A Little History

Around 1900, seven brothers named Jacuzzi (Rachel, Valeriano, Galindo, Candido, Giocondo, Frank, and Joseph) immigrated to the United States from Italy. They eventually settled on the West Coast in Berkeley, California and became machinists.

Rachele Jacuzzi, began making aircraft , inspired by an air show he had seen at the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition in nearby San Francisco. They designed a unique propeller known as the "Jacuzzi toothpick." The Jacuzzi brothers created an aircraft manufacturing company in Berkeley, which remained in business until 1976, although their product line changed over the years. One accomplishment of the company was the first enclosed cabin monoplane which was used by the U.S. Postal Service to carry passengers from the San Francisco Bay area to Yosemite National Park.

In 1925 the Jacuzzi Brothers shifted from making aircraft and turned the company's know-how in making hydraulic aircraft pumps to the manufacture of a new kind of deep well agricultural pump. Their innovative design received a Gold Medal at the California State Fair in 1930.

In 1948, Candido Jacuzzi used the company's expertise in pumps to develop a submersible bathtub pump for his son, who had contracted rheumatoid arthritis and suffered from chronic pain. The boy received regular hydrotherapy treatments at local hospitals, but Candido could not stand to see his son suffering between visits. He realized that the Jacuzzi agricultural water pumps could be adapted to give his son soothing whirlpool treatments in the tub at home.  The boy that received those first home spa treatments, Kenneth, went on to become president of the Jacuzzi Company.

The “J300” as the portable therapeutic pump became known as began selling in Bath and plumbing supply stores in 1955.  To get a little marketing “punch” and publicity  portable Jacuzzis were included in the gifts given to contestants on TV's Queen for a Day. It was pitched as relief for the worn out housewife. When Hollywood stars like Randolph Scott and Jayne Mansfield, who were decidedly not worn out, began offering testimonials, the Jacuzzi whirlpool bathtub started to acquire its legendary fame.  At around that time Jack Benny was hired as a spokesman for Jacuzzi.

The J-300 pump was portable and could be placed in any bath enclosure. The medical community recognized the benefit of this product for their hydro-therapeutic programs. Physical therapists and orthopedists prescribed their use in clinics and in the home.

In 1968, third generation Jacuzzi, Roy, brought to market the first self-contained, fully integrated whirlpool bath by incorporating jets into the sides of the tub. Dubbed the "Roman Bathtub," the jets used a 50-50 air/water ratio to improve the experience.  This is the same air to water ratio still used today in Jacuzzi J300s and J400 models.. The “Jacuzzi” became a symbol of a luxurious lifestyle. Hundreds of thousands of Jacuzzi portables were installed, both indoors and outdoors, at recreation centers and private homes. Hollywood celebrities began making personal use of them.

In the early 1970s, the company produced larger units with built-in heating and filtration systems. This was the beginning of the spa industry as we know it today, and it firmly associated the Jacuzzi name with the tubs.  Suzanne Somers, then a model, was used in some of the first Jacuzzi print advertisements. The integrated design allowed for easy installation and portability, and thousands of homeowners installed the units. As the industry matured, the company's product line expanded with models that worked in multi-use configurations as hot tubs, whirlpool baths, or both. These models could be installed indoors or outdoors.
Today, Jacuzzi branded hot tubs, baths, showers, toilets, sinks, and accessories are commonly found in residential homes, hotels, and aboard cruise ships and have become popular in high-end spas around the world. Now manufactured along with sister brand, Sundance Spas, in an ultra model eco friendly* plant in Chino California,  Jacuzzi products are distributed in about 60 countries worldwide.

The Sundance Spas Jacuzzi Hot Tub plant is located in Chino, California. This plant was the first ISO 9001 certified hot tub production facility in the world. It has the capability of producing up to 300 spas per day for their domestic and export business needs. The Jacuzzi and Sundance hot tub product line has many unique features such as patented jets, rainbow waterfalls, synthetic sun-resistant siding, stereos, ergonomic seating, triple-layered shells, full foam insulation, and a solid A.B.S. pan bottom. As a matter of fact there are more than 250 patents owned by the company used in the production of their spas.

*In its efforts to be the "cleanest" manufacturer of acrylic spas in the world, Sundance Spas/ Jacuzzi Hot Tubs' modern manufacturing facility utilizes a Thermal Regenerative Oxidizer that optimally captures 100% of the volatile organic compounds that might otherwise be released into the environment and contaminate ground-water.