Pools & Spas

Square Roots & Cross Purposes
Tailoring pool designs that marry the clients’ desires with the setting is always top-of-mind for Joan Roca. Here, he describes a project on the Florida coast that stands as a perfect example of his design approach. In this case, he turned to a basic shape and a host of custom details, to create a watershape that offers function, and a striking centerpiece that unifies house, land and sea.     ...
The Misguided Push to Eliminate Natural Gas from California’s Backyards
Legislative moves to prohibit natural gas from backyards in California is badly misguided, argues Scott Cohen. While reducing carbon emissions is a valid objective, he says, trying to do so by eliminating natural gas-driven amenities does little to help the environment while stabbing at the heart of the state’s renown outdoor lifestyle. ...
WU Launches New Student Experience Portal
Watershapes University is proud to announce a new user portal platform now available for all existing and future WU students. This new user experience consolidates multiple functions and databases into one, easy-to-use portal with a single sign-on that facilitates enrolling in live and online courses, and receiving certifications for course completions. It’s a useful tool that will help WU students access the education they need to reach their full potential. ...
Waterparks From the Start
In 2022, waterpark operations legend, Billy Hamilton, was inducted into the World Waterpark Association Hall of Fame, honored for his pioneering work maintaining water quality on a mass scale. Here he shares his story with an eye toward the innovative spirit and experimentation that put him on the forefront of the industry’s most complex and challenging commercial facilities. ...
Water Tech Introduces Precision V10 Cordless, Hoseless Cleaner
Water Tech Corp has announced its Water Tech Precision V10—an enhanced version of Water Tech’s popular Precision 2.0 Pool Cleaner. According to the manufacturer, the cleaner provides a convenient, high-power cordless and hose–free cleaning that pool professionals can rely on, with enhanced features to improve the speed and quality of pool cleaning. The Precision V10 now offers a Shallow Water Adapter attachment, enabling it to better clean shallow areas like steps and sun shelves.  Learn more here.
Inside Turkish Baths
As the wellness trend surges the world over, the traditional practice and design of Turkish baths are gaining renewed interest, both for the health benefits they afford, as well as their aesthetic beauty. Here’s a peak inside these exotic havens of rest and rejuvenation. ...
Gentle Solutions (Rejecting the Use of Muriatic Acid on Fresh Plaster)
Using acid on newly installed cementitious surfaces is a bad idea, says plaster expert and teacher, Jon Temple. Here he explains his approach to using milder solutions removing mineral residue on exposed aggregate surfaces as a way to avoid common problems and defects. ...
Eastern Horizons (How Watershape Design Benefits from Japanese Garden Principles)
It’s one of history’s most influential design traditions. Japanese gardens are much more than pagodas, lanterns and Bonsai trees, says Jason Brownlee. Studying these timeless gardens that are so artfully inspired by nature is, he says, one of the best ways to elevate watershape and landscape design of almost all types. ...
Becoming a Modern Watershaper
Despite decades of being derided as an industry that has been unable to change for the better, Mark Holden argues that some segments of the pool industry have, in fact, dramatically improved in recent years. Moving to higher professional ground, he says, requires elevating practices across a range of important fronts.   ...
The Muddy Legend of Lake Dolores
Long before waterparks became recreational fixtures the world over, a lonely desert playground in southern California -- built on a system of muddy ponds -- revealed both the possibility, and liability, of high-octane water thrill rides. ...