Who Invented The Modern Hot Tub?

The hot tub is a modern application of an ancient therapeutic idea, and most people want to take their bath out of hot tub storage and enjoy the relaxing whirlpool feeling.

For thousands of years, if you wanted the benefits of hydrotherapy, you typically had to either live around a hot spring area, such as the famed springs of Therma, the Roman Baths of Bath and the many many onsen in Japan.

However, that started to change in 1926 with the invention of a water pump by Rachele Jacuzzi. This by itself was not notable, but 22 years later, the Jacuzzi pump business would evolve and develop, culminating in the J-300 in 1948.

This pump was of a different design and was invented by Candido Jacuzzi to treat his son Ken’s rheumatoid arthritis between trips to the hospital.

The exceptionally painful condition manifests as flare-ups of painful swellings and stiffness in joints, and hydrotherapy is a low-impact form of exercise that helps to relieve joint pressure, tenderness and pain.

Once Candido saw the effects, he patented the pump and started to market it as a therapeutic treatment that turned a standard bathtub into a spa with a few minor adjustments.

However, this was not the hot tub that most people immediately think of. That came 20 years later in 1968 made by Roy Jacuzzi and was initially known as the Roman Bath, before the names hot tub and Jacuzzi stuck.

With the endorsement of actress Jayne Mansfield, who famously had a heart-shaped hot tub in her home, the Jacuzzi became a hit amongst the rich and famous, with larger whirlpool tubs being made as well as larger bathrooms to accommodate them.

The only barrier in the way of Jacuzzi was the infighting among the family themselves, which led to the company being sold to Kidde for $70m and since then it has passed from company to company.