
With its roots firmly in high-end design and construction, London Essex Hot Tubs has its finger on the pulse in the luxury spa and hot tub market.
As an exclusive retail outlet for Hydropool products, the London Essex Hot Tubs portfolio boasts luxury hot tubs and swim spas, as well as enclosures, garden buildings and outdoor furnishings. The multi-faceted company that we see today started out nearly 50 years ago as a bespoke kitchen design business. For several years the business also built extensions with bi-folding doors to house new kitchens, as well as supplying patios and outdoor decking. By 2012, the company was frequently being asked for hot tubs, outdoor kitchens, pools and enclosures, so the following year the directors took the decision to branch into the hot tub and outdoor living market with the launch of a brand new dedicated showroom to offer such products.
“We wanted the space under one roof so that customers could visit all year round and so that garden designers could use the space for their clients,” explains Meda Vlad of London Essex Hot Tubs.
“We acquired the building in Loughton providing 2,700m2 of showroom and office space with the opportunity to add a further floor as and when required. The building required extensive works which happened in two phases during 2014/15.”
The showroom now has more than a dozen hot tubs and two swim spas on display, including the only 17ft FX Aqua Trainer Swim Spa available to wet test in the London area, as well as a 670 self-cleaning hot tub with a salt water system. Other items include enclosures, decking and artificial grass, as well as external ceramic flooring, outdoor cooking and BBQ’s, all weather sound systems and other external products.
In its first year, London Essex Hot Tubs was named 2014 Hydropool European New Dealer of the Year – a highly prestigious award not won since 2009 and never previously won by a UK company. Two further Hydropool awards followed in 2014 and 2015.

Meda comments: “In 2013 we carried out extensive research to determine which brand of products we would promote from our showroom. In doing this we considered many aspects such as reliability, ease of maintenance and brand presence. For hot tubs and swim spas there was only one winner and that was Hydropool.”
She continues: “To this we have added leading brands of other exterior products across our portfolio. This combined with our experience within the construction sector has enabled us to offer a truly turnkey package for design, specification through to the delivery and construction of garden space providing innovative solutions to enable clients to use their space all year round.”
The company offers a full installation service including the preparation of ground works, decking and associated buildings and enclosures. The London Essex team of experienced installers also provides maintenance and service contracts for commercial and residential customers. Current projects include a 21m x 6m brick-built garden building housing a swim spa, hot tub, gym, shower and changing area, bar, games room and outdoor kitchen. The team is also working on constructing four outdoor cedar clad buildings, which will include a pool house with swim spa, hot tub and fibre optic ceiling. As well as that, there’s a hydrotherapy project underway for a child with special needs and a reconstruction of an existing swimming pool into a swim spa surrounded by ceramic outdoor flooring.
Looking to the future, the team is focused on growing the business by taking on more staff and more projects and investing in a second show site.
“Last year we carried out around twenty spa design projects and this year our aim is to increase this to 36,” explains Meda. “To help with the extra work, we have recently recruited a project manager, a trainee architect and a showroom manager. Eventually the plan is to open an additional showroom in 2017 and 2018 and to be the one stop shop for our customers.”