THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 15, 1995 TAG: 9502140108
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
ONE PHONE CALL IS all it takes to get Larry Jones to hitch the loaded trailer to his pickup and deliver a big pot of bubbling relaxation anywhere in Hampton Roads.
The 33-year-old Smithfield man opened Party Spa Rentals Inc., a hot-tub rental company, in his home late last year. He rents portable spas made by SofTub, one of a dozen brands available in today's hot-tub market.
Party Spa is Hampton Roads' only SofTub rental company, says Whitney Elliott, whose store, Innovative Spas, is the area's exclusive SofTub distributor.
David Hossfeld, manager of Creative Spa & Deck, Virginia Beach, believes Party Spa is probably the only hot-tub rental company in Hampton Roads.
``I didn't even know he was in business,'' Hossfeld says. ``There's definitely a demand for portable spa rentals. We have calls for it all the time, and we have been telling people no.''
Rich Webber, chairman of National Spa and Pool Institute's consumer awareness committee and owner of Great Atlantic Spas in Virginia Beach, said soaring insurance costs has virtually eliminated the rental industry.
``I know a lot of people in the industry nationwide and I don't know anybody renting spas any longer,'' Webber said. ``That fact is driven from the cost of the liability more than any other concern. The liability market is a national concern.''
Although business has been slow so far, Jones says that will change as people hear about Party Spa. He believes his investment in fliers and cable television advertising will pull in more customers from across Hampton Roads by summer.
``Renting is a popular trend in the Seattle area,'' Jones says. ``And I think it's going to catch on here once people become aware of the option.
``More people have been calling to ask about prices. These things just take time.''
The former computer systems analyst opened Party Spa Rentals after noticing a magazine ad on a similar rental program in Seattle. The nearest SofTub rental business in this region, he says, is in Nags Head, N.C.
Most portable spas are made from heavier plastics than SofTub uses, Elliott says. Those spas are made of a patented, thick, foamlike plastic that rolls up into a compact, 50-pound package for easy mobility when not in use. The 60-pound motor is kept in a separate plastic cover.
SofTubs' light weight makes them relatively easy to move from place to place. The 220- and 300-gallon spas used by Party Spa fill in about an hour and can be set up on decks, in back yards, garages and even inside some homes, Jones says.
Portable spas have become increasingly popular in the spa industry nationwide and in Hampton Roads in recent years, Elliott says. They accounted for more than 70 percent of her company's sales last year.
``We sell a lot of them to military families because they move so often. They don't want to buy one they can't pack up and take with them.''
Except for checking the tub's chlorine level occasionally with a kit supplied by Jones, the tubs are maintenance-free for customers.
``Some people would rather rent than buy because they don't want the bother of messing with it all the time,'' Jones says. ``A lot of people who rent don't even want to own one.''
Jones and his wife, Susan, lived in Virginia Beach for several years before moving to Smithfield last year.
``It's quiet out here, but not far from Norfolk or Newport News,'' he says. ``We like the country.'' MEMO: For more information on Party Spa Rentals, call Jones at 365-0448 or
1-800-705-4744.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by ALLISON WILLIAMS
Larry Jones has opened Party Spa Rentals.
by CNB