Picture this: you get home after another exhausting day of work, plunge into your spa and, while your stiff neck loosens up to a hydro-massage, you watch your favorite movie on the DVD screen attached to it.
Surround sound? Yes: four speakers, one on each corner of the tub. The whole thing is waterproof, down to the remote – it floats along the surface toward you and lands in your grip.
If you don’t think this sounds like the picture of utter decadence, then you might be interested to know that this outrageous spa innovation is available in Costa Rica.
Coast Spas Costa Rica, the local branch of the Canada-based company, offers not only the DVD-spa experience but also spa phones and accessories to hook up your computer to the screen and take work into the tub, according to assistant manager Roberto Ferraro.
Coast Spas, which opened here four years ago, offers spas that fit up to eight people and range in price from approximately $5,600 to $22,000, Ferraro said.
The company also provides installation, maintenance training and, for those who refuse to lift a finger, a weekly visit to take care of their spa at an additional cost.
Coast Spas Costa Rica, which installed 120 four-person spas at the luxurious Arenal Kioro hotel near Arenal Volcano, in northcentral Costa Rica, can install spas immediately anywhere in the country if the desired model is in stock. Otherwise, clients can pay 50% of the total price and wait to have their spa shipped to the country. Installation can take one to two hours, according to Ferraro.
For more information, call Coast Spas’ office in the western San José district f Pavas at 290-8678, or visit www.coastspasdecostarica.com.
If you’re more of a pool person, Piscinas Aquarium has been in the pool business in Costa Rica for almost 30 years, and has taken its services to Nicaragua and Panama, according to pool architect Diego Gutiérrez.
Gutiérrez said that each pool is designed to suit the client’s wishes. Usually a customer comes with a preliminary idea, and Aquarium, with its team of architects, shows the client several sample models from which to choose.
Several important aspects must be taken into consideration in designing a pool, Gutiérrez explained. For instance, the selection and location of pool lights, inside and outside the pool, can be crucial, he said.
Besides assisting in this process,Aquarium architects can help find the most functional space for pools in an already built residence or hotel, or one under construction.
The company also offers pool accessories, maintenance services, spas and Jacuzzis, and caters to a broad foreign and national market.
Aquarium is so in demand that construction of pools ordered now might begin as late as February 2007, according to Gutiérrez. Prices begin at $10,000.
For more information, call 289-6542 or visit Aquarium’s office at Plaza Aquarium, near Multiplaza mall in the western suburb of Escazú.
Piscinas Drezner adds a twist to its pools and specializes in natural creations.
According to manager Israel Drezner, his pools have artistic designs, and he likes to sprinkle them with pebbles, add waterfalls or go for lake themes with realistic black or green bottoms.
“People like having a different pool,” he said, adding that he also builds classic pools and works on both hotel and residential projects.
Drezner, an engineer, has been building pools since 1981. His company works with clients on their designs and offers maintenance recommendations, but does not provide this service.
Drezner pools start at approximately $8,000.
For more information, call 231-5780 or visit www.costaricapools.com.
