeze is more suitable for a hot tub of higher voltage to make sure the water stays to temperature when you want to use it. Not only that if your hot tub were to freeze over for some reason the water would expand and probably damage internal workings.