Jacuzzi is an American private company that manufactures and markets hot tubs, pools, and other bath products. It is best known for the Jacuzzi hydrotherapy products.

The company was founded in 1915 by seven Italian immigrant brothers from the Jacuzzi family in Berkeley, California. It developed a variety of products including pumps for agricultural use. In 1948, Jacuzzi created water pumps to treat a family member's rheumatoid arthritis. The water pumps were a niche medical product until they were integrated into a recreational hot tub in 1968. As the popularity of hot tubs grew, Jacuzzi created more models that were more advanced. Jacuzzi was family-run until 1979, after which it then changed hands several times, before being bought by its current owner Investindustrial in 2019.

Due to its popularity and market dominance among hot tub sales, the word Jacuzzi became akin to a generic trademark in advertising and product marketing, synonymous with "hot tub" itself in American English. However, the Associated Press Stylebook lists Jacuzzi as a trademark brand for products such as hot tubs, whirlpool spas, and whirlpool baths, and not as a legally genericized trademark.

History

thumb|right|Jacuzzi Bros. storefront, circa 1960

Beginnings

Jacuzzi was founded by seven siblings in the Jacuzzi family: Giocondo, Francesco (Frank), Rachele, Candido, Giuseppe (Joseph), Gelindo and Valeriano, who were from Casarsa della Delizia in northern

Italy. All seven siblings had emigrated by 1910.

Jacuzzi began as a machining company. The brothers worked on a citrus farm owned by an early aviation inventor. One of the first propellers they made is now either in storage at or on loan from the Smithsonian Institution.

The product line expanded into a variety of pumps.

Hydrotherapy

In 1948, Candido Jacuzzi developed an improved full body hydrotherapy pump, the J-300, to treat his son's (Ken Jacuzzi) rheumatoid arthritis between hospital visits, after noting his positive response to the smaller Hubbard tank at the Herrick hospital in Berkeley. He patented the pump in 1952

From 1968, a whirlpool bath was produced, which included jets that mixed air and water. This product (called the Roman Bath) was developed by Roy Jacuzzi, a 3rd-generation member of the family. This is considered the first whirlpool tub designed for relaxation, rather than for medical use. Jacuzzi used celebrity Jayne Mansfield and others to market the tubs, which initially gained popularity among Hollywood movie stars. From 1970, family-sized spas were produced.

By 1989, Jacuzzi had 2,200 employees. In the 1990s, Jacuzzi entered markets outside the US, especially in Italy and Spain. By the end of the 1990s, half of its sales were outside the US. In 1987, Kidde was acquired by Hanson PLC. In 1995, Hanson spun off Jacuzzi and other brands into a public company called U.S. Industries. This was in turn bought out by Apollo Management, and then by Investindustrial in 2019.

Acquisitions since the 1990s have included Haugh Products In the 1990s, Jacuzzi had taken on too much debt and sold more than $600 million worth of businesses. Current brands include ThermoSpas, Sundance Spas, and Dimension One.

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File:HISTORIC picture of whirlpool bath.jpg|Historic whirlpool bath, circa 1969

File:Jacuzzi Lowboy Advert -historic.jpg|Historic Lowboy advertisement, circa 1970

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References

Further reading

  • Self-published.