Foot spas are relatively commonplace in the spa industry for providing pedicures. When used in a salon setting where a plurality of customers one after another will share a single foot spa unit over the course of a business day, disposable one-time-use liners are employed for insertion into the respective foot spa so as to contain a soaking solution used for a respective client. That is, the respective liner is intended to isolate the soaking solution from the soaking basin, so that bacteria may not be transferred from one user to the next. Therefore, only the liner may have to be replaced in order to prepare the foot spa for a subsequent user, without necessarily having to clean the soaking basin to remove residue of the soaking solution and thus without concern about transfer of contaminants from one user to the next.
Therefore, use of disposable liners may enhance hygienic practices in the spa industry by reducing need for sanitizing the soaking basin. Furthermore, use of disposable liners may enhance practices for prevention of infection such as by providing a relatively inexpensive arrangement which is disposable, so that those elements of the pedicure treatment which are contaminated by the feet of the respective patient can be discarded thereby removing possibility of contaminating the next patient.
As known to those with ordinary skill in the art, not only are these foot spas suited for providing therapeutic soaking of the user's feet, many such spas are arranged to provide a soothing massage of the feet while the user relaxes his/her feet in a soaking basin of the foot spa during the therapeutic soak. The massage may be provided by vibratory elements which engage soles of the feet through the liner. In other cases, air may be forced through the liner so as to provide streams of bubbles for performing the massage through the fluid.
In some instances, it is more desirable to provide the bubbles for performing the massage of the feet than by means of the vibratory elements. However, it remains preferable especially in a commercial salon setting to balance performance of the foot spa, such as that characterized by its massage feature, with hygienic practices.
Additionally, the bubbles may be used for mixing the soaking solution, which may contain medicinal ingredients or into which medicinal substances may be added. As such, the bubbles conveniently provide agitation of the soaking solution so that the soaking solution may be circulated about the user's feet within the soaking basin of the spa. Thus, in the case that the soaking solution contains medicinal components, the agitation and circulation of the soaking solution may afford enhanced diffusion of the medicinal components in the solution and may allow the medicinal components to reach necessary areas of the user's feet.
It is therefore desirable to provide a unique solution for a liner and foot spa which provide massage and mixing features by means of bubbles and provide proper isolation of the soaking solution, from the soaking basin, and from the previous user.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds