Oct. 19,1989 - You knew right away that something special was up at the old gas station at 1197 Main St. Workmen have been laboring on what was generally acknowledged as Carbondale's ugliest commercial building since mid-summer. And to even the most casual passerby, the transformation from sow's ear to silk purse has been nothing short of miraculous.

But the facelift is nothing compared to the stylish makeover of the building's interior, where Doug and Joan Boyles preside over their Crystal River Spas showroom.

In what is arguably the first local retail operation geared to the high-end consumer market, the Boyles' stylish showroom is a cornucopia of hedonistic delights. We're talking f...i...n...e hot tubs. Oops, they're not hot tubs anymore. "We sell and service the Cadillac of spas," insists Doug, whose impressively crafted hot tubs are fitted with a variety of jets, massages, pumps, heaters, seats, and other high tech engineering goodies to satisfy the pickiest of hot water aficionados.

"These are the stress busters," emphasizes Joan. Torn between an Aspen or down-valley location at first they're glad they chose Carbondale. "We thought we'd be doing most of our business up valley, but it's really been a good mix," Joan said. "It's probably been 50/50 up valley/down valley since we opened. In fact we've sold spas to people as far away as Rifle.

In addition to the retail aspect of the operation, Crystal River Spas also does installations of its models and service and maintenance on most any brand of spa or hot tub.

- The Valley Journal, October 19, 1989