If you didn't quite manage a visit to a luxurious resort this winter, you can always create part of the experience in your own back yard, by installing an outdoor spa to enjoy all year round. With such a wide variety of sizes and styles to choose from, a visit to Arctic Spas will help point you in the right direction.

At 8,000 square feet, the Hartlebury showroom is the largest in the UK and showcases the full product range of 22 technologically advanced spas, five of which are working models and can be tried and tested in situ by prospective customers. The tubs boast features such as LCD coloured lighting, stereo systems and hydrotherapy jets, and sizes range from a cosy two-seater to a party-friendly ten-seater.

Customers can choose a cedar wood or coated aluminium cabinet, while the spa interiors are available in a spectrum of colours. The tubs can either be free standing - reached by a set of matching steps supplied by Arctic Spas - or sunk into your patio or decking. All installations are quickly and expertly carried out by the company's own fitters.

To ensure that you can enjoy your spa come rain or shine, Arctic Spas also offer a range of stylish gazebos or 'spa rooms' to house the tub itself, and to really make the most of the spa experience, you can even add a matching wrap-around bar with stools. A new product range is due to arrive shortly.

More than 400 spas are in stock at any one time, and are usually deliverable within three to five days. All products come with a warranty of up to 10 years.

One of the most unusual aspects of Arctic Spas is its involvement in charity work - this year the company is affiliated to The Noah's Ark Trust, which provides a grief support service for bereaved children and young people. The Worcester-based charity receives some financial support from Children In Need, Worcester County Council and a few small trusts, but counts on extra fundraising activities so it can continue to offer its services free of charge.

"I think it's important for companies to put something back into the community," explains Neil Bates, who initiated Arctic Spas' support for the charity. "It's great to be involved with such a good cause, and it makes our lives more interesting to be involved with this type of project."

Arctic Spas staff have already raised cash by organising a Christmas card competition and will be helping to raise awareness about the trust with a number of events throughout the year, including travelling to ftes and carnivals in the region and auctioning a top-of-the-range spa at the Noah's Ark summer ball at Eastnor Castle in May. Meanwhile, a Win-a-Spa competition is operating until May - pop into the showroom to have a go at guessing the number of balls in a spa, and take a look at the extensive product range at the same time.

Arctic Spas

Unit 2, Hartlebury

Trading Estate

Hartlebury

Tel: 0800 085 6383

www.arcticspas.co.uk

Directions: leave the M5 at junction 6 and follow signposts to Kidderminster on the A449. Hartlebury Trading Estate is signed from this road.