Spa Service Back In The Day
Soaking in hot water to provide tranquility and promote social interaction has been around for over 2,000 years. The Romans were famous for their hot baths or caldariums where slaves would rub perfumed oils all over their masters and then carve it off with a knife. After which they would hop in the cold pool, or frigidarium, to cool off and take a swim. As the Roman Empire expanded they brought their baths with them, and even today they can be found in places like Scotland and the Middle East. Since all of this water had to be maintained, spa service has been around for over 2,000 years as well.
Spa service has been around as long as the Roman Baths.
As Marcus Aurelius is quoted as saying in Meditations “Such as bathing appears to thee—oil, sweat, dirt, filthy water, all things disgusting,—so is every part of life and every thing.” Clearly the same problems we have today with spa cleaning and spa service existed back in the day, but spa maintenance or spa service has obviously changed over the past 2,000 years. Back then the only option was to change out the spa water, whereas today spa maintenance is done mostly through consistent management of chemical sanitizers and spa water qualities like pH and alkalinity. Changing out the spa water is still required, but your spa service professional will probably only do it a few times per year.
Unique Requirements of Spa Maintenance
Whether you call it a spa, Jacuzzi (a brand name like Kleenex which has become eponymous), or hot tub, the hot water environment brings about a level of mental and physical relaxation that is hard to achieve by any other means. The hot water also brings about spa service or spa cleaning requirements that are unique to spas and hot tubs and not found in other environments like swimming pools. In fact a casual attitude regarding spa service can quickly bring about an unhealthy or unsafe environment in your spa, hot tub, or Jacuzzi no matter what you call it.
The higher water temperature in a spa causes the chlorine or bromine sanitizer in the water to dissipate more quickly than in a pool. As the sanitizer level becomes lower, there is an increased risk for bacterial growth. Adding bubbles to the hot water which is typical in a hot tub or spa makes spa service or spa cleaning even more challenging because it creates an even more inviting environment for bacterial growth due to the additional oxygen introduced by the bubbles. The situation is made even worse by the higher user density in a spa or hot tub making spa service or spa cleaning even more challenging.
Every person that enters a spa, hot tub, or Jacuzzi brings with them bacteria, and compared to a swimming pool there are fewer gallons per user. So the concentration of bacteria is higher in a spa than in a pool. For instance, it is common to have only 200 hundred gallons of water per user in a spa versus 1,800 gallons per user in a pool. This means there is less sanitized water per user in a spa able to kill off any bacteria introduced into the spa making regular spa maintenance or spa service critical.
When you add in that most spas or hot tubs are only 2 to 4 feet deep the amount of sanitizer that is destroyed by sunlight is greater in outdoor spas and hot tubs than it is in outdoor pools. This requires a diligent effort by your spa service or spa cleaning professional to maintain the sanitizer in the spa to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
Sanitizers and Spa Service or Spa Cleaning
One way to help maintain the sanitizer level in your spa or hot tub is to use bromine instead of chlorine. Most spa maintenance or spa service professionals will recommend bromine as the sanitizing agent in your spa or hot tub because is tends to hold up to higher temperatures better than does chlorine. Also when bromine interacts with harmful agents it still remains active to go after additional harmful agents where chlorine will become inactive after combining with harmful agents like bacteria.
While maintaining proper hot water chemistry is more challenging for your spa service or spa cleaning professional, it is not an insurmountable objective and the benefits of hot water immersion make it all worth the risk. Regular spa maintenance is a key factor to ensure your sanitizer level remains high enough to keep your spa safe and healthy to use. Two people using a spa or hot tub for 30 minutes can completely wipe out the sanitizer. So proactive spa maintenance and spa service is critical whether your do it yourself or hire a spa service or spa cleaning professional.