There is something just a little decadent about sitting in a hot tub, sipping Champagne and contemplating the good life. Many people enjoy this pleasure perhaps without the drink at the gym, but usually time is limited, and you have to share with others.

And the prospect of buying your own tub may seem an extravagance too far, with prices for top-of-the-range models stretching to £20,000.

That is where Oxford Hot Tubs comes in. The firm, recently formed by Nick Gladwin, hires out hot tubs for weekends and special occasions and business is proving brisk.

Mr Gladwin said: "They can provide an added attraction at parties or barbecues and, after talking to a lot of people, I realised there was a demand for them."

Mr Gladwin says the hot tubs can be placed in gardens or indoors, depending on space, or the time of year.

They are easily transportable as they fold down into a flat pack, which he puts in the back of his Volkswagen Golf.

It takes 20 minutes to put them up, about two hours to fill with water and a few hours to heat.

Mr Gladwin, who is based in Botley, delivers the hot tub on a Thursday, so that it is all ready to go for the weekend, and picks it up next Monday morning. It costs from £170 for four days, or weekly hire can also be arranged.

Of course, like many businesses, the threat of severe water restrictions could put his business in jeopardy, but Mr Gladwin is remaining philosophical.

He added: "We are exempt from the hosepipe ban but not a drought order. But it is just a case of carrying on as normal we have to be positive about the situation."

Hot tubs are not a seasonal business, as Mr Gladwin enjoyed a very busy period over New Year and he reckons that it does not matter what the outside temperature is, once you are in the water.

Currently, he has six hot tubs but is looking to sell them to those customers who have enjoyed the experience.

He is also expanding the stock, bringing in a new range of aromatherapy units.

Mr Gladwin, 30, started the business after his previous company, which imported car parts from Eastern Europe, shrank dramatically after the collapse of his main client, Rover.

He said: "Rover destroyed us overnight but it was out of our hands and we had to get on with it."

Now Oxford Hot Tubs looks like becoming a profitable business drought orders permitting with inquiries coming through word-of-mouth recommendations.

Contact: www.oxfordhottubs.co.uk