Spas

Aldous Huxley's eyebrows are so caked with mud in the black-and-white photograph they look as though they might snap off. But the novelist hardly appears concerned with the future state of his eyebrows. More pressing, perhaps, is whether actor Jim Backus, encased in a coffin-like steam box nearby, might melt away more than a few extra martinis. Officially, Huxley was participating in one of the first "men's weeks" at the Golden Door Spa in San Marcos -- 50 years ago this year -- to give a lecture on the "mind-body as one word."

The hot tub business is in the tank. About 60 spa manufacturers have closed over the last six years and experts say sales have dropped by as much as two-thirds over the same period. But at a time when its competitors are pulling back and trying to diversify, a Pomona company is hoping to stave off the continuing decline by gambling on a well-known name. Hot tub manufacturer LMS Inc. has paid an undisclosed amount of money for the right to make free-standing spas under the name of the popular outdoor supply company Coleman.