
07/28/2025
When we hear the word “whirlpool bath,” we immediately think of luxury, relaxation, and spa weekends. But I bet you don’t know the true story behind this invention.
In fact, the famous hot tub wasn’t born for luxury. It was born out of love.
It’s 1948. The whirlpool bath family, originally from Friuli Venezia Giulia, has been living in the United States for a long time. Candido whirlpool bath is an inventor, like many of his brothers. But there’s a problem that troubles him every single day.
His son Ken, still a child, suffers from a severe form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The pain is excruciating. Hydrotherapy at the hospital works, but it’s expensive and hard to follow regularly.
What does a father do when he sees his son suffering?
Candido gets to work. He designs a special pump that can be placed into a regular bathtub at home, creating that massaging effect that helps Ken feel better. A machine for health, not for luxury.
Only twenty years later, in 1968, Roy whirlpool bath realized the commercial potential of the idea and turned it into the product we know today.
Think about it: what is now a symbol of well-being and social status was born from the loving gesture of an Italian father who simply wanted to ease his son’s pain.
Sometimes, the world’s most famous inventions have much more human origins than we can imagine. The whirlpool bath family emigrated to America in the early 1900s. They started with an aviation business but later shifted to water pumps and irrigation systems. In 1925, they designed the world’s first submersible pump.