Keep Your Cool by the Pool - Add a Shade Structure

Whether you run a bed and breakfast, manage a resort, or own a four star bed and breakfast, it's a good guess that your outdoor pool is a major attraction for your guests. They enjoy hours of lying about, relaxing after a hard day of sight-seeing or business meetings. Some of them may be sun worshipers, but with the increased awareness of the damage the sun's harmful UV rays can do to our skin, it's also a good guess that many are not looking for that sun-baked look.

Adding a shade structure to your poolside area is a good thing for your business, for your pool staff and for your clientele. Everyone can benefit from having a nice cool place to sip a drink, watch the kids splash about in the shallow end or admire the physique of the lifeguards. The lifeguards will thank you, too, as they can avoid the sun's scorching rays without jeopardizing anyone's safety.

What a Shade Structure Is

A shade structure is made of shade sail cloth attached to a rigid set of poles. Most of the poles are set 4 to 7 feet in the ground, to ensure their steadiness and sturdiness. The poles and shade sail cloth can come in a variety of custom colors to match any outdoor area's color scheme or company logo. They can withstand winds up to 120 mph, and can keep damaging hail from reaching the ground or objects underneath. The shade sail cloth is guaranteed not to fade, rot or suffer from other sun damage for ten years.

What a Shade Structure CAN'T Do For You

Let's begin by clearing up just what a shade structure will not, can not do, so as to clear up any misunderstandings you might have. Shade structures can't provide protection from any sudden summer downpours, as shade sail cloth isn't waterproof. (The open sides will not protect from much of anything, for that matter.) A shade structure can't ensure that your guests and staff will never get a sun burn while visiting your pool area, unless you cover the entire pool and poolside, as well. A shade structure doesn't retract, like a shade sail can. The difference is that a shade sail is usually smaller, hung or strung from poles or the side of a building, while a shade structure has a rigid, sturdy frame, making it a more permanent installation. Even though a shade structure can make your pool and poolside area more inviting than not having one does, it can't guarantee you'll get more customers. What it can guarantee is the safety and satisfaction of the clients your business does serve.

What a Shade Structure CAN Do

Shade structures can add beauty and style to an otherwise plain outdoor area. The shade sail cloth comes in many styles, colors and sizes to choose from, making it an ideal way to accessorize your business's outdoor recreation area. Whether you want to shade just a corner of the poolside area, or the entire area along one side or end, shade structures can be built to meet the need. Much more user friendly than umbrellas, (which can become a hazard in high winds, lose their aesthetic qualities to sun-fading, and can only offer a small spot of shady ground,) shade structures are safer, larger and longer-lasting. You also only need to put them up once rather than over and over again each day. Some shade sail structures can be made retractable, but most shade structures are permanent sources of relief from the sun's burning rays.

Shade structures block the sun's most harmful UV rays, making them the best source of protection from sunburn and potential skin cancers. Even a few hours unprotected in bright mid-afternoon sunlight can cause irreparable damage to one's skin. And when is a cool dip in the pool more enticing than in the heat of the day? Shade structures will ensure that your guests and staff have a safe place to go when not in the water. Scientific studies have shown that lifeguards and poolside staff are twice as likely to suffer damaging effects from the sun as pool visitors, due to their increased exposure through long hours of employment. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are two common sun-related illnesses that can also strike lifeguards and other poolside staff. Adding a shade structure high enough to cover the lifeguards' tower seats can ensure that they can keep an eye on everyone while staying out of the sun's burning eye. Safety for them means added safety for guests. Poolside wait staff can also benefit from having a cool, protected place to serve your clients. Many forget that while they may be dressed a bit more than the lifeguard staff, they are still exposing themselves to long hours of the sun's harmful rays. A shade structure can ensure your staff's continued health, safety and employment for many summers to come.

A shade structure poolside can be just the place to add an outdoor bar, snack bar or grill area to your business. Offering guests a cool place to sip a drink, have an ice cream, or grab a burger after an invigorating swim is a sure-fire way to increase business and satisfy customers. Poolside entertainment opportunities can also add some spark to your visitors' evenings, keeping them close yet allowing them to party the night away. ShadeIt.net provides a variety of shade structures that are commercial grade and offer the ultimate solar protection. Visit online at http://www.shadeit.net/ today.