Spa sales float family business

“We just treat people the way we would like to be treated,” said Bob Smith, who owns the shop with his wife, Debi.

The couple introduced that strategy when they opened the doors to their Sundance Spas dealership 20 years ago.

“When we first moved down here, Bob said, ‘What are we going to do when we sell all these people a spa? The only way we can make it is with good service,’” Debi Smith added.

The Smiths first learned about Sundance Spas from Debi Smith’s doctor.

“I was pregnant with our daughter, and my doctor said he wanted to buy a spa. He had researched and wanted a Sundance,” she said. “We didn’t know then, but we had to be a dealer to sell one. So we cleaned up an area by our shop and brought in a bunch of tubs and sold them.”

From there, the couple set up at the Ozark Empire Fair.

“At that time, nobody knew what a spa was,” Smith said. “We ended up educating people on what a spa is at the fairgrounds.”

Before opening Le Dipping Parlor, the couple ran a plumbing business in El Dorado Springs.

“Bob was the plumber and I ran the retail store,” Debi Smith said. “We did that for 3 1/2 years. We also had a carpet cleaning business, cattle (and) horses. … We owned five businesses, and we decided, that’s it. We’re putting all our eggs in one basket and focusing on one thing.”

They targeted Springfield as their market. The first location was on West Sunshine.

“We drove back and forth for eight months,” Smith said. “Our oldest child was ready to start kindergarten, and we had to make a decision.”

The couple sold everything and moved to Springfield.

“We started on a wing and a prayer. We had little kids and no money, an empty house in El Dorado Springs and two house payments,” Debi Smith said.

After five years on West Sunshine, the couple bought and remodeled a building on South Campbell. Last year, the building was expanded and the storefront was revamped.

Le Dipping Parlor is the only Sundance dealer in a protected territory that extends west to Kansas, southeast to West Plains and north to Lake of the Ozarks, as well as areas of Arkansas. All spas are ordered direct from the factory in Chino, Calif. Models range from a one-person spa to a nine-person spa with prices ranging from $3,395 to more than $13,000.

Most of the store’s customers have chronic pain issues, Debi Smith said.

“We have people who have fibromyalgia. We have others who are on muscle relaxants, sleep medications and antidepressants,” she said. “We love to have people test soak our spas. They will go home and call me the next day and say they slept like they haven’t slept in years.”

The spas also benefit those with arthritis, migraines and even car accident patients.

Rudy Patterson said he thought it would be a fun idea to have a spa. The pharmacist, who is an avid golfer, was looking for a way to relieve his aches and pains.

“I bought one a year ago, and I researched it quite a bit. I found the best deal there,” he said.

The size of the spa and the number of jets compared to the others he looked at, as well as the convenience of the controls, sold Patterson. Having the spa delivered, set up and serviced by the dealer was another selling point, he said.

“Their service is great. I’ve only had to call once, and when I got home from work the next day it was fixed,” he said.

As for the future of the business, the Smiths have no plans other than to continue selling more spas.

“There have been times in the past I’ve worried about the impact of the economy on our business, but we’ve found that’s when we do the best,” Debi Smith said. “It’s because people are staying home more, not vacationing as much.”

Business grows at a rate of 10 percent to 15 percent annually, Debi Smith said, declining to disclose revenues.

“People are finding that there’s not another remodeling project they can do to make them feel better,” she said.