International Connection

Portable spas outside the United States provide a new design perspective.

When Swiss spa dealer Laurent Frenzel decided to hire a full-time designer to create beautiful environments around the hot tubs he sells, some associates in America initially chuckled.

“They were laughing about it, saying, ‘You’re crazy. What are you doing? Is that for a spa?’” says the general manager of Leader Spa in Morges, Switzerland. “Somebody said it’s beautiful but it was not necessary to do because [the design is] the problem of the customer. But if the customer is not convinced in the project, they will not buy the spa.”

Now, it doesn’t seem so funny. Through the work of designer Stanislas Petey, the company has been able to create environments that convince some customers to purchase a spa when they otherwise wouldn’t. The firm’s work garnered awards and has been featured in a number of publications.

Leader Spa isn’t the only dealer outside the United States that’s taking hot tubs to new heights. In this virtual slideshow, we feature four designs that show that the only limitation for showcasing portable spas is imagination.

About the Author

Rebecca Robledo

Rebecca Robledo is deputy editor of Pool & Spa News and Aquatics International. She is an award-winning trade journalist with more than 25 years experience reporting on and editing content for the pool, spa and aquatics industries. She specializes in technical, complex or detail-oriented subject matter with an emphasis in design and construction, as well as legal and regulatory issues. For this coverage and editing, she has received numerous awards, including four Jesse H. Neal Awards, considered by many to be the “Pulitzer Prize of Trade Journalism.”