Christina Mantoura-Gough, Author at The Hot Tub and Swim Spa Company

Tips for testing the quality of your spa water

Posted on 5 May 2017 - 00:00 by Christina Mantoura-Gough

Keeping your hot tub operating at maximum efficiency is a great way to guarantee its longevity and ensure you are getting the best value possible from your hot tub. The best way to achieve this is with some basic maintenance. With our self-cleaning hot tubs, maintenance requirements are drastically reduced, but below are a few simple things you can do to further enhance your hot tub experience!

Testing methods

There are a range of different ways in which you can ensure your hot tub is running at maximum efficiency, including using various chemicals and testing strips to check the quality and acidity of the water. Our Insta Test Strips make this process extremely quick and efficient. By dipping the strip in your spa water you will see that the four pads instantly change colour. Line them up with the colour scale on the back of the pot and you will obtain an accurate reading on your waters chlorine, alkaline, pH and hardness level. Be guided by the â€˜OKâ€™ regions on the scale to know whether any of the levels need rebalancing.

Why test the pH of your water?

Unbalanced pH levels can impact the quality of the water and your hot tub experience. For this reason, having correctly balanced and neutral water in your hot tub ensures the longevity of your spa, as well as protecting your experience! It is important to know that when your pH is at 7.2, the other chemicals will be working at their optimum. The pH of our eyes is also at 7.2, so you will find that your eyes may become irritated to start to sting if the water becomes too acidic or alkaline.

No foam!

In addition to maintaining the correct chlorine//bromine and pH levels, it is also important to ensure that all spa users shower without using any products before bathing. The reason for this is simple! Our everyday shampoos and skin products can interfere with the quality of the water by making it become foamy. It is also recommended that you do not use any detergents when washing any bathing costumes. However, if you find that your spa does become foamy there is no need to worry! Using our EzBubbleBurst product your spa water will be crystal clear again in no time.

Our engineers are able to advise you about which methods are best for your hot tub or swim spa. To learn more about hot tub products, maintenance and servicing, speak to a member of our team on 0208 300 4003.

How can your hot tub or swim spa increase quality time with your family?

Posted on 24 April 2017 - 00:00 by Christina Mantoura-Gough

There’s nothing quite like a hot tub, and one of the best ways to enjoy your hot tub is with family. Time spent in the hot tub makes for perfect family time, catching up on the day’ events and spending time playing with the kids.

Engaging and socialising with your kids

Whether it’s the TV, the computer or the phone, many parents struggle to pry their children away from their electronics. With your own hot tub or swim spa, this will be a thing of the past. Your children will be looking forward to coming home and relaxing in your hot tub or swim spa. This presents the perfect opportunity to get the family together and spend some valuable time bonding and catching up on the day’s events.

You can enjoy this family time all year round, whether it be sunny or cold outside. In fact, lots of people use their hot tub as part of their Christmas day tradition as well as for warm summer evenings.

Not only this, but the chances are your children are going to want to bring their friends over, presenting a great opportunity to socialise with other parents!

Young children will also love swimming and relaxing with you in the gentle warmth of the hot tub or swim spa. This will help to increase their confidence in the water as they can practice swimming with you in a controlled environment.

Staying active and healthy

Hot tubs and swim spas are also perfect for teaching children to swim and encouraging them to stay active. Swimming regularly is a great way to stay in shape, stay healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle. As your children grow up, it’s important that they take up some form of regular exercise, as this allows them to develop naturally and grow a healthy body and immune system. This also acts as an excellent opportunity for them to make friends and develop relationships that can last a lifetime.

This is not just important for your kids either. Regular exercise can reduce the risk and symptoms of more than 20 physical and mental health conditions, even going as far as to slow down the body’s natural aging process to help keep you feeling and looking young and healthy.

What superior features do Swim Spas offer you over a traditional swimming pool?

Posted on 17 April 2017 - 00:00 by Christina Mantoura-Gough

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Unlike a traditional swimming pool, there are a number of things that a swim spa can offer above and beyond providing somewhere to swim and keep fit. Here are some of the superior features that swim spas have to offer:

Adjustable water circulation

Water circulation and distribution are easily adjustable within your swim spa, and offer a greater variety of settings than within a standard swimming pool. Current and flow can be adjusted, compared to a pool which will have minimal water movement through filtering only. Different currents mean that you can adjust the speeds for a more relaxing swim or make it more challenging, depending on your preferences. This provides a great way to increase your swimming ability step by step and improve your overall fitness.

Same benefits in a smaller space

In order to swim freely in a swimming pool, it will need to be long to provide enough space to swim lengths. At each end swimmers must turn and swim in the other direction, however a swim spa can provide an infinite swimming length without the need to change direction or slow pace.

This also means that it will only need to take up the fraction of the space that a swimming pool would need, since it only needs to be long enough to swim on-the-spot against a current, making it suitable for smaller inside or outside spaces, or designating one select area of your garden and making it into a great space to relax.

Personalised exercise combined with relaxation

A swimming pool and swim spa are similar in that they both provide a space to swim and keep fit. You can also get many accessories for your swim spa, such as treadmills for water running, weights and more, whilst the ability to adjust the water and currents can aid those with arthritis or other conditions that make exercise more difficult.

A unique benefit that applies only to the swim spa is that it also offers relaxation and a place to socialise easily. Temperature can be changed to suit the current use at any time, and swim spas come in different varieties with a swimming area and hot tub area to provide the best of both worlds.

5 low impact exercises you can do from the comfort of your hot tub

Posted on 10 April 2017 - 00:00 by Christina Mantoura-Gough

Hot tubs are known for their relaxation benefits but a lesser-known use is that hot tubs are ideal for gentle and low impact exercise to improve your overall health and fitness. This doesn’t need to be difficult exercises, and you can enjoy the benefits that this has on your body from the comfort and luxury of your hot tub. At the same time, the heated water helps to increase your overall blood flow, which in turn helps your body to release any toxins. Here are 5 low impact exercises that you can do from the comfort of your hot tub:

#1 Core extensions

You can work your abdominal muscles gently in the water, and the buoyancy created by the water is fantastic to support your back whilst you do this. Simply put yourself into a sitting position facing into the centre of your hot tub. Hold onto the side with both hands before bringing your knees to your chest, and then extending them completely, keeping your back straight. Repeat this 30 times or as many times as you can until you feel the burn in your muscles.

#2 Heel raises

Heel raises are great for slimming and toning your calf muscles, whilst the water supports your body to improve your balance. Stand with your feet flat, and rock backwards and forwards from the toes to the heels of your feet around 15-20 times, repeating as many times as you like. One tip is to engage your core muscles to help you stay completely upright and avoid injury.

#3 Hand claps

This is one that everyone will be able to do. Stand up in the hot tub or kneel down so that your body is fully submerged in the water. Extend your arms out beside you with thumbs towards the sky, and then as quickly as you can bring your palms together, keeping your arms straight. The water provides good resistance to work your arm and shoulder muscles. Repeat 10 times for one set, pushing faster each time.

#4 Supported squats

Squats can be tricky and put strain on the knees, but in a swim spa this strain is taken away through the buoyancy of the water. Stand with your knees bent and your hips tilted back. In repetition, bend your knees to squat as low as possible, then stand up and push your hips forward to full extension whilst squeezing your glutes.

#5 Underwater cycling

Even if you don’t have an underwater exercise bike, you can replicate this movement with your legs under the water in your hot tub. Do this in a seated position and extend your legs in front of you before making pedalling movements as quickly as you can, but with controlled movements. Keep going for as long as you can, and you will begin to feel your muscles working after a little while.

Exercise recovery

These exercises are all easy to do within your hot tub, with the water acting as a support, which is useful if you are suffering from an injury or joint pain. But perhaps the nicest part of the whole experience is relaxing in your hot tub after exercising. The warmth of the water is soothing for your muscles and can help you to fully relax and recover quickly.

Take a look at our full range of hot tubs or give one of the Hot Tub and Swim Spa Company a call today on 0208 300 4003 to find out more.

Could your home sauna help to ease Fibromyalgia?

Posted on 3 April 2017 - 00:00 by Christina Mantoura-Gough

For those who suffer with Fibromyalgia, pain can be constant, alongside all the other symptoms that go with it. However, research has shown that infrared saunas can, in fact, provide effective pain relief and even improve symptoms of fatigue and muscle stiffness.

Treatment for Fibromyalgia

Standard treatments that are offered for those suffering with Fibromyalgia include long-term courses of physiotherapy, as well as cognitive behavioural therapy and combinations of the two techniques to see which provides the most effective treatment for the individual. However, these treatments have been shown to be more useful when combined with infrared sauna use.

Infrared saunas as a treatment for Fibromyalgia

Healthcare professionals actually recommend infrared sauna use to people suffering with Fibromyalgia, whether or not they are undergoing other treatment. This is because it causes changes within the body that help to reduce symptoms. For example, heart rate generally decreases, which reduces peripheral resistance and allows a greater blood flow throughout the body. More oxygen can then be made available to the body, as circulation increases.

Physical benefits of sauna use

As well as blood flow, a stress-inducing hormone, norepinephrine, is also triggered to be released by the brain, which increases alertness and stops fatigue. Additionally, Beta-endorphins are released, which work to reduce pain and relax the muscles. Although this doesnâ€™t reduce symptoms 100%, there can be a significant improvement and definite relief from ongoing pain. The overall benefit of saunas is that they can help sufferers of Fibromyalgia to live with reduced symptoms on a daily basis, and this is why it could be worth investing in your own home sauna.

Home saunas to fit your requirements

Whatever space you have, indoors or outside, The Hot Tub and Swim Spa Company can help you to find a sauna that is right for you. They are available to buy, or pay monthly for if this is more suitable for you. Their range is designed to cater to different aesthetic and personal requirements – even including their unique retractable Klafs S1 Saunas. With easy maintenance and access to the benefits of using a sauna on a daily basis, you could see an improvement with pain and fatigue linked to Fibromyalgia.

Saunas for relaxation and fun

As well as the physical benefits, your home sauna will also become an oasis for you to relax alone or a place to socialise with friends. It will become more than a treatment for pain, but a fun and enjoyable place.

Call The Hot Tub and Swim Spa Company today to discuss your requirements on 0208 300 4003.

Is a pool or a swim spa the best fit for you?

Posted on 21 March 2017 - 00:00 by Christina Mantoura-Gough

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Looking for a hot tub or swim spa for your home is exciting, but it can also be daunting to choose which type is the most suitable for you. There are also differences between pools and swim spas that you might not be aware of. Here are some facts to help you decide which is the best fit for you.

Get to know your options

It’s important to get to know the product youâ€™re buying and whether it will cater to your needs and meet your expectations. Swimming pools are ideal for people looking to exercise frequently in a low-stress environment, whilst the water supports the body to aid exercise and make it less of a physical strain. Swim spas offer more than just a standard option to swim. They are available with adjustable jets which allow you to change the speed at which you swim against a current, with variable current settings. This makes swim spas more space efficient than a standard pool, since you swim in a stationary position.

Who will be using your swim spa or pool?

The swim spa that you choose can be tailored for its users. Is this going to be used as a family, as a personal tool for keeping fit, or as someone training at an athletic level? Swim spas are versatile for families as they are a safe and controlled environment to teach children to swim. They are also ideal for individual, adult use as swimming is a fantastic activity to keep fit with minimal impact on your body.

What are you planning to use it for?

Your individual requirements will affect the final choice that you make – and it’s important to choose something that will allow you to use it as desired. Swim spas are even available combined with hot tubs for a perfect complementary combination of exercise and relaxation. So you can swim to keep fit and healthy, before rewarding yourself by swapping into your hot tub, to aid muscle recovery and relaxation. If you’re looking more for a traditional pool, these can be built to specification too!

Design is also important

The design you want will depend on your outside or indoor space. How much space do you have? What shape would you like your pool to be? Do you want it to blend in with the aesthetics of its environment? Of course, aesthetics are important and so are practicalities, and you will need to think about whether you prefer tiled, stainless steel, synthetic, or whether you would like a custom solution.

Make an informed decision

There are so many swim spas and hot tubs to choose from. Whether you opt for our Hydropool Serenity or Hydropool Self Cleaning range of spas we guarantee that our products will be one of the best investments you ever make! If you have specific requirements, then we can even offer bespoke solutions – take a look at some of our recent Bespoke Swim Spa projects.

Give our expert team a call today on 0208 300 4003 to talk through our different products and find which would be the best fit for you.

Our top tips for rejuvenating your home sauna

Posted on 15 March 2017 - 23:00 by Christina Mantoura-Gough

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If you’ve had your home sauna for a while, it might be time to think about rejuvenating it. Giving it a good clean and following our top tips can help your sauna to be good as new, and mean that you can get years more use by keeping it properly maintained. It also means it’s much more enjoyable to use since you know it’s in top condition all the time. Here are our top tips if you’re not sure where to start:

Maintain the natural elements

You might think that the natural elements of your sauna, like the natural wood, would degrade over time. However tempting it might be to paint or varnish over it, it’s much better to leave it natural! It will maintain the quality of the wood much more, and the original design will provide the best possible finish. Instead of painting or varnishing, the best thing to do to revitalise your original sauna wood is to lightly sand it down, particularly on the benches where there has been the most use and wear over time.

Regular cleaning processes

Regular cleaning after day-to-day use can help to extend the life of your sauna. This doesn’t mean a huge effort or difficult maintenance – in fact, simply giving the surfaces within the sauna a brush with cold water after each use could make a world of difference. Just a couple of minutes to clean your sauna after use makes it much nicer and more hygienic for yourself and your friends and family to use each time.

Spot checks for longer life

Your sauna may be in the best possible condition, so spot checking it can be useful to ensure that this high quality remains. For example staining of the wood can happen from use, and mould can occur if not dried out properly. This is easily solved by leaving the door open to aerate after use, and using a brush and warm water to remove any stains easily. Floors will be walked on all the time so simply mopping them, and cleaning glass as you would any other glass, can keep your sauna in pristine condition.

Sauna care kept simple

A few simple things like the above can make a huge difference to the time that your sauna remains in a condition that is almost as good as new. This means that sauna owners can enjoy their saunas completely stress-free.

For further sauna maintenance tips or advice, get in touch with The Hot Tub and Swim Spa Company today on 0208 300 4003.

How can proper aftercare increase the lifetime of your hot tub?

Posted on 13 March 2017 - 23:00 by Christina Mantoura-Gough

After the initial set up, maintaining water quality is straightforward and allows you to enjoy a consistently brilliant experience whilst getting the best value out of your tub and protecting your investment for years to come. If you own one of our Hydropool Self Cleaning hot tubs, this is even simpler as the hot tub takes care of the cleaning for you, but for other hot tubs, here are our aftercare tips to help you achieve the best value out of your hot tub.

Creating and Following Routine

There are a number of steps you can take to ensure the longevity of your hot tub. These should be completed on a consistent schedule – the frequency of which varies based upon the task. For example, it is good practise to drain the tub and clean the outer shell every three months. For our customers, we offer these services as part of our After Sales care, but for those who want to tackle the care and maintenance of the hot tub themselves, establishing a routine of testing the water quality, filters and systems, draining and refilling the tub, and cleaning the different parts can help prolong the life and ensure the water stays crystal clear.

To see the full range of maintenance tasks that we offer as a part of our after-sales care, and read our advice on how best to approach these, take a look at our hot tub services page here.

Protecting your Hot Tub

A great way to help prolong the life of your tub is to ensure it is properly protected from the elements. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do this is with a high quality hot tub cover. Your cover protects your hot tub from the weather, which is essential as rain, snow and heavy storms can all take a toll on the life of your tub. For this reason, it is worth looking after your cover, being careful when removing it or clearing debris as to prevent tearing.

Another effective way of protecting your swim spa is by installing a gazebo or another type of enclosure to surround the tub. This not only offers excellent protection from the elements, but also creates a space of ultimate relaxation and pleasure as well as providing additional privacy. Installing a custom hot tub enclosure is the perfect way to create a romantic space to relax with cocktails in the evening, or establish an elegant oasis for casual lunches and family swims.

Discover our stunning range of luxurious enclosures on our website today or get in touch with one of our specialists to explore the options available to you by visiting our website here or calling 0208 300 4003.

How to choose the perfect furniture accompaniments to your hot tub

Posted on 12 March 2017 - 23:00 by Christina Mantoura-Gough

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Hot tubs, at their very core, are all about luxury. Making the decision to invest in your own hot tub is a fantastic way of displaying your personal style and luxury. One incredible way to enhance this bespoke sense of luxury and relaxation is to invest in the perfect furniture accompaniments for your hot tub.

Landscaping and Accessories

Many people opt for some form of landscaping around their hot tub, whether in the form of a bespoke enclosure, a decking or simple adjustments or additions to the current space. This provides a truly unique and customised finish to the investment, allowing you to creatively display your style in whichever fashion you wish. If you do decide to erect a deck around your hot tub, or form an enclosure for use all year round, a simple but effective way to complete the space and enhance its beauty is with some furniture accompaniments.

These come in a vast range of options, and whilst there is no limit to your creative options, the easiest way to enhance your hot tub experience is with some simple lounge chairs or sunbeds and a surface to act as a table for refreshments.

Factors to consider

The main factor to consider when it comes to selecting furniture for your hot tub environment is your personal sense of style and aesthetic preferences. The design is entirely for you to shape and style dependent on your taste. You may choose to go for a minimalistic style, or a more rustic, homely feel, but whatever you decide on, it should be a reflection of your personality, a visual representation of who you are.

With this in mind, you should begin to consider what you require from your hot tub furniture. Do you simply require somewhere to sit and dry-off once you leave the tub? Or would you prefer to structure an environment for entertaining guests? Maybe both? Once you understand what you require, it is far easier to narrow down the options to find the best solution.

Making the decision

Now that you have filtered your options to match your requirements, and selected a few based on your aesthetic preferences, the only other factors to consider are: the size, will it fit in the environment you have designated for it? Your budget, how much would you like to spend on furniture? And the quality, is the furniture of a high quality to match that of your hot tub? Once youâ€™ve thought about each of these, itâ€™s all down to you to see which you like and which work with the environment you are trying to create, and have fun!

To find out how you can purchase your own hot tub, or explore the options available to you, visit our website here or speak to a member of our team on 0208 300 4003.

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