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By Christina DiMartino
We all have personal reasons for why and when we use our hot tubs or spas, and most are connected to the many wonderful benefits of a warm soak. Some users, however, have pushed the envelope of common reasons for enjoying a soak, and they have come up with some creative ways to add to the run-of-the-mill motives for seeking additional time in the water.
You may agree, indeed, that a hot tub or spa is the best environment for one (or all) of these out-of-the-ordinary soaking ideas.
Post-Party Party
After weeks of planning, days of shopping, hours of decorating and a few more hours “conducting” your child’s birthday party, it’s nice when the celebration finally ends, and you can hose the cake crumbs and dripped ice cream from your patio.
A great way to unwind is to extend the party—but for adults only. After cleanup, and while the kids have full tummies and tired eyes, pop a kiddie flick into the VCR and give them some quiet time in the family room.
Beforehand, and in anticipation of this, you’ll need to invite the
parents of your child’s party guests to join you for an adult hot tub gathering. There is nothing more to do, providing additional refreshments is not necessary. You’ll be all set to enjoy your own post-party party, and you’ll get to know the families of your child’s friends better.
Will You Marry Me?
If the prospect of proposing to your beloved fills your stomach with butterflies, you’re like the rest of the male population. You’ve thought, pondered and ployed. What can you do to set the scene and pop the question in a unique setting that she will never forget, while, at the same time, keeping it romantic and sincere?
Invite your beloved into the hot tub for a relaxing soak and chat about your life’s goals and dreams. Use your imagination on where to hide the ring. Perhaps you can tuck it away safely in a hide-a-key rock on the hot tub ledge, tie it onto the drawstring of your bathing trunks, or attach it securely around the neck of a floating rubber duckie.
However you execute your plan, your engagement is sure to be a memorable moment.
Welcome Tub
Rather than a “welcome wagon” to introduce yourself to the new neighbors, invite them to a “welcome soak” in your hot tub. Prepare a
simple, one-meal casserole with a side salad and pick up a bouquet of fresh flowers for your patio table. Attach a note to the
flowers that welcomes your guests to the neighborhood and to your spa.
Moving is stressful, and meeting new people adds anxiety. Warm, swirling water relaxes the body and mind, and it will make your new neighbors feel at home within minutes.
Present them with a perfect housewarming gift before the evening ends. Buy a blank address book with a lovely cover design and use it to provide names, locations and phone numbers of local grocers, hardware stores, hairdressers, dry cleaners, babysitters and other neighborhood necessities. Don’t forget to include your own phone number and add a message inviting them for a return visit. As your new neighbors depart, offer them the flower bouquet to take along with them.
Book Club Meeting
While they are no longer smoke-filled rooms, coffee houses remain a popular meeting place for book clubs. Why not put on your own pot of coffee and invite the members of your group to sit in the hot tub to discuss the current mystery, thriller or love story? The lack of background noise, students slamming book bags around you and interruptions make a book club meeting in a hot tub both intimate and fulfilling.
Conversation loosens and warms considerably when you are enjoying a warm spa. A relaxed body and mind take sharing information about your favorite author’s latest release to a more lucid, honest and personal level.
If you do this often enough, you may find yourself inspired to finally begin that novel you have always wanted to write.
For Girlfriends Only
You deserve a spa day getaway—at home. Begin by planning to dole the kids and husbands out from dawn until dusk (guaranteed to be a genuine bonding experience for them as well). Stock up on a selection of favorite nail polishes, facial supplies, primping accessories, aromatherapy crystals, spa fragrances, soothing candles, lotions, terry robes and flip-flops. then invite your best friends over for a quiet “getaway.”
Take turns doing one another’s manicures, pedicures and facials while alternating intervals of spa time. Plan a low-calorie fondue-type, relaxing luncheon served on pretty paperware. Include an assortment of delicious fruits and vegetables—and dip away the day.
If it’s an affordable option, you may want to consider hiring a professional masseuse for one-hour, broken down into 15-minute mini-sessions for each guest.
Guess Who’s Not Coming To Dinner?
Your daughter is engaged—how lovely. What happens next?
Are you beginning to feel a little stressed about meeting the new in-laws for the first time? Sorry, it’s one of those “must do” things. Here is an unusual way to host your introduction evening, and it is sure to “wash” the stress away.
Invite the future members of your family for a casual soak in the tub. You won’t have to worry about whether or not your guests like the way your table is set, if your cooking is good enough for them, or if your home is in the impeccable shape that you demand when receiving visitors. You can order a take-out meal and let the conversation flow—about your families, the wedding plans or your combined hopes for the future.
Grrrrr!
The most self-defeating negative emotion we deal with is anger. It’s debilitating, exhausting and energy-robbing to walk around feeling like you want to retaliate with verbal aggression toward those who have “done you wrong.”
Remember, anger hurts the one who feels it more than it does anyone else. It’s to your benefit to
rid yourself of this negative emotion as quickly as possible.
Nothing calms the mind or gets the blood stream back to a normal level faster than water does. Add a few jets to pulse away on those tense muscles, and feel how your anger floats out of your body and your mind in minutes. You’re guaranteed to walk away relaxed, refreshed and capable of making the right decisions in handling your problems and issues faster than you can say Grrrrr.
Any Bowl Sunday
Are you still grumbling every football-Sunday about the coach-potatoes lumbering around the family room and glued to the
television? Enough! Tell your favorite guy to invite a few of his friends (and their wives) to watch the game. Make sure that he tells them to bring their bathing suits.Toss together some easy-to-prepare snacks and have the guys jump into the hot tub to watch the game.
If your unit doesn’t have one of those recently introduced, built-in waterproof televisions, ask your
“in-house” handyman to hook up an extension cable and electric cord to your TV, and merely roll it within viewing distance of the hot tub. The guys can whoop and yell to their heart’s delight, while you and the gals just hang out to relax or to enjoy a lively card or board game.
Turn an Acquaintance into a Friend
You have been wanting to get to know this person better for a long time. You are already aware of the fact that you have mutual interests, and your sixth sense tells you that both of you would benefit from a new relationship. Lack of time makes nurturing new friendships difficult, however, and your busy calendar never seems to allow time to plan an impromptu lunch or casual dinner.
Invite your new buddy to join you in your hot tub for a relaxing chat. Have a traditional pot of tea, finger sandwiches and some fruit smoothies on hand. Then, just let the friendship happen.
The Perfect Gift
Mom and Dad are celebrating their 25th anniversary. They are settled in their home, have traveled extensively and don’t really need a thing. They are looking forward to spending quiet time alone and to enjoying their grandchildren. What on earth can you buy them that they don’t already have or that they won’t feel is too frivolous?
You guessed it—treat them to the relaxing and peaceful environment that only a hot tub or spa can offer. Your thoughtfulness will be remembered (and used) for years to come.
Feel that an extra splurge is in order? Enhance the experience of your perfect gift by purchasing a hot tub or spa that has a built-in stereo system, so that your folks can enjoy their favorite music while they enjoy the warmth of the relaxing water. x
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