Announced a year ago, the bot has taken longer than expected to come to market, with some customers complaining about incomplete pre-orders or wondering whether the product is vaporware. Goswell says the delay was due to Lush's lack of experience with electronics. The product was ready, but they did not realize how much time it would take to obtain the relevant certifications needed to sell such a device. Bath Bot is now available in the UK, EU and will soon be available in the US (except California, where there are additional regulations).
Some compromises still had to be made during development. “The ingredients in there are not what we would consider 100 percent ethical, but we did our best,” says Goswell. The team wanted to use recycled materials due to environmental concerns, but had to opt for virgin plastic to keep the device waterproof. Final result Is However, it is recyclable, and Lush says shoppers will be able to bring their items to the store for repair if necessary.
Manufacturing electronics inevitably comes with a carbon cost, but Goswell believes the Bath Bot is justified. “If this were a one-time-use device or a cheap, throw-away device that would break within six months, I think it would be a different question, but we've made it long-lasting, ” he says.
In fact, this is not a cheap device. The £150 price tag has raised eyebrows even among ardent Lush fans on forums like the 115k-member r/lushcosmetics subredditAs one “Lushie” said, “Why would I buy a $200 speaker from a bath store?” You can get waterproof Bluetooth speakers from established brands for much lower prices, possibly with better sound quality: Ultimate Ears Floating wonderboom 4 Sells for around $100 (and often for less), while JBLThe cheapest waterproof speakers can sell for as little as $40—you can find some on Amazon for even cheaper.
Goswell says reasons for the higher price include the fact that this is Lush's first technology product and the company isn't producing as much, 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 pit the Bath Bot against other Bluetooth speakers, but sees it as a lifestyle accessory, something like Philips Hue Chirag. Although it's designed for use in the shower, he also likes to take it with him to hotel rooms for ambient lighting.
I decided to test the Bath Bot in its intended environment, running Bath and setting up the Lush app ready to connect. Once the bath is ready, I drop the Bath Bot into the water where it duly floats away, cycling through colored lights that create the illusion of coloring the bath water around me. Available in black or white, the Bath Bot has only four buttons – on/off, play/pause and two volume controls. When I turn it on, it emits a particularly pleasing startup sound that consists of birdsong and some light guitar notes.