In 1956, an idea was born. Why not treat a family member's arthritis symptoms with a hydrotherapy pump. The Jacuzzi brothers invented a pump and a small niche business was born. The J-300, a portable pump, was sold to hospitals and schools.

This innovative spirit was captured by Roy Jacuzzi, a third-generation family member who had begun learning the business as a teenager. Sensing the American consumer's interest in health, fitness and leisure activities, Roy invented and marketed the first self-contained, fully integrated whirlpool bath in 1968. By incorporating jets into the sides of the tub, it became the bath that almost single-handedly created an industry.

As larger units were designed to accommodate several people, Jacuzzi incorporated heating and filtration systems to keep the water warm and clean‹thus creating the first spa in 1970. In 1979, the family sold to New York-based Kidde Inc. All the family members left the business or retired, except for Roy, who stayed on to run the Jacuzzi operations.

The 80's were a decade of new designs for Jacuzzi. The Avanza was introduced - a whirlpool bath / hot tub product that could be used in either configuration. It could be installed inside or outside a house and was really the first hot tub/whirlpool bath product all in one. Other new designs included the Illusion - a large whirlpool bath that look like a volcano coming up out of the ground - and the Fiore Corner bath which was the first corner to have built-in faucets and a recirculation water rainbow that delivered a sheet of water down the rippled acrylic shell in the back of the unit.