This year, USSPA celebrates its 30th anniversary—a milestone that reflects not only decades of innovation, but also a remarkable family legacy. Founded in the Czech Republic by her father, the company has grown from pioneering beginnings into an internationally recognized leader in spa and wellness design. At the helm today is Katerina Kadlecová, who continues to guide the brand with a strong sense of tradition, an eye for design excellence, and a commitment to sustainability and well-being. In this conversation with poolbiz.eu, she shares memories of USSPA’s early days, her perspective as a female leader in a male-dominated industry, and her vision for the future of spa living.
USSPA is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year – when you think back to the early days, what moments or challenges do you particularly remember?
I recall the very beginnings. The moment when my father became fascinated by hot tubs and decided to enter the business with a vision that people would need to slow down in an increasingly fast-paced world, to focus on their health and well-being. How that vision started to come true and the world even faster, how we bought a factory and quickly moved toward our own production, how the first molds were created and even the vacuum forming machines, which we had to build ourselves in the beginning. The first spa sold in the Czech Republic, the first spa exported abroad. Every step in building our solid foundation andthe extensive know-how was exciting. Just as exciting were the moments of growth, when we had already become an established manufacturer and, with the second generation of our spas, won the most prestigious global design awards, including the Red Dot. But behind all of this were—and still are—people.Our strong internal team, including many who have been with us for over twenty years, and of course our customers—the users of our spas, whose satisfaction is the reason we do all this. Knowing that people enjoy your products from Alicante to Zanzibar is incredibly encouraging.
You are also the woman leading one of the most inspiring companies in the spa industry, which is quite rare. How does that feel? What personal advantages and challenges do you experience, and in what ways does a woman’s perspective benefit the business?
Being the owner of such a company feels good, but it’s also a big responsibility. I don’t think the essence of my leadership lies in the fact that I’m a woman. Maybe a woman’s perspective can be unique in some ways, but it’s really about personality. Over 30% of our team are women, both in administration and production, and what matters most are skills and attitude. I’ve been leading the company since 2011 together with my husband, and what’s key in our case is how well we complement each other. From the perspective of the pool and spa industry, where there aren’t many women in leadership roles, my female perspective might play a role —especially inhow we differ – our distinctive stylefrom product design to marketing. It’s a complex approach. Everything must have both strong substance and aesthetic form. We work with emotions.Relationships and long-term thinking are important to us, which also ties into the fact that we’re a family business.
Your company is regarded as an innovative leader in the industry. How do you manage to combine tradition and technological progress – for example in terms of design, sustainability or smart features?
Development and design are things we’re passionate about—they drive us forward. Design, quality, and innovation are exactly what define us as a company and our products. We like to go our own way, look for new solutions and unconventional approaches, but we also stick to what’s proven and functional. We don’t innovate just to innovate—we do it where it makes sense and brings real value to our clients. Even though our spas are truly smart devices thanks to unique control systems and a wide range of exceptional features, they’re still intuitive and easy to use—even for people who don’t want to deal with technology while relaxing. As for sustainability, we see it in the broadest sense—from supporting human health towards longevity, which our products promote, to the generational continuity of our company. What’s essential for us in this area is being natural and authentic.
You are the second generation to run USSPA – what does this family responsibility mean to you and what new values or ideas have you introduced?
Intergenerational responsibility can be quite binding. For me, it’s mostly a motivation. The company my father and I passed on to each other fourteen years ago is something I want to develop and improve so that we can one day pass it on—stronger than ever—to our son.
USSPA is growing and evolving into a modern company built on solid, conservative foundations. Family values have become part of our corporate values and now connect generations of our employees. They’re also reflected in how we treat our business partners and customers. Not everything in business is just about business.
Is there any particular customer feedback or experience that has touched you personally and shows how your products really reach people?
We’re happy about every single positive feedback we receive. A special category is new customers who come to us based on recommendations from our satisfied customers—this is a strong group in our home market in the Czech Republic, where we sell directly. What’s most amazing is the kind of people our spas and our company bring together. They’re successful and generous too. This is most evident at our annual golf tournament, which we host in DolníDobrouč on a beautiful course built by my father after he left the company. The friendly atmosphere regularly transforms into collective charity, with proceeds from the auction helping people at the end of life and caregivers providing hospice care at home.
Where do you want USSPA to go in the next few years? What visions or goals are currently driving you – both entrepreneurially and personally?
Currently we have major development projects underway, we’re preparing new products and services, and we’re expanding our dealer network across European countries. It’s a busy time. I’m pleased that our brand is also gaining strength in the German market, where customers appreciate quality, design, and technical solutions that allow our spas to be integrated both architecturally and technically e.g. into smart home systems, alternative heating options.
Interest in our swim spas, the year-round pools, is growing significantly due to their greater sustainability compared to traditional pools, plus the advantage of our patented automatic and mechanical covers. This is definitely one of the pillars of our future.
As for the long-term goals and visions, they’re bold and exciting, but we approach them with humility. After thirty years in business, we know very well that the world changes quickly, and the most important thing is to stay flexible and open-minded.
