Artesian Spas · Garden Spas
Artesian Spas Iris hot tub
Four seats. Suits a couple or a small family. It plugs into a standard 120V outlet.
- Seats: 4 seats
- Size: 6′ 6″ × 5′
- Power: 120V plug-in or 240V
Price on requestWhat it costs
Free. Your price range, then one dealer near you.
Sit in it. 4 seats.
What it costs.
Price
Price on requestThis maker doesn't post its prices, so we don't print one. Ask, and we'll send you the price range.
To keep it hot
Standby in California’s test, at the US average 18.19¢ per kWh. Heating fresh water and using the jets add to it.
What owners say.
From owner reviews and forums across Artesian Spas tubs, not just this model.
Owners like
- Jet power and hydrotherapy effectiveness
- Long service life when the owner has a functioning dealer
- Full-foam insulation and cold-climate energy efficiency
Owners complain about
- Topside panel, main control board and display failures
- Pump failures, especially circulation pumps, within the first one to three years
- Parts backorder and discontinued parts
All themes, and complaint records
Owners like
- Jet power and hydrotherapy effectiveness. Repeated praise for strong jets, a dedicated footblaster pump, and neck and shoulder jets; several buyers chose Artesian over Jacuzzi or Hot Spring specifically on jet feel after wet tests.
- Long service life when the owner has a functioning dealer. Owners 7 to 20 years in report their tubs still working, with only wear items replaced. One Dove Canyon owner bought in 2004 and reports the original circulation pump ran roughly 15 years before replacement. Another reports 8 years with two leaks total.
- Full-foam insulation and cold-climate energy efficiency. Canadian and UK owners and buyers cite the full-foam package as the reason for choosing Artesian and report good running costs. The Hot Tub University teardown agrees full foam gives the best R-value and also braces plumbing against pump vibration.
- Standard, non-proprietary parts (Balboa controls, Waterway pumps). Both trade reviewers and owners note Artesian uses standard industry parts rather than proprietary assemblies, so motors and heater cores can be sourced generically. A forum pro advised an owner that any 220-volt, 1/4 hp motor would substitute for a discontinued circulation pump.
- Value and feature count per dollar versus premium brands. Cross-shoppers repeatedly report Artesian delivering more jets, pumps and features than Caldera, Jacuzzi or Hot Spring at the same price; one dealer-side poster warned that this usually means a trade-off somewhere.
- Made in the USA. Cited as a purchase driver by multiple buyers, including some who later became dissatisfied and named it as the reason they had chosen Artesian.
- Low-chemical mineral water care. A minority of owners single out the mineral cartridge system as making maintenance easy with no chemical smell.
- Quiet operation. Named as a positive by one 2026 Yelp reviewer and used as a sales claim; one 2019 complainant said the quietness claim did not hold up.
Owners complain about
- Topside panel, main control board and display failures. The most frequently reported single failure. Symptoms: the display goes blank, white lines run across the LCD, buttons crack or stop responding, and jets and lights cut out intermittently. Repeat replacement of the same part is common; one Elite owner reports three panel replacements.
- Pump failures, especially circulation pumps, within the first one to three years. Circulation and jet pump failures at 6 weeks, 6 months, 12 months and repeatedly after that. One Grand Bahama owner had two pumps fail within a year of a January 2020 purchase. One Piper Glen owner went through two circulation pumps, two heaters and two ozonators in 18 months.
- Parts backorder and discontinued parts. Owners report waiting 2 to 12 months for warranty parts: 2 months and then more than 4 months for two successive Grand Bahama pumps (2020 to 2021), 7 months for a Maui XL circulation pump (2023), 9 months for a third digital panel (2021), and over a year for an Elite circulation pump in Canada (2020 to 2021).
- Factory refuses direct contact: 'call your dealer'. The most consistent service complaint. Owners calling Las Vegas are told the factory deals with dealers, not consumers; several report being hung up on or told not to call back. Some report no callback at all on a spa under full warranty. A 2020 Yelp reviewer was told plainly that they do not deal with customers.
- Dealer-dependent outcomes. The clearest pattern across every kind of source: the same brand produces 5-star and 1-star outcomes largely depending on the dealer. Complaints often name the dealer, not Artesian, as the point of failure.
- Leaks at glue joints, fittings and valve bodies. Leaks reported from year 1 to past year 10, several traced to workmanship rather than wear. A Quail Ridge owner opened the cabinet and found a PVC joint that was never fully glued, with the jets and fittings intact. A 2023 owner paid about $500 out of pocket for what turned out to be a faulty fitting after the warranty ran out.
- Pillows and headrests degrading early and excluded from the warranty. Headrest foam bubbles, delaminates or disintegrates, sometimes within 6 months, shedding black particles into the water. Owners are told it is a maintenance item, or the damage is blamed on their water chemistry. Reported replacement costs are $69 per pillow (2013) and about $300 for a set (2021). The maker's own warranty documents confirm the exclusion.
- Cabinet, cover and shell-surface degradation. Cabinet panels fading, shrinking out of their aluminum channels or warping away from the tub within 2 to 3 years, even on tubs kept under a gazebo or covered patio. Covers becoming waterlogged or rotting: one owner replaced a cover at 6 years, and another bought an $1,800 replacement after the original rotted.
Artesian Spas as a company
Artesian Spas reviews and complaintsHot tub reviews by brand
How it’s built. The 8 build checks, in plain words.
The same eight checks we run on every brand, answered from Artesian Spas’ own documents. Tap one for what it means and the evidence.
Self-supporting shellDoes the shell hold itself up?Partly
Fiberglass-backed shell, but a wood frame and foam share the load.
Artesian's warranty names the fiberglass backing behind the acrylic as the structure it covers for life. The shell sits on a pressure-treated wood frame and ABS base, and Artesian credits the frame and foam with the strength rather than claiming the shell stands alone. Island and Elite are full foam; most South Seas tubs use ArcticPac insulation instead.
Applies to: All models
Clamped plumbingAre the hoses glued and clamped?Partly
Glued barb joints, no clamps on the main runs since 2019.
In October 2019 Artesian moved to Shur-Grip hose, a reinforced flex line with a PVC helix inside that glues onto a smooth barb with no clamp over it. Clamps are still used on other hose types, such as the FROG @ease plumbing. Tubs built before that change used clear tubing with clamps.
Applies to: All models built from October 2019 on
Manifold-fed jetsDoes each jet get its own line?Not published
Standard partsCan any repair tech buy the parts?Partly
Balboa, Gecko and Waterway inside, but fitting your own voids coverage.
Independent suppliers openly sell Artesian packs, pumps, jets and filters from the usual industry brands, so no tech is locked out. The owner's manual excludes any part not purchased from Artesian and says unapproved replacements terminate the whole spa warranty. Go through the dealer until the coverage runs out.
Applies to: All models
Compression-fitted jetsAre the jet bodies held by a nut, not glue?Partly
Some jet bodies come with a nut and gasket; most aren't documented.
An independent parts seller lists Artesian's 3-inch Typhoon body with a mounting nut and gasket, and its whirlpool body with a nut. Other sizes don't say, and Artesian publishes nothing on it. Nothing shows glued bodies.
Applies to: All series
Adjustable jetsCan you turn each jet up or down?Not published
Service networkCan someone near you fix it?Partly
Dealer-only service, and Artesian never publishes how many dealers exist.
Artesian sells and services through authorized dealers, and the warranty is void if anyone else does the repair. It does not transfer to a second owner. Parts are easy to buy independently, but owner reports on service are mixed, including a nine-month wait for a replacement control panel.
Applies to: All models
The full Artesian Spas build-quality report, ranked against every brand →
Also on this model
Full-foam insulationIs it foamed all the way through?ArcticPac
Warranty
- Shell structure
- Lifetime
- Shell surface
- 1 year
- Equipment
- 1 year
- Plumbing
- 1 year
- Cabinet
- 1 year
- Labor
- 1 year
- Heater
- 1 year
What you get.
Garden Spas. Small 2- to 6-seat tubs for tight spaces indoors or out that plug into a standard 120V/15A outlet.
What stands out
Worth knowing
- 1-year warranty on most parts. Lifetime structure, but surface, plumbing, electrical and cabinet are covered for 1 year each.
2 more about the Garden Spas
- Basic insulation and lighting. ArcticPac insulation and one blue LED are standard. Full foam, multicolor LEDs and the ozonator are options. No audio, Wi-Fi or water feature is listed.
- Conflicting pump rating. The 1.5 BHP 2-speed pump is listed as 0.75 HP continuous in the 2026 brochure and 1.0 HP continuous in the 2023 Garden brochure.
Similar tubs. Same size, any brand.
More like it:Tubs for 4 to 5Plug-and-play hot tubsHot tub weightHot tub electrical requirements
The detailsAll 76 specs, the energy filing and every source
Every specification
Everything Artesian Spas publishes for the Iris. The dot after a value opens the document it came from.
Size & capacity
Electrical & heat
Build & insulation
Feature guides:InsulationCoversHeatersFiltersLightingWhich features are worth paying for
Energy filing
- California’s limit for its size
- 170 W
- Typical for its size
- 157 W (the middle of 70 tubs this size)
- Water in the test
- 203 gallons
Standby is what the tub draws just holding its temperature, measured to California’s test method ↗. Your bill depends on your weather, your rate and how often you soak.
Where Artesian Spas’ documents disagree
Two of its own documents give different answers. Check these against your quote.
Ask the dealer
Artesian Spas doesn’t publish the cover thickness, frame material or number of filters for the Iris. Ask for them in writing.
What’s a good deal on the Iris?
We send you the price range, by call, text or email: what a great deal, a good deal and market value look like. Then we introduce you to one Artesian Spas dealer near you, who reaches out knowing what you expect to pay.
Get a price on this tub
Free. Your price range, then one dealer near you.
Get a price on this tub Free price range, then one dealer