Hot Date
You and your spouse have been feeling extra fond of each other during your stay this week at Koloa Landing Resort on Kauai’s sunny South Shore. Here you feel calm and relaxed amid the floral-filled grounds heady with fragrance, the sumptuous white linens in your villa and the array of Hawaiian tropical cocktails the bartender whips up so deftly at the Holoholo Grill.
Tonight, in fact, you’re on a hot date — 102-degrees-Fahrenheit hot, to be exact. After a leisurely dinner for two followed by a couple of mango tequilas, you decide to cap your night in one of the resort’s many lava-rock Jacuzzis. And now here you are, neck deep in hot water, bubbles fizzing all around you, the stars twinkling overhead, and each of you at peace.
“Nice . . .” your spouse eventually murmurs, closing his eyes.
“Nice . . .” you agree, closing yours.
“Whose idea was this anyhow?” he asks.
“I think it was yours, darling,” you say.
He chuckles. “I mean whose idea was it to create a perfect little sanctuary of hot bubbling water for humans to bask in?”
“Whoever it was,” you say, floating closer, “was a genius.”
Hot Take
The next morning, snuggled into your resort robes on your villa’s private balcony with the hushed sounds of palm fronds stirring on the breeze, your spouse scans his tablet for the answer to last night’s question. He blurts out, “Well of course we know whose idea it was!”
You look at him blankly for a moment and then — lightbulb: “Oh right — someone actually named Jacuzzi, yes?” you say with a chuckle.
“Yup. Mr. Candido Jacuzzi to be exact.” He reads on, regaling you with the history of just how the Jacuzzi came to be.
Hot Tub
The Cambridge Dictionary defines a Jacuzzi thus: “a bathtub or pool into which warm water flows through small holes, producing a pleasant bubbling effect.” Like Band-Aid and Kleenex, the brand long ago eclipsed its more basic name, and Jacuzzi became a household word. But let’s take it from the top: The ancient Romans were known to love a good soak in natural hot springs for health, relaxation and festive social gatherings. Later, various cultures created their own hot tubs by heating vessels of water with hot stones, or eventually by guiding water from an external heater into a pool — just add music and cocktails. But it was the Jacuzzi family of Italy who supplied the hot air and really got this party started.
Married in 1886, Giovanni and Teresa Jacuzzi raised their 13 sons and daughters in a small Italian village before sending their sons to Germany to work. When the political climate in Europe shifted, mom and dad Jacuzzi sent ALL of their (now grown) children to America to avoid losing any of them in the impending war. Landing in California, the Jacuzzi progeny became inventors in the realms of both aviation and agriculture. It was the need for a submersible pump to extract water from the ground for orange tree farming that led them in the general direction of their greatest invention.
When the toddler son of one of the Jacuzzi brothers contracted Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, his father, Candido, jumped into action and developed a special pump that would provide hydrotherapy to warm up and relax his little joints and make them more flexible. Candido’s pump became the first Jacuzzi whirlpool bath. This pump was portable and could be submerged into any bathtub to create a restorative hot tub spa. Eventually, Candido’s grand-nephew, Roy Jacuzzi, would make the world’s first integrated bath-and-pump combo called “the Roman” spa featuring jets that forced air into the water, creating a haven of soothing bubbles. The hot tub Jacuzzi as we know it was born. After landing a coveted spot on network TV as a featured giveaway prize for a contest show, Jacuzzi’s invention got the attention of Hollywood. Ringing testimonials from celebrities like Jayne Mansfield and appearances in several James Bond films (Bubble-07, anyone?) made the jet-powered tub a must-have item of luxury.
Today, the Jacuzzi is everywhere: in private homes, high-end day spas, wellness institutions and, of course, fabulous Kauai Hawaii resorts.
_________________________
Ready to get all warm and fizzy with your favorite romantic? The best Kauai beach resort is equipped with multiple jacuzzis just waiting to bubble you up. Whether you’ve spent the day on the hiking trails, in our spectacular outdoor swimming pool or working out in our gym, come soak in one of our many Jacuzzis, or enjoy our world-class spa, poolside barbecue grills and other amenities here at Koloa Landing Resort — your perfect place to relax on the Garden Isle.
— Erica Karlin