Announced over a year ago, the Bot has taken longer than expected to hit the market, with some customers complaining about unfulfilled pre-orders or wondering if the product is vaporware. The reason for the delay, Goswell explains, was due to Lush’s lack of experience with electronics. The product was ready, but they didn’t realize how long it would take to obtain the certifications needed to sell such a device. The Bath Bot is now available in the United Kingdom, the European Union, and will soon be available in the United States (except California, which has additional regulations).
Some compromises still had to be made during development. “The components in them are not what we consider 100% ethical, but we did our best,” says Goswell. The team wanted to use recycled materials out of environmental concerns, but had to opt for virgin plastic to keep the device waterproof. The end result East recyclable though, and Lush says shoppers will be able to take theirs into store for repair if necessary.
Manufacturing electronics inevitably comes with a carbon cost, but Goswell believes the Bath Bot’s cost is justifiable. “If it was a single-use device or a cheap disposable device that broke within six months, I think that would be a different question, but we made it to last,” he said.
Indeed, it is not a cheap device. The £150 price tag has raised eyebrows even among ardent Lush fans on forums such as the 115,000 member forum. Subreddit r/LushCosmetics. As one “Lushie” said, “Why would I buy a $200 speaker at a bath supply store?” » You can get a waterproof Bluetooth speaker from established brands for a lot less, probably with better sound quality: the Float from Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 sells for around $100 (and often sells for less), while JBLThe cheapest waterproof speakers can sell for as little as $40 – you can find them even cheaper on Amazon.
According to Goswell, reasons for the high price include the fact that it’s Lush’s first tech product and the company doesn’t make many of them, which drives up costs. Trying to choose more ethical components increases the price, as does manufacturing in the UK. Ultimately, he says, Lush doesn’t want to compare the Bath Bot to other Bluetooth speakers, but rather sees it as a lifestyle accessory, similar to something like a Philips tint lamp. Although it is designed for use in the bath, he also likes to take it with him to hotel rooms for ambient lighting.
I decide to test the Bath Bot in its intended environment, running a bath and setting up the Lush app ready to connect. Tub drawn, I drop the bath robot into the water where it floats, passing by colored lights that give the illusion of dyeing the bath water around me. Available in black or white, the Bath Bot has just four buttons: on/off, play/pause, and two volume controls. When I turn it on, it makes a particularly pleasant startup sound with birdsong and some gentle guitar notes.
