Announced more than a year ago, Bot has taken longer than expected to hit the market, with some customers complaining about unfinished pre-orders or thinking the product is vaporware. The reason for the delay, Goswell said, was Lush’s lack of experience with electronics. The product is ready, but they don’t know how long it will take to get the appropriate certification to sell the device. Bath Bot is currently available in the UK, EU, and soon in the US (except California, which has extra regulations). Some compromises still need to be made during development. “The components in there are not what we would consider 100 percent ethical, but we try our best,” Goswell said. The team wanted to use recycled materials due to environmental concerns but had to choose virgin plastic to make the device waterproof. The end result is recyclable though, and Lush says buyers will be able to bring that in store for repairs if needed. Electronics manufacturing certainly comes with carbon costs, but Goswell believes the Bath Bot is justifiable. “If it is a single-use device or a cheap, throw-away one that breaks in six months, I will be a different question, but we have made it to last,” he said. Indeed, cheap tools are not. The £150 price tag has raised eyebrows even among passionate Lush fans on forums such as the 115k member r/LushCosmetics subreddit. As one “Lushie” put it, “Why did I buy a $200 speaker from a bath store?” You can get waterproof Bluetooth speakers from established brands for less, likely with better sound quality: Ultimate Ears’ floating Wonderboom 4 retails for around $100 (and often sells for less), while JBL’s cheapest waterproof speakers can be sold for $40. —You can find some even cheaper on Amazon. The reason for the high price, Goswell said, includes the fact that Lush’s first technology product and the company does not make that much, both of which drive up the cost. 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 rather more lifestyle accessories, like Philips Hue lights. When it is designed to use in the need, it is also happy to take with people to the hotel room for ambient light. I want to test the Bath Bot in the intended environment, run the bath and set up the fluffy app ready to connect. Bath is drawn, I put the bath bot into the water that should float around, play through colored lights that give the illusion of dyeing bathwater 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 emits a particularly pleasant initial sound featuring a bird and some soft guitar notes.
