Aria owners,...any regrets?

[v-twinfant]

Hey all,
I'm quickly narrowing my upcoming spa purchase down to a couple of options and wanted to hear from previous or present Hotspring Aria owners.

Pros vs cons, 'must-have options", comparative models of other brands, any regrets, amount $ paid?

Thanks in advance!

V-twinfant

[Vanguard]

I don't own an Aria, but I did wet test one for quite a while.  I really liked it.  I'm a floater so I normally don't like a lounge, but I didn't float at all in the Aria.  If found for me it had plenty of power in the jets.

I'd get a stereo.  I just like them.  On the Aria, I'd probably go with the Moonlight.  Pretty much everything else is standard, ie, ozone.  Get your dealer to throw in steps and a lifter.  

[Spiderman]

Our first hot tub was a HotSpring Jetsetter.  We loved it and HotSpring so much we opened a HotSpring dealership, believe or not!   A few months after having our doors open, we sold our Jetsetter as a used tub to someone who couldn't afford a new one, so they got a great price on our used one, which was only about 16 months old.  

The Aria was sitting back in the mood room and we had tested it out, as we sit in all the new models that go into the mood room.  It is an '07 so the stereo was standard at the time.  The jets are great and the Aria is the only HotSpring with calf jets in the lounger, which is a nice feature.  The six precision jets below the soothing sevens are nice as well.  The corner seat is phenominal and really gives your back a workout.  Of course the lounger with Moto DX and two foot jets is my favorite seat; you can't beat the Moto DX, great massage and you can sit there forever.

For our family of 4, (kids 5 & 9) it is the perfect fit, although my 5 year old duaghter loves the Grandee      The stereo is nice to have when you feel like cranking up some tunes and it sounds really good.  The included sub-woofer really adds to the overall sound quality.  The Aria stereo is my favorite out of all the HotSpring music options.

[Headhog]

Bought a 2008 Aria & took delivery 3/18/08.  We did wet test first and certainly have not been disappointed.  Did not get the stereo because my thinking is you would have to "crank" it up too loud to actually hear it over the jets.  I could be wrong.  We tend to get in late at night before bed time.  A good time to just talk.  Jets have plenty of power and water is crystal clear.  At first we thought my wife, 5'0", might need a "booster".  We keep the water at it's lowest level and it fits both of us well.  Love the lounger, corner seat and the dual jets in floor.  As previously mentioned, the calf jets are an Aria exclusive.  It is very easy to get around from seat to seat and we find ourselves moving around a lot.  I believe the "step/cooldown seat" is a must.  We use it for both.  I feel good about our purchase and think we made a good selection.  PS, we haven't missed very many nights!

[Spatech_tuo]

Bought a 2008 Aria & took delivery 3/18/08.  We did wet test first and certainly have not been disappointed.  Did not get the stereo because my thinking is you would have to "crank" it up too loud to actually hear it over the jets.  I could be wrong.  

I understand your thought that the jets may be too loud as that might be what I'd think if I hadn't tried a couple spas with stereos but my experience is you actually can hear the music pretty easily over the jets as long as the speakers are pointed in the proper direction.

[wmccall]

All the good words made me need to refresh my memory of this model and I thought I would post a quick layout pic


I would put this on my list if we were in the market.  I hope not to be in the market for another year or two.  Next time we will go smaller and then I might consider a stereo. We spend a lot of time soaking without the jets and soft music might be nice, especially if there was an MP3 input.

[TubsAndCues]

 Get your dealer to throw in steps and a lifter.  

I never understand this.  Why wouldn't you prefer the best price rather than have a dealer who is forced to pad the price so that he can still "throw in" some other products?

I get that people want to feel like they got a deal, but it's so ridiculous to me when people think they are getting something for free or expect that they should.

[wmccall]

I never understand this.  Why wouldn't you prefer the best price rather than have a dealer who is forced to pad the price so that he can still "throw in" some other products?

I get that people want to feel like they got a deal, but it's so ridiculous to me when people think they are getting something for free or expect that they should.

Dealers have to take the blame here too. I know that was the case when I bought. You don't go to McDonalds and ask for a better deal, but you do when you try to buy art from a craftsman in a tourist trap in Mexico you do because you heard its done that way.

I had never purchased a hot tub and when I was signing the contract I wanted to make sure I knew what the bottom line was before I left.   He gave me a contract wiht a price and it was vague, I asked, "Does that include the cover and lifter" and he siad," for you sure" I asked about delivery and he acted like I was breaking him and said yes.   All i wanted was the final amount before I made my decision.  I ended up with a cheeap lifter and would have been happy to pay for a better lifter had he educated me rather that rushed me.  That is probably why he isn't in business. You mentioned padding the price, if the price isn't already padded, then don't make the deal.

[Spatech_tuo]

He gave me a contract wiht a price and it was vague, I asked, "Does that include the cover and lifter" and he siad," for you sure" I asked about delivery and he acted like I was breaking him and said yes.   All i wanted was the final amount before I made my decision.  I ended up with a cheeap lifter and would have been happy to pay for a better lifter had he educated me rather that rushed me.  That is probably why he isn't in business.  

I think you're last sentence sums it up pretty well.

[Steve]

I never understand this.  Why wouldn't you prefer the best price rather than have a dealer who is forced to pad the price so that he can still "throw in" some other products?

I get that people want to feel like they got a deal, but it's so ridiculous to me when people think they are getting something for free or expect that they should.

Let me try using this example...

If you owned a spa dealership, would it be more beneficial to you and your customer to give them product (40-50% mark-up) and show value or just to discount the spa?

If you give them steps and a lifter at a value of $500, your cost was only $250 but the total value to your customer was still $500 right? Now, if you discount the spa $500, that is profit coming right out of your pocket directly and the customer still only has $500 in value.

It's for this reason why I question so many dealers that try to provide perceived value in the mark-up / mark-down game. It's NUTS! Plus, it's the weakest & laziest form of being able to show value. Why not determine the best price you can and give the consumer as much value as you can within your margins? Make sense?

[v-twinfant]

Hey everyone,
Thanks so much for all your insightful comments.  It certainly helps lend confidence to this prospective purchase hearing from either former/present owners, as well as folks who are quite familiar, (dealers) with this model.

Would I be rude in asking what the selling prices were?,...just trying to gain some perspective in this 'murky, high-end leisure product' environment.

Again, much gratitude for y'all's feedback!

v-twinfant

[v-twinfant]

Greetings all,
I'm still hoping to gain some valuable feedback from Aria owners whom are able to share vital, hard-to-get information regarding purchase price.   Is $11,500.00 both the correct "MSRP", or realistic 'out-the-door' amount?

Your contributions are much appreciated!

v-twinfant