Jacuzzi is an American private company that manufactures and markets hot tubs, pools, and other bath products.[1] It is best known for the Jacuzzi hydrotherapy products.[2][1] The company is headquartered in Irvine, California. It is the largest hot tub manufacturer in Europe[1] with eight factories, the largest being in Italy.[3]
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1915 |
| Founder | Jacuzzi family |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Bath and spa products |
| Owner | Investindustrial |
| Website | www |
The company was founded in 1915 by seven Italian immigrants brothers from the Jacuzzi family in Berkeley, California.[4] 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.[5] 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.
The Associated Press Stylebook lists Jacuzzi as a trademark brand for products like hot tubs, whirlpool spas, and whirlpool baths[6] and it may not be legal to use the name in a commercial context without permission.
History
Beginnings
Jacuzzi was founded by seven siblings in the Jacuzzi family: Giocondo, Frank, Rachele, Candido, Joseph, Gelindo and Valeriano, who were from Casarsa della Delizia in northern Italy.[7] Their original last name was Iacuzzi, but when the first two brothers emigrated from Italy to the US in 1907, immigration staff misspelled their name as "Jacuzzi".[8] All seven siblings had emigrated by 1910.[8] More family members emigrated to the U.S. when the brothers won a contract to provide propellers to the U.S. for World War I planes.[9]
Jacuzzi began as a machining company.[10] The brothers worked on a citrus farm owned by an early aviation inventor.[8] They offered to help develop aviation products, creating an early wood propeller that was curved instead of flat[8] and was used in World War I.[11] One of the first propellers they made is now either in storage at or on loan from the Smithsonian Institution.[8] They also developed one of the first fully-enclosed cabins for airplanes, called the Jacuzzi J-7, which was used to transport mail.[8]
In 1921, a mail plane crashed, killing all of the passengers on board, including Giocondo Jacuzzi.[8] The siblings subsequently abandoned the aviation industry and experimented with several other products, the first successful one being a water pump created by Rachele Jacuzzi in 1926.[12] The product line expanded into a variety of pumps.[13]
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 the smaller Hubbard tank at the Herrick hospital in Berkeley.[14] He patented the pump in 1952[10] and began marketing it between 1955 and 1956 as a therapeutic aid.[14] The pump was a portable device that could turn any regular bathtub into a spa.[15]
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.[16] This is considered the first whirlpool tub designed for relaxation, rather than for medical use.[17] Jacuzzi used celebrity Jayne Mansfield and others to market the tubs, which initially gained popularity among Hollywood movie stars.[14] In the 1970s, Jacuzzi products were featured on Queen for a Day and other TV shows and grew in popularity in California.[9] The company started developing larger models that could fit more than one person. They also added filters and heaters, so the tub didn't need to be drained with each use.[18] From 1970, family-sized spas were producted.[19]
By 1989, Jacuzzi had 2,200 employees.[13] Initially, Jacuzzi primarily sold through contractors and builders, but in 1993 it started selling through retailers.[20] 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.[18]
Jacuzzi was influential in the trend towards larger and more luxurious bathrooms.[12]
Changes in ownership
By 1979,[9] there were 257 Jacuzzi family members involved in the Jacuzzi brand and there was a growing number of disputes among them.[20] Then the business was acquired by Kidde for $70 million.[9] Most of the Jacuzzi family members left the company, except Roy Jacuzzi, who stayed on as the head of the hot tub and bath division.[21] In 1987, Kidde was acquired by Hanson PLC.[22] In 1995 Hanson spun off Jacuzzi and other brands into a public company called U.S. Industries.[18] USI renamed itself Jacuzzi Brands in 2003.[23] This was in turn bought out by Apollo Management,[2] and then by Investindustrial in 2019.[24]
Acquisitions since the 1990s have included Haugh Products[20] (above-ground pools), Sundance Spas,[20] Gatsby Spas,[20] Zurn Industries (toilets, sinks), Hydropool (hot tubs), Liners Direct (bath products), BathWraps (shower and bathtub renovation).[25] In the 1990s, Jacuzzi had taken on too much debt and sold more than $600 million worth of businesses.[18] The business segment producing industrial, irrigation, well water, submersible, and centrifugal systems was sold to Franklin Electric in 2004. The plumbing division, Zurn Industries, was sold in 2007 for $950 million.[26] Current brands include ThermoSpas, Sundance Spas, and Dimension One.
Gallery
Historic whirlpool bath, circa 1969
Historic Lowboy advertisement, circa 1970
References
Further reading
External links
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