The Seventies wouldn’t have been the same without their accidental invention the hot tub. Ask the founders of Atari, the band Steely Dan and numerous coke users; for me the last two things seem to go together as the dark side of the Yacht Rock era.
Back at the dawn of aviation, the seven brothers worked on pumps and enclosed cabins for post-WWI aircraft. Their pumps were so successful in irrigating California’s orange groves that they shifted the company’s focus toward it. The loss of one brother in a plane crash may have influenced the change too.
In the Fifties, a teenage family member was stricken with rheumatoid arthritis which required hydrotherapy treatments. Since the boy resided on a farm well outside the city where he received treatment, the Jacuzzis developed a portable water circulator (pump) to use at home. This device turned any normal bathtub into a spa and was the beginning of the invention the Jacuzzi name is synonymous with.
Third-generation Jacuzzi member Roy developed the family invention into the hot tub as we know by the last Sixties. He converted the portable pump into a series of jets incorporated into a “Roman” bath. This lead to larger models for entire families in the Seventies…riiiiight, it probably was his intention though. Then they were made smaller, more affordable in the Eighties as these things became a mythical staple of California households like owning a horse or gun is in Texas.
Today, the Jacuzzis continue to improve and innovate all their products, the hot tub oddly remains a minor aspect to their corporation. I hope to honestly own one myself. We have friends with a hot tub (don’t know the brand), it’s awesome, especially after a crappy, stressful day at work. You can feel all the bullshit ebb away as the jets massage your back. Since Italians invented this, I certainly would look into their brand if it isn’t too expensive.
I’ll close with the anecdote leading to the Jacuzzis being included in my monthly feature. It comes courtesy of my friend Peter.
During the War in the Pacific, allegedly a second-generation Jacuzzi was very popular with the American officers. After the Allied forces landed on an island near Japan, Iwo Jima it’s rumored, this Jacuzzi found a way to build an effective makeshift hot-water shower. It must’ve worked pretty well, there was a huge line of men waiting their turn during a break in the fighting. Seems plausible given all those photos you see of soldiers covered in mud.
More can be learned about the family from their official site.
Now I probably need to remind the Mighty Fine-Rudy’s people not to use the Jacuzzi name with their hand-washing gadget unless it was built by the said company. Otherwise they should say “it’s a spa for your hands.” It’s the same (losing) campaign Xerox®, Trampoline® and Formica® have been waging.