The team at Caldera® Spas is always thinking up ways to improve the customer experience. A few weeks ago, Product Manager, Andy Ordonez, shared a new idea for product enhancement and credited his hot tub for the flash of inspiration.
We wanted to know more about Andy’s backyard “think tank” so we asked him to share the details of his morning hot tub ritual.
He was happy to reveal his secrets. Here’s what he had to say.
“I get some of my best ideas while soaking in my Caldera® spa. Greeting each day from my Geneva® model hot tub is a ritual I rarely miss, and I’m not the only one who benefits. As the Product Manager for Caldera Spas, I leave the water not only calm and centered, but with creative new ideas to enhance the hot tub experience for our Caldera spa owners.”
Andy told us that when he joined the Caldera team, he was already a fan of hot tubbing. He and his wife used their hot tub a couple of times a week to relax at the end of the day or ease sore muscles after a workout.
“I was excited to be working on a product that I personally enjoyed, but when I joined Watkins Wellness®, maker of Caldera Spas, as their new Product Manager, it didn’t take long for me to realize I was only getting a fraction of the benefit my hot tub could provide. A lot of my co-workers followed the lead of our company President, Steve Hammock, and started each day with a 20-30-minute soak – often before sunrise. I noticed that the team members who used their hot tubs before coming to work always seemed especially centered and focused, so I decided to challenge myself to use mine every single day for a month – first thing in the morning. It didn’t take long before I was hooked, and now I wouldn’t dream of giving up my morning soak.”
Andy shared a few examples of how hot-tubbing transforms his morning, and his entire day:
- Climbing out of bed and stepping into his Caldera spa is such a comfortable transition that he finds himself looking forward to his alarm going off.
- By pairing his morning soak with a meditation app, Andy can breathe deeply, clear his head, and add some mindful moments to his morning. Setting one water pump on “low” helps him to create the perfect environment for his morning meditation. He explains “I become more aware of the water around me, the flow and pattern of the different jets, and this adds to the calming, meditative effect of each soak.”
- Crisp morning air and warm jets of water do wonders for Andy’s mental and physical well-being – a big improvement over his previous morning habit of scrolling through his phone to check social media and worry over the day’s headlines.
- Andy has discovered that his hot tub fosters clear-thinking and creativity. While he soaks, his subconscious works to solve problems and come up with ideas to improve all areas of his life. Andy has gotten into the habit of jotting down the insights that come to him in his mindful state.
- Andy certainly doesn’t think of his hot tub time as work, but he can’t deny that soaking each day helps clear his mind, allowing space for inspiration to strike. He credits his daily hot tub ritual for many of his innovative new ideas for product improvements.
In addition to his early morning solo soaks, Andy also likes hot-tubbing with his wife in the evening. Their Caldera spa gives the couple a comfortable place to relax and share the details of their day. Plus, the warm water and soothing jets are the best way Andy knows to ensure a good night’s sleep.
Now that he’s part of the Caldera Spas team, Andy is always on the lookout for new ideas, features, and enhancements that will help his team deliver the best user experience for Caldera spa owners.
Andy made us promise to relay this message to anyone who owns a hot tub or is considering a purchase, “Make a conscious effort to use your hot tub every day. Caldera spas are well insulated and energy efficient so you can leave them set to your ideal temperature – that way your spa will always be ready when you are. Using my hot tub regularly has provided physical, mental, and emotional benefits. The physical benefits were expected, but it’s really the mental and emotional benefits of being able to truly unplug and relax that have been the greatest. I wish everyone knew how transformative a daily soak can be.”
Long after passing the 30-day mark in his personal hot tub challenge, Andy is committed to his new morning ritual. He adds this final note. “I feel very lucky to own such a good hot tub. In addition to the benefits I have already shared, I am better able to understand what spa-ownership is like – maintaining chemical balance, draining and refilling my spa water, etc. – which is truly beneficial in my role as Caldera Spas Product Manager.”
If you own a Caldera spa, why not start your own 30-Day Challenge and experience the transformation a regular daily soak can provide?
