Hot tubs are a hot commodity these days, and no one is more passionate about their therapeutic value than Ian Fyffe, founder and president of Sparkling Pools/Harbor Hot Tubs, which has been providing and servicing relaxing, restorative, luxurious wellness spas and saunas to its devoted clientele for 42 years.
The mission? “Make people happy,” says Fyffe, an award-winning pool and spa designer who grew up in Sag Harbor.
Fyffe’s philosophy is working. His dedicated team offers his East End clients a “one-stop shopping” approach and a line of wellness products and services to accommodate the growing trend and demand for heat therapy and integrating spas and saunas into outdoor wellness areas.
“Water helps you let go,” says Fyffe, who opened a beautiful new showroom in East Hampton this past May on Toilsome Lane to serve his thriving, year-round business. “Soaking in hot water and heat therapy helps get rid of body toxins; it’s a natural reaction to take a deep breath and let go of (our) stresses and anxieties. It’s a healthy thing people have been doing for thousands of years.”
Hot tubs have certainly come a long way since the 1980s when Fyffe first got into the business.
“Better reliability and efficiency has helped get the portable hot tub off the ground,” says Fyffe. “(With proper servicing) they can have a 10- to 15-year life span.” He adds that he is “going into my second and third generation with some clients.”
The exponential demand for hot tubs in the past few years has kept Doug Sullivan, the company’s director of sales, very busy.
“We offer a wide range of hot tubs on a lot of levels,” says Sullivan. “Most people come in for therapeutic reasons — back pain is the biggest problem — but it goes way beyond that to entertainment, family and friends time together, and relaxation and wellness. That’s really what it’s all about,” says Sullivan, who brings 30 years of expertise in tailoring a product to a broad range of customers from “the very, very wealthy to the locals supporting the community.”
Sullivan not only helps his customers choose the exact model that best suits their needs and price range, he assists with finding the best location at their home and coordinates with contractors, masons and electricians to integrate the product into an existing outdoor area. The goal? “To make it seamless, both in look and function in the way you use your backyard and wellness area,” says Fyffe. The company is also happy to work with a client’s contractor to facilitate delivery and installation.
“Ian is the guru; he’s been out here 40 years. People know we are established, and we’ve got the expertise for any kind of installation,” emphasizes Sullivan.
The two main hot tub makers the company features are Hydropool and Nordic — brands Sullivan says Fyffe chose for their overall quality, ease of use and efficiency.
“Nordic offers a therapeutic, affordable, reliable hot tub,” says Sullivan. “Mainly what we sell are their round hot tubs with cedar cabinets and stainless steel bands that look like an old-fashioned barrel. They are simple to operate, easy to maintain, very durable and last a long time.”
Hyrdropool, on the other end of the spectrum, offers “the most advanced hydrotherapy options you can get in a hot tub with what they call an advanced HydroTherapy and Wellness program, which is an automated massage program that works in the hot tub to alleviate back pain, insomnia and stress,” says Sullivan, adding, “Hydropool is really the best of the best; the self-cleaning system feature (with its floor cleaner and top skimmer) is also the most energy-efficient and the quietest hot tub in the industry. It hits all the bases.”
Harbor Hot Tubs “currently has a huge inventory of hot tubs and is offering $1,000 off existing Hydropool stock with immediate delivery. It’s a win-win,” says Sullivan. The promotion, which runs through November 20, is a deal that Sullivan says “has been nonexistent for the past two years, when people were paying a premium for hot tubs with no negotiation due to pandemic-driven supply chain drought.” Prices range from “just below $10K to $26K,” he says.
The showroom at Sparkling Pools/ Harbor Hot Tubs is buzzing with excitement: The 14-foot Swim Spa with its state-of-the-art, dedicated current, is up and running (priced from $29,000– $48,000). Also on display: Two different levels of infrared saunas and one traditional sauna, plus the Dundalk outdoor electric sauna with its unique Plexiglas window for vista viewing.
Happiness, as it turns out, extends not only to the clients, but to the staff.
“People love us. Our customers come in and just love our hot tubs,” says Sullivan, proudly. “When I put a deal together and I see how happy people are and how happy the families are and their excitement about getting a new hot tub that they know is going to give them relaxation and enjoyment — I love that. That’s my thrill.”
Sparkling Pools/Harbor Hot Tubs is located at 5 Toilsome Lane, East Hampton (631-725-3983). The $1,000 off promotion on Hydropool inventory runs through November 20. For more information, visit harborhottubs.com and sparklingpools.com.
