Heart-Shaped Hot Tubs and Swimming Pools

Maybe Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay sparked the concept with their heart-shaped swimming pool, which was custom-built for their Bel-Air backyard in the 1950s.

Novelty-shaped swimming pools became popular for those who could afford them (like movie stars) in the mid-20th Century. While Mansfield also had a pink heart-shaped tub, in 1963 the "world's first" (for a hotel?) debuted at a resort in Pennsylvania's Poconos Mountains. The heart-shaped hot tub was featured in a 1971 issue of Life Magazine, along with its creator, Morris B. Wilkins, founder/CEO of the Poconos' Cove Haven Entertainment Resorts.

With the growing popularity of hot tubs in the 1970s, the heart-shaped tubs helped drive traffic to the resort. Cove Haven and other Poconos resorts earned the destination the reputation as the "honeymoon capital of the world."

Thinking of transforming your backyard into a romantic getaway? Perhaps this gallery will ignite the fires of passion needed for your next project. Amore!