O-Care’s innovative hot tub maintenance journey…
The story of O-Care is rooted in innovation, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to improving water maintenance for hot tub owners. It begins in 2006, when Barry Vorstenbosch and Roel Fassbender unknowingly embarked on a journey that would transform how people care for their spas.
At that time, the hot tub industry was still in its infancy in the Netherlands and Roel had decided to assist a friend who had just entered the hot tub business. Around the same time, Barry joined the same company. They soon realised they shared a passion for innovation and improving the customer experience and took over the company to make it suit their vision.
They sold their own line of hot tubs which was made by a small manufacturer out of Indiana. That manufacturer could not sustain their sales numbers in the difficult years of the credit crunch and went out of business forcing the pair to change brands.
The aim was to ensure long term revenue in their business with both service contracts and water maintenance subscriptions looked to be a better suit selling Hotspring which was taken on in 2013 and has remained as their sole brand up to now.
Roel explains: “One of the challenges we faced in the first years was understanding the issues customers faced when it came to water maintenance and existing products weren’t solving the problem. “We initially attempted to introduce a subscription-based water care product, but frequent customer issues made us realise we needed a better solution.”
That’s when Roel turned to a friend working in a laboratory specialising in food, personal care, and cleaning industries. “Through research, we found that hot tubs suffered from similar issues to those that were experienced in industrial installations namely sediment build-up and bacterial growth,” explains Roel.
“The lab was testing natural alternatives that had proven to be very effective. Unlike shock dosing methods, which caused wear and tear on hot tub components, these natural solutions maintained clean surfaces which in turn decreased the need for harsh chemicals.”
MINERAL BASED
With this discovery, Roel and Barry set out to re-engineer the formula for hot tubs, creating a mineral-based solution that:
• Reduced the need for chlorine and other sanitizers
• Minimised pollution and oxidation
• Extended the lifespan of hot tub components
This became the foundation of O-Care, the product was launched in 2008 to their customer base and it ensured customer retention and long-term success as they introduced a subscription model. They made their customers a very attractive offer:
1. Free shipping on every order.
2. A €5 discount for subscribers.
3. A lifetime warranty on hot tub pumps for continuous subscribers.
O-Care quickly gained traction, with 80% of their customer base signing up for subscriptions. Not only did this create a steady revenue stream, but it also helped eliminate common water maintenance problems.
Around 2014, dealers from Germany and Belgium expressed interest, leading to O-Care’s expansion into international markets which had never been part of the initial plan. Increasing the hot tub experience and helping their own customers had been their only goal up to that point.
BUILDING TRUST
After seeing a little success in Europe, O-Care expanded to the UK, where dealers were receptive to the product but hesitant about subscription-based sales. Many lacked the systems to manage recurring orders, so O-Care provided business support, helping dealers implement inventory management, automated re-ordering, and customer retention strategies.
By shifting from a simple product to a full-service solution, O-Care gained trust and loyalty among UK dealers, making subscription-based water care possible for all dealers. Its success in the UK paved the way for expansion into larger markets like the US. O-Care continues to evolve, ensuring hot tub owners enjoy simpler, safer, and more effective water maintenance.
