Unwind with a hot soak

By Nicole DeCosta

The West Linn Tidings, Feb 22, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Vern Uyetake / West Linn Tidings

Carolyn Condon, sales director with Ashiyu Patio Foot Spas in Sellwood, relaxes with the company’s Footopia foot spa. The Portland company has grown in its six months of business, and now has products for sale in West Linn at Healthy Spaces.

Visit private hot springs year-round in the comfort of your home. Hot springs lovers at Ashiyu Patio Foot Spas in Portland created free-standing spas to pamper your feet and calm your soul.

“Ashiyu” translates to “foot bath” and is based on the ancient Japanese practice of soaking your feet in hot springs. In Japan, soaking one’s feet is common practice in resorts, restaurants, train stations, and other places. The Ashiyu spas are deep enough to soak feet and lower legs to boost circulation and relieve stress.

“It’s something that people can share together. We wanted to make a hub for people to gather in the garden,” said John Condon, co-owner of Ashiyu and spa engineer. “We designed it to be a feature for landscapes for indoors or out and that would work in our Northwest climate. We were trying to make as much of a departure from hot tubs as we could.”

The spas are typically installed on a patio, but also indoors in a sunroom or spa. John and his wife, Rebecca Condon, designed the spas for a personal experience or as a party centerpiece.

A hot commodity

After visiting the hot springs at Olympic National Park in Washington, John and Rebecca said they were inspired to create something similar to the springs, but on a smaller scale so that people could enjoy a pampered experience at home.

John, a biomedical engineer, and Rebecca, an aspiring interior designer, combined their knowledge and love for spa therapies to create a visually appealing product for people with small patios and those with large acreage.

John said they wanted something that didn’t look like a hot tub, was easy to maintain and provided therapeutic relief.

“The idea stewed in our minds for a while,” said John. “We talked about how it was so hard to keep a swimming pool warm around here. (We thought), ‘there must be something smaller.’”

A round 40-inch diameter Footopia model – looking like an enormous tea cup – holds 50 gallons of water and heats up quickly, John said. The resin bowl uses a network of perforated pipes beneath river rocks to supply streams of hot water. The speed is operated using a digital programmable controller. The heater and pump are built into a side table made from slate, woven bamboo or wood. The cabinet doubles as a bench.

For a sleeker look, this round model can sit upon the pump/heater cabinet and be used with taller chairs.

“People like this one for the look,” said John. “There is something elegant about it.”

The rectangular Onsen spa has more gadgets. With a 36-inch fiberglass basin and ports that mix air and water, this model is similar to the Footopia but comes with an optional blower for a bubbly foot leg massage.

These models are constructed with either wood, woven bamboo or slate panels on the side and detached or built-in benches.

“With this design you can put chairs all around it or put it in a corner to take up hardly any space,” said John.

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