NAPSI — Soaking away the stresses of the day can have many mental and physical benefits. To help, here are some tips for enjoying your backyard spa and keeping maintenance simple:

• Make your spa a place of refuge and peace. Twinkling candles around the perimeter can set the mood for romance or quiet solitude. Use sturdy pillars, container candles, votives or flameless LED candles. Or string strands of twinkle lights along the fencing and watch the light dance on the water’s surface.

• Use your digital player or computer to fill the area with your favorite music.

• Surround the spa with pots of fragrant flowers, such as lavender, phlox and roses.

• For a soft, soothing spa environment, try a bromine-free, chlorine-free sanitizer.

• Have a stack of warm towels nearby to make leaving the spa a little easier.

• Hang decorative pegs for robes and use a wood deck box to hold towels and keep slippers dry.

• Test water regularly and use an EPA-registered sanitizer to protect bathers.

• Proper water circulation is important. Run the circulation system every day.

• Clean the filter every four to six weeks.

• To preserve surfaces and prevent dirt buildup, use cleaners that are designed to work specifically with spa water chemistry.

• Regular draining and refilling is also an important part of spa maintenance. How often you drain and refill your spa depends on how often you use it. 

You can learn more at www.spaguard.com and 800-932-5943.