Modern status symbols revealed: Hot tubs now top of the list for show-off homeowners

Popular with the cast of TOWIE, they are now the ultimate showpiece to flaunt in front of family and friends.

The only way is... hot tubs. A spa in the garden is the No 1 status symbol for show-off homeowners.

Popular with the cast of The Only Way is Essex, they are now the ultimate showpiece to flaunt in front of family and friends.

They took first place in a survey of Top 10 objects of desire for the home, ahead of walk-in wardrobes, US-style fridge-freezers with ice-making machines and hi-tech digital sound systems.

Our latest must-haves mark big lifestyle changes compared to the equivalents in previous decades.

A hostess trolley, colour TV and answerphone were the height of style in the 70s, while in the 60s we craved washing machines and electric carving knives.

Mark Swift of gadget maker De’Longhi – which polled 4,000 adults for the study – said: “It’s fascinating to see how status symbols move with the times and fashions over the decades.

Read more - http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/hot-tubs-number-one-status-1271540

Hot tubs, the craze driving neighbours up the wall

On our overcrowded isle, competition for the top 10 irritants most likely to ruin a peaceful day in the garden was already pretty hot.

But a craze that has made its way to Britain from Scandinavia via America is threatening to blow all other causes of annoyance out of the water.

Hot tubs, the electrically heated communal baths that have sprung up in countless back gardens, have been named for the first time among the top 10 causes of “garden rage” in an annual survey.

Whereas other entries on the list, such as power tools, barbecue smoke and faulty burglar alarms, are familiar annoyances from many a summer, the whirlpool baths are a relatively new phenomenon.

As well as their perpetual “bubbling sound” driving many neighbours up the wall, hot tub owners also have a tendency to hold noisy late-night parties while taking a dip, the survey found.

Read More - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/9406188/Hot-tubs-the-craze-driving-neighbours-up-the-wall.html

How hot tubs can harbour Legionnaires' bacteria

Hot tubs are known to be effective mechanisms for spreading legionella infection, an official at the Health Protection Agency said this week.

That statement followed the death of one person from Legionnaires' disease and 18 further cases in Stoke-on-Trent since 24 July.

A hot tub displayed in a store in the town is thought to be the "probable" source after samples from it were found to match those taken from the patients.

Hot tubs or spa pools are popular in gyms, hotels and increasingly in people's back gardens - but experts say they can be a health risk if they are not looked after.

The water in hot tubs is kept at between 30 and 35 degrees, close to body temperature, which is the ideal environment for legionella bacteria to grow.

The bubbling and frothing of the aerosols in a hot tub can then throw the bacteria into the air for several yards around the tub.

So you don't have to be sitting in the hot tub to inhale the bacteria.

Read more - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19097187

Demand increases for hot tub holidays in the UK

British holidaymakers are following in the footsteps of hot tub owning celebrities as a UK holiday company, Holiday Lodge Group, sees a rise in customers demanding their own private bubbles.
Halle Berry, Robbie Williams, Roxanne Pallet and Peter Andre are just a few celebs known for enjoying time out in their own hot tub and the latest feedback from Holiday Lodge Group, an ownership scheme spanning a collection of UK holiday properties, shows the luxury lifestyle has rubbed off. UK holiday makers are keen to live the Big Brother house lifestyle as Alex Joll, founder and MD of the Holiday Lodge Group has had to put in extra orders to fulfil the high demand.
The requests are in line with the recent figures released by National Lottery operator Camelot who found that almost a third (29 per cent) of lottery winners splash out on a hot tub. The trend even continues within the hotly anticipated Anchorman 2 film as the first trailer sees one of the lead cast members Champ boast, ‘We're gonna be broadcasting from a hot tub full of Scotch’.

Read More - http://www.easier.com/103659-demand-increases-for-hot-tub-holidays-in-the-uk.html

Black bear attacks Canadian man in hot tub

Animal gets euthanized after delivering slab to man’s head

A Canadian man nearly went from hot tub to hors d'oeuvre.
The unidentified man took a ferocious slap to the head from a black bear while enjoying a soak behind his home in British Columbia, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.
“The guy was sitting ... with his back to the forest, then all of a sudden he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head,” RCMP Staff Sgt. Steve LeClair told the National Post.
“And he turned around and saw himself face to face with a bear.”
The 55-year-old man shouted at the bear as he scrambled Sunday to get inside the home near Whistler Village. The man called police, and the attacking bear was shot down.
The man was treated for his head wounds at a local health care center.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/black-bear-attacks-canadian-man-hot-tub-article-1.1090186#ixzz1xrTn5A00

The world's coolest hot tub? The two-tiered jacuzzi which comes with its own bar, flat-screen TV and inbuilt sound-system

Spread over two decks this incredible jacuzzi is bigger than most New York apartments.

It seems no extravagance has been spared to create what looks like one of the most over-the-top hot tubs to date.

The ultimate backyard accessory, the Luxema 8000 boasts a huge flat-screen TV and its own bar.

And the amazing tub has no less than 130 separate jets and nine water pumps to keep occupants happy.

Although the tub would likely impress friends and add value to a property, it will set buyers back thousands of dollars.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2140459/The-worlds-coolest-hot-tub-The-tiered-jacuzzi-comes-bar-flat-screen-TV-inbuilt-sound-system.html#ixzz1uSfRb6dK