Apollo Spas

[brixx]

I am having difficulty digging up information on this vendor. Kind of looks like they are linked to Arctic Spas but may have just copied parts of the website design. Just seen one today at everyones favorite warehouse store...

Anyone know their history?

Marc

[JerimiahR]

Their website would lead someone to believe they are associated with Arctic Spas, since they show all the Arctic Spa and Coyote Spa models. Though I'm wondering if this website is perhaps simply an Arctic Spa dealer based in Washington state. Their contact information is out of Washington. Their "Find Locations" button doesn't work, however on their contacts page there's an "Apollo" link at the bottom that attempts to open a map of Seattle (however I got an error there).

[LWD]

Their website would lead someone to believe they are associated with Arctic Spas, since they show all the Arctic Spa and Coyote Spa models. Though I'm wondering if this website is perhaps simply an Arctic Spa dealer based in Washington state. Their contact information is out of Washington. Their "Find Locations" button doesn't work, however on their contacts page there's an "Apollo" link at the bottom that attempts to open a map of Seattle (however I got an error there).

www.apollospasmfg.com

[UK Arctic Dealer]

I am having difficulty digging up information on this vendor. Kind of looks like they are linked to Arctic Spas but may have just copied parts of the website design. Just seen one today at everyones favorite warehouse store...

Anyone know their history?

Marc

Hi Marc,

Apollo Spas are owned by Blue Falls Manufacturing who manufacture Arctic Spas and Coyote Spas. They are made in the USA, Washington i think. If you follow the link below you can download a brochure from my website.

Apollo Spas Brochure

We have been stocking Apollo since the start of 2009 and they seem like a good value well made spa. In particular we have sold quite a few Explorer models and we have had no faults/complaints from customers.

[brixx]

I am having difficulty digging up information on this vendor. Kind of looks like they are linked to Arctic Spas but may have just copied parts of the website design. Just seen one today at everyones favorite warehouse store...

Anyone know their history?

Marc

Hi Marc,

Apollo Spas are owned by Blue Falls Manufacturing who manufacture Arctic Spas and Coyote Spas. They are made in the USA, Washington i think. If you follow the link below you can download a brochure from my website.

Apollo Spas Brochure

We have been stocking Apollo since the start of 2009 and they seem like a good value well made spa. In particular we have sold quite a few Explorer models and we have had no faults/complaints from customers.

Thanks!!

The one on sale at C___co is the Mount Robson model which does not show up on their website but looks their Chelan model with a couple added options. Price on it was $6K CAD which seems good especially with it being manufactured by the same company as Arctic. Even if a value line I doubt they would risk their reputation by manufacturing crap.

Question I will ask Blue Falls Manufacturing (Arctic) will be if their support network will support this tub.

Price point makes it a consideration. Could you tell me what your price range is for a Chelan model for comparison (I realize you have extra costs to absorb to bring to the UK).

[UK Arctic Dealer]

I am having difficulty digging up information on this vendor. Kind of looks like they are linked to Arctic Spas but may have just copied parts of the website design. Just seen one today at everyones favorite warehouse store...

Anyone know their history?

Marc

Hi Marc,

Apollo Spas are owned by Blue Falls Manufacturing who manufacture Arctic Spas and Coyote Spas. They are made in the USA, Washington i think. If you follow the link below you can download a brochure from my website.

Apollo Spas Brochure

We have been stocking Apollo since the start of 2009 and they seem like a good value well made spa. In particular we have sold quite a few Explorer models and we have had no faults/complaints from customers.

Thanks!!

The one on sale at C___co is the Mount Robson model which does not show up on their website but looks their Chelan model with a couple added options. Price on it was $6K CAD which seems good especially with it being manufactured by the same company as Arctic. Even if a value line I doubt they would risk their reputation by manufacturing crap.

Question I will ask Blue Falls Manufacturing (Arctic) will be if their support network will support this tub.

Price point makes it a consideration. Could you tell me what your price range is for a Chelan model for comparison (I realize you have extra costs to absorb to bring to the UK).

Hi Marc,

the Chelan retails over here in the UK at £7,400.00. I didnt know Apollo where in Costco they are not over here. If they stock them in Costco over here i will drop the brand.

[Markee]

These spas remind me of a 1980s Camaro...

[soakerguy]

I am having difficulty digging up information on this vendor. Kind of looks like they are linked to Arctic Spas but may have just copied parts of the website design. Just seen one today at everyones favorite warehouse store...

Anyone know their history?

Marc

Hi Marc,

Apollo Spas are owned by Blue Falls Manufacturing who manufacture Arctic Spas and Coyote Spas. They are made in the USA, Washington i think. If you follow the link below you can download a brochure from my website.

Apollo Spas Brochure

We have been stocking Apollo since the start of 2009 and they seem like a good value well made spa. In particular we have sold quite a few Explorer models and we have had no faults/complaints from customers.

Thanks!!

The one on sale at C___co is the Mount Robson model which does not show up on their website but looks their Chelan model with a couple added options. Price on it was $6K CAD which seems good especially with it being manufactured by the same company as Arctic. Even if a value line I doubt they would risk their reputation by manufacturing crap.

Question I will ask Blue Falls Manufacturing (Arctic) will be if their support network will support this tub.

Price point makes it a consideration. Could you tell me what your price range is for a Chelan model for comparison (I realize you have extra costs to absorb to bring to the UK).

Hi Marc,

the Chelan retails over here in the UK at £7,400.00. I didnt know Apollo where in Costco they are not over here. If they stock them in Costco over here i will drop the brand.

That would be a not right for the manufacturer to do that to the local owner stores and then sell them much lower through a mega merchant. How would they think you could compete? I have not seen any Apollo spas in Washington state Costco stores. If I recall... Apollo Spas has been in business for many years and made locally in the Seattle area. I thought the Apollo dealerships where simply carrying the Arctic brand now?

[brixx]

I am having difficulty digging up information on this vendor. Kind of looks like they are linked to Arctic Spas but may have just copied parts of the website design. Just seen one today at everyones favorite warehouse store...

Anyone know their history?

Marc

Hi Marc,

Apollo Spas are owned by Blue Falls Manufacturing who manufacture Arctic Spas and Coyote Spas. They are made in the USA, Washington i think. If you follow the link below you can download a brochure from my website.

Apollo Spas Brochure

We have been stocking Apollo since the start of 2009 and they seem like a good value well made spa. In particular we have sold quite a few Explorer models and we have had no faults/complaints from customers.

Thanks!!

The one on sale at C___co is the Mount Robson model which does not show up on their website but looks their Chelan model with a couple added options. Price on it was $6K CAD which seems good especially with it being manufactured by the same company as Arctic. Even if a value line I doubt they would risk their reputation by manufacturing crap.

Question I will ask Blue Falls Manufacturing (Arctic) will be if their support network will support this tub.

Price point makes it a consideration. Could you tell me what your price range is for a Chelan model for comparison (I realize you have extra costs to absorb to bring to the UK).

Hi Marc,

the Chelan retails over here in the UK at £7,400.00. I didnt know Apollo where in Costco they are not over here. If they stock them in Costco over here i will drop the brand.

That would be a not right for the manufacturer to do that to the local owner stores and then sell them much lower through a mega merchant. How would they think you could compete? I have not seen any Apollo spas in Washington state Costco stores. If I recall... Apollo Spas has been in business for many years and made locally in the Seattle area. I thought the Apollo dealerships where simply carrying the Arctic brand now?

As I said I just noticed these at my local Costco this weekend and I know they just got them in. I asked one of the guys who works there to check stock levels and it looks like they only got a few. Might be a one time thing for Costco which is quite common for them if they got a good deal. They are not listed on their website anywhere.

To look at it from the manufacturers POV under tough economic conditions they have to make hard choices. They could be faced with reduced orders and excess inventory so needed to make a decision that might not be liked by all but was ultimately required. I cannot fault anyone for that choice. Also to be fair there are no dealers of Apollo Spas anywhere around here, not sure if they are even in Ontario. Closest Arctic dealer is over 100 km away on Kitchener too. They are not undercutting any of their local dealers because there are not any. They may be undercutting the competition which is fine by me!!

While the deal is tempting I am waiting to hear back from them as to what type of support they can provide. As long as I feel the warranty is solid I am ok with handling delivery logistics and the extras in exchange for several thousands of dollars saved.

Marc

[canadianrepairman]

It amazes me that arctic would think of selling their apollo line of spas to cosco, lets see in the last four years 3 spa manufactures that sold spas to cosco have gone broke. in the 20 years I've been in this business something like another 12 have gone broke too. is arctic that desperate? or do they think they can succeed where others have failed?

[samboni]

It amazes me that arctic would think of selling their apollo line of spas to cosco, lets see in the last four years 3 spa manufactures that sold spas to cosco have gone broke. in the 20 years I've been in this business something like another 12 have gone broke too. is arctic that desperate? or do they think they can succeed where others have failed?

In August of 2007 I purchased my first HT from Costco. It was a Platinum, model ....The Legend....as I recall. Shortly after purchasing the tub the manufacturer went bankrupt. Costco covered all warranty issues over the past two years. To make a long story short......last week Costco gave me a full refund of the purchase price of my HT. They indicated they were getting out of the HT business in St. John's, NL, Canada where I reside. The day I was to pick up my refund cheque I got a call from my HT service guy advising there were 3 Apollo Mt Robson spas at Costco. I did some research and ended up buying the Apollo. Costco staff indicated they were in the dark as to why the tubs showed up and could not locate anymore in transit in their system. Apparently they tried to return the tubs to thir central wharehouse but were denied by head office management. Very strange situation indeed.

As much as I can gather.......the Apollo spas are not the usuall Costco fare. That is, they are a decent HT with a respectable reputation in the market place. The Mount Robson model may be Apollos way of getting rid of some excess inventory by creating a Costco specific model. Pure speculation on my part. ( I concur with Brixx's comment in a previous post)

As for the tub itself.......very impressed so far with the build quality and performance. Keep in mind I have only had it for just over a week. My service guy who has been in the business for over 25 years and has handled Costcos warranty and install business for 3 years indicates the Apollo Mt Robson is unlike any Costco spa he has ever worked with. Considering Costcos history with HTs not much of a stretch however, time will tell!

[cpumodem]

Having myself bought an Apollo spa I can tell you that it lasted me 9 years until I replaced it with an Arctic spa. In the 9 years that I had the Apollo spa the only items that needed to be replaced was the control pack after 5 years, and the pump that lasted me for 7 years. They are excellent built spas and cost less than the Arctic Glacier that replaced it.

The reason why I went with Arctic is that I liked the Onzen system. Once you have understood how the system operates it is a breeze to maintain.

I have had my Arctic Glacier, which I bought from Apollo in Spokane for about a year and both my wife and I use the hot tub about 3 times a week.

We both use the spa every weekend morning to get the day started.

[Tom]

The following is an official statement via Arctic partner James Keirstead:

Apollo Spas is a part of Blue Falls Manufacturing of Canada, the same company that makes Arctic Spas and Coyote Spas. In order to broaden our product offering, we purchased a factory in the state of Washington that makes a good spa that matches our business model.

We are well aware of the track record some manufacturers have had with Costco, so we did not make this decision lightly. We felt that the additional distribution Costco offered for our newest line was desirable. Rather than a move of desperation as one poster suggested, this was a planned step to increase market penetration.

Indeed, we do believe we can do better and succeed in Costco for several reasons.

1) We discussed this move with our dealer advisory council and have come up with an implementation and service strategy that is acceptable to them.

2) This model is sold only through Costco Canada; it will not be available in the US or UK (rest easy, UK Arctic Dealer!)

3) We can offer certain models through Costco without hurting our dealer network because few of our Canadian dealers sell them.

4) Costco carries only the Apollo brand which is is very different from Arctic and so Costco does not take sales from our main product line.

5) We have a distribution network that can properly service the product Costco sells, which most of the previous manufacturers did not.

6) Costco's volume is relatively small compared to our overall production, so we are not in a position where we are expecting all our volume from one customer.

The Mt. Robson spa is a special model made only for Costco. Although it uses the Chelan mold, the feature set is completely different.

[ttrublue]

Tom, will Arctic dealers then supply warranty service for Costco Apollo spas in Canada?

[brixx]

Tom, will Arctic dealers then supply warranty service for Costco Apollo spas in Canada?

Hi True Blue,

I am sure Tom can answer this too but I emailed them this question already and the answer I got back was yes. The issue i have is there is no Arctic dealer in London Ontario (hint, hint Tom ) so any service would be done out of Kitchener (hour away)and travel cost would only be included for the first year. As well the current price point is ok but by the time I add on stuff you can get the dealer to include such as delivery, lifter, chemicals, steps it closes the price gap quite a bit. Be nice if I could try one out too.

I will be interested to know if Costco will offer these online with delivery included as an option. If they did this along with maybe a limited sale I would once again be tempted if I have not purchased a spa by that point. Lack of local Arctic dealer could be a dealbreaker.

I think it is great that a company rep which I assume Tom is posts on this site to answer question or concerns. A small investment in time but good corporate responsibility. Unfortunately Arctic Spas are not one of my options since there is no dealer in the area.

Marc

[medicineman]

I need a job like Tom's........sitting on a computer all day... haha

Darcy Amendt, the CEO of Arctic Spas, is no idiot. I just hope the Costco deal does not come back to bite him in the ass. (as it has done other CEO's).

Ultimately, the smarter move was to make Costco purchase from an entirely seperate corporated entity. This way, if they want out, they can fold it.

This does not solve the service NIGHTMARE that is coming for Apollo though. I wish the service dept. good luck and a prescription of Valium.

[samboni]

A further update on my Apollo Mt Robson. Within a couple of days of my original post I noticed a small leak on the corner of the tub nearest the topside control panel. I contacted Costco who immediately put me in touch with the Artic Spa people in Alberta. A tech showed up later that night.

The problem appears to be a check valve which was supposed to be on the line between the Ozone

generator and the tub was not installed at the plant. Thus, water is backing up into the Ozone line and dripping from the bottom of the Ozone generator. A new valve in enroute and will be installed as soon as it arrives.

My overall impression of the tub remains very positive. My dealings so far with Artic Spa support has been very good as well. A little diasapointed with the Ozone leak ,however, hopefully a one off situation.

[Roger]

Considering it's almost twice the price of the previous models Costco has sold they may be on the right track to not having as many problems with the line. But they will likely sell less as the typical Costco buyer wants very inexpensive. And these are more in line with dealer value tubs. Less problems will certainly create less headaches for the manufacturer!

[samboni]

Considering it's almost twice the price of the previous models Costco has sold they may be on the right track to not having as many problems with the line. But they will likely sell less as the typical Costco buyer wants very inexpensive. And these are more in line with dealer value tubs. Less problems will certainly create less headaches for the manufacturer!

Roger I'm a tad confused. My original Costco tub ( Platinium Legend) cost $7200 taxes in. The Apollo cost $6780 taxes in. Where are you getting twice the price of previous models?

[Tom]

I think it is great that a company rep which I assume Tom is posts on this site to answer question or concerns. A small investment in time but good corporate responsibility. Unfortunately Arctic Spas are not one of my options since there is no dealer in the area.

For a number of years I was officially a corporate spokesman online, but this spring I took a lateral transfer to the IT department. I no longer represent Arctic officially and now am able to check the forums only occasionally and unofficially. Don't tell my boss. I'm supposed to be working...

[Roger]

Considering it's almost twice the price of the previous models Costco has sold they may be on the right track to not having as many problems with the line. But they will likely sell less as the typical Costco buyer wants very inexpensive. And these are more in line with dealer value tubs. Less problems will certainly create less headaches for the manufacturer!

Roger I'm a tad confused. My original Costco tub ( Platinium Legend) cost $7200 taxes in. The Apollo cost $6780 taxes in. Where are you getting twice the price of previous models?

I guess maybe I am the one confused. All I ever heard about Costco tubs was there 2999.00 or 3999.00 price tag and that's why they were so attractive. And comments like "there just as good as the 8 thousand dollar dealer tub"

[ga50nl]

A further update on my Apollo Mt Robson. Within a couple of days of my original post I noticed a small leak on the corner of the tub nearest the topside control panel. I contacted Costco who immediately put me in touch with the Artic Spa people in Alberta. A tech showed up later that night.

The problem appears to be a check valve which was supposed to be on the line between the Ozone

generator and the tub was not installed at the plant. Thus, water is backing up into the Ozone line and dripping from the bottom of the Ozone generator. A new valve in enroute and will be installed as soon as it arrives.

My overall impression of the tub remains very positive. My dealings so far with Artic Spa support has been very good as well. A little diasapointed with the Ozone leak ,however, hopefully a one off situation.

Hi Samboni,

I also live in the St. John's area and was looking at one of the Apollo ht's at Costco yesterday. What are your thoughts so far and any idea yet as to what the tub is costing per month? I always here numbers but nothing this close to home.

Thanks.

[samboni]

A further update on my Apollo Mt Robson. Within a couple of days of my original post I noticed a small leak on the corner of the tub nearest the topside control panel. I contacted Costco who immediately put me in touch with the Artic Spa people in Alberta. A tech showed up later that night.

The problem appears to be a check valve which was supposed to be on the line between the Ozone

generator and the tub was not installed at the plant. Thus, water is backing up into the Ozone line and dripping from the bottom of the Ozone generator. A new valve in enroute and will be installed as soon as it arrives.

My overall impression of the tub remains very positive. My dealings so far with Artic Spa support has been very good as well. A little diasapointed with the Ozone leak ,however, hopefully a one off situation.

Hi Samboni,

I also live in the St. John's area and was looking at one of the Apollo ht's at Costco yesterday. What are your thoughts so far and any idea yet as to what the tub is costing per month? I always here numbers but nothing this close to home.

Thanks.

I am very pleased with the Apollo Mount Robson. I am even more pleased that I bought it for $6000 as soon as it hit the floor at Costco. If I am not mistaken, the Apollo Voyager with 40 jets and one 5hp Italian pump is listed at $7500. The Mount Robson has virtually the same specs with 60 jets and two 5 hp Italian pumps.

As far as cost of operation........... I can't really make an accurate assessment yet as I have been up and running for only two months in the middle of Summer. One general observation is that the heater appears to run considerably less than the heater in my previous tub. However, that is just a gut feeling and I will be able to know for certain in a few months when I run my monthly heating bill numbers for last year against the numbers for this year.

Although I am not a tub expert I have a background in construction and do profess to be a decent handyman. If I compare my old tub to the Apollo it becomes a night and day deal. The previous Costco Platinum tub was slapped together. The Apollo is tight and well built. Whether or not it will stand up to the rigors of our Nfld test climate environment remains to be seen. For the price I paid.................... I will take my chances. The extra $$ I didn't spend on the "big water heater" I spent on a Honda Snow Blower. That's a debate left for another time.

[bfisher]

A further update on my Apollo Mt Robson. Within a couple of days of my original post I noticed a small leak on the corner of the tub nearest the topside control panel. I contacted Costco who immediately put me in touch with the Artic Spa people in Alberta. A tech showed up later that night.

The problem appears to be a check valve which was supposed to be on the line between the Ozone

generator and the tub was not installed at the plant. Thus, water is backing up into the Ozone line and dripping from the bottom of the Ozone generator. A new valve in enroute and will be installed as soon as it arrives.

My overall impression of the tub remains very positive. My dealings so far with Artic Spa support has been very good as well. A little diasapointed with the Ozone leak ,however, hopefully a one off situation.

Hi Samboni,

I also live in the St. John's area and was looking at one of the Apollo ht's at Costco yesterday. What are your thoughts so far and any idea yet as to what the tub is costing per month? I always here numbers but nothing this close to home.

Thanks.

I am very pleased with the Apollo Mount Robson. I am even more pleased that I bought it for $6000 as soon as it hit the floor at Costco. If I am not mistaken, the Apollo Voyager with 40 jets and one 5hp Italian pump is listed at $7500. The Mount Robson has virtually the same specs with 60 jets and two 5 hp Italian pumps.

As far as cost of operation........... I can't really make an accurate assessment yet as I have been up and running for only two months in the middle of Summer. One general observation is that the heater appears to run considerably less than the heater in my previous tub. However, that is just a gut feeling and I will be able to know for certain in a few months when I run my monthly heating bill numbers for last year against the numbers for this year.

Although I am not a tub expert I have a background in construction and do profess to be a decent handyman. If I compare my old tub to the Apollo it becomes a night and day deal. The previous Costco Platinum tub was slapped together. The Apollo is tight and well built. Whether or not it will stand up to the rigors of our Nfld test climate environment remains to be seen. For the price I paid.................... I will take my chances. The extra $$ I didn't spend on the "big water heater" I spent on a Honda Snow Blower. That's a debate left for another time.

[bfisher]

A further update on my Apollo Mt Robson. Within a couple of days of my original post I noticed a small leak on the corner of the tub nearest the topside control panel. I contacted Costco who immediately put me in touch with the Artic Spa people in Alberta. A tech showed up later that night.

The problem appears to be a check valve which was supposed to be on the line between the Ozone

generator and the tub was not installed at the plant. Thus, water is backing up into the Ozone line and dripping from the bottom of the Ozone generator. A new valve in enroute and will be installed as soon as it arrives.

My overall impression of the tub remains very positive. My dealings so far with Artic Spa support has been very good as well. A little diasapointed with the Ozone leak ,however, hopefully a one off situation.

Hi Samboni,

I also live in the St. John's area and was looking at one of the Apollo ht's at Costco yesterday. What are your thoughts so far and any idea yet as to what the tub is costing per month? I always here numbers but nothing this close to home.

Thanks.

I am very pleased with the Apollo Mount Robson. I am even more pleased that I bought it for $6000 as soon as it hit the floor at Costco. If I am not mistaken, the Apollo Voyager with 40 jets and one 5hp Italian pump is listed at $7500. The Mount Robson has virtually the same specs with 60 jets and two 5 hp Italian pumps.

As far as cost of operation........... I can't really make an accurate assessment yet as I have been up and running for only two months in the middle of Summer. One general observation is that the heater appears to run considerably less than the heater in my previous tub. However, that is just a gut feeling and I will be able to know for certain in a few months when I run my monthly heating bill numbers for last year against the numbers for this year.

Although I am not a tub expert I have a background in construction and do profess to be a decent handyman. If I compare my old tub to the Apollo it becomes a night and day deal. The previous Costco Platinum tub was slapped together. The Apollo is tight and well built. Whether or not it will stand up to the rigors of our Nfld test climate environment remains to be seen. For the price I paid.................... I will take my chances. The extra $$ I didn't spend on the "big water heater" I spent on a Honda Snow Blower. That's a debate left for another time.

I looked at the spa at Costco in St. John's as well but I couldn't see the inside of the HT. I am very interested about how this HT is insulated, ie. does it have the blown in dense foam, insulation blanket, etc? This is a key selling feature for me and I would like more information about the insulation package. I contacted the company and they emailed me a pamphlet for this spa but it doesn't give particulars about how it is insulated. It does on their Northern insulation package which sounds good but I was hoping you could give me some info on how it is insulated? Thanks