For millions of Americans, Valentine's Day is an annual excuse to buy flowers, eat choco-licious treats and exchange witty cards (e.g. "I choo-choo-choose you"), all in the name of love. For a lucky few Ann Arborites, however, St. Valentine's Day will be spent relaxing at The Oasis Hot Tub Gardens, on South State Street.
Throughout the last 6 1/2 years, University students and other area residents have taken vacations from their problems at The Oasis. Each of the 14 gardens has its own theme and decor. The British Isles Gardens, for example, comes complete with a fireplace and statues of rabbits and lions surrounding the hot tub. While it lacks a photograph of a drunken geezer with rotten teeth that would smack of true British authenticity, the garden does include a dressing room with a shower, hangers, towels and two mints, like all the other gardens. All rooms, like the totem-splattered Fiji Garden and the wooden walkbridge-enhanced Japan Garden, are also quite secluded. This means that you can control with impunity which genre of piped-in music gets played (New Age/Classical, Jazz/Blues, Pop/Rock/Soul, or, for the Billy Ray Cyrus in all of us, Country).
"It's a really cool place to go when you're stressed out," said LSA junior Erin Retelle, who has visited Oasis several times.
Fenced-in privacy also raises concerns about certain by-products floating around in the water of the tubs. Oasis maintenance guru John Spieser said there's nothing to worry about.
"The Health Department checks the water whenever they want, so we've got to be ready," he said.
The water in each tub is circulated constantly, and seven hi-tech systems completely refilter the water every eight minutes. In addition, Oasis incorporates stringent standards to ensure proper amounts of chlorine, bromine and pH levels in the water, meaning Oasis tub water is actually cleaner and more bacteria-free than Ann Arbor's drinking supply.
That isn't to say that funky things don't occur at Oasis. Many students ignore the warning that "consumption of alcohol is prohibited." Oasis employee Calvin Cruz said that those who break that rule "usually sneak in (alcohol) in coolers or backpacks." The warning exists for a reason, however, because "people could pass out with the heat (of the tubs, which can go up to 105 degrees) and the alcohol mixing," Cruz said.
Furthermore, given the romantic nature of Valentine's Day and the lush settings of the gardens, things just might get a little more crazy this week. Besides, Amy Watson, another Oasis employee, admitted that "some people get kind of wild" at the gardens on a regular basis.
Cruz added that "more students than adults" visit Oasis because of its proximity to campus, so the people who might cause your initial reservations about the water in the hot tubs are possibly sitting next to you in class right now.
Nevertheless, The Oasis Hot Tub Gardens is an extremely popular venue for relaxation and good, clean fun. St. Valentine's Day has been booked for more than two weeks now (as are the days surrounding St. Valentine's Day), but normally one can get a spot pretty easily, especially on weekdays (weekend reservations should be made two to three days in advance).
"It's a good time and not too expensive," said Engineering sophomore Pat McConnell, who also visits Oasis on occasion.
MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
The Oasis Hot Tub Gardens rent private tubs.