Polaris: Spabot at Your Service

The Polaris Spabot is a first-of-its-kind cordless, automatic cleaner designed for hot tubs. Powered by a lithium-ion battery, it cleans dirt, debris, sand and silt from the bottom, top, sides and every crevice in between.

The dream

Market research studies by Polaris revealed many customers wanted an automatic cleaner for hot tubs, similar to what the company offered for pools.

“We’ve been in the cleaning industry for over 50 years, and we’re excited to finally expand into spa cleaning and start a new, revolutionary cleaning category with the Polaris Spabot,” says Sarah Martin, product manager for automatic pool cleaners at Fluidra, Polaris’ parent company. 

However, the company didn’t just create a smaller version of its pool cleaner. It carefully crafted a cleaning robot designed for spa needs.

“We know that every spa is different,” Martin says. “We tested it in all sorts, from your stand-alone hot tubs to your pool-spa in-ground combos and different surfaces.”

Polaris spent years researching, creating and testing the Spabot internally and with consumers.

“We do extensive research,” Martin says. “We wanted to make sure whatever we brought to market was a quality, well-built product — a product that is made to last.”

The tech

With its SpaNav technology, Spabot cleans not only the bottom and side walls of the spa but also maneuvers through the seating areas and other tight spaces. It floats up to get out of tight spots and then dives down to continue cleaning.

“It’s designed specifically for those small, confined areas,” Martin says. “It has a seat-cleaning pattern where it will do a 360 spin and ingest that debris.”

After the Spabot finishes its 60-minute cleaning cycle, it automatically floats to the water surface, where it can be retrieved.

As a cordless device, the Spabot can run even with the spa cover in place. Should an owner forget to retrieve it at the end of the cleaning session, the Spabot will stay floating on the water’s surface unharmed.

Once retrieved, owners should clean the filter canister, which is as easy as emptying the contents and spraying it out. After recharging the device for four hours, it’s ready to use again. 

The guidance

The Spabot is ideal for a 9-foot-by-9-foot spa, Martin says, and is not recommended for swim spas or pools.

“Those are larger bodies of water, and it tends to get lost,” Martin says. “Otherwise, the Spabot is capable of handling any average-sized spa, no matter the spa’s design or configuration.”

Owners should also ensure the jets are off when running the Spabot so the cleaner can move freely in the water.

Martin suggests spa retailers create a working demonstration area in their showrooms where customers can see the Spabot in action, so it can pique the interest of current hot tub owners or be an add-on option to bundle with a new purchase.

Although the Spabot is small, especially compared to its pool-cleaning counterparts, Martin assures it is powerful in function. 

“When people see the Spabot, the reaction always seems to be, ‘Oh my God, it’s so cute,’ but the other thing is it actually works. It’s powerful. It does its cleaning job,” she says.

Chris Mansfield, general manager of Ultra Modern Pool & Patio in Wichita, Kansas, says the convenience factor makes it worth the investment for his retail customers.

“It is nice to finally have a robot that can clean the spas,” Mansfield says. “The options have been very limited in the past. Although it’s expensive, customers want to save the time it takes to clean the spa.”