The company file
Bullfrog Spas
The hot tub you customize seat by seat: pick from up to 16 JetPak massage backs when you buy, move or upgrade them any time, all on a wood-free, Utah-built frame with a lifetime warranty.
The long read: how the tubs are built, the complaint record, the warranty part by part, and the company’s history.
How it started
In 1989 David Ludlow, a pool builder's son, came up with removable jetted seat backs that would hold the jets and most of the plumbing. He formally set up Bullfrog International in Salt Lake City in 1996; its first production spa had six JetPaks and two pumps.
What Bullfrog Spas is known for, and the catch
How it’s built
Eight things that decide whether it lasts. Tap any for the detail.
Self-supporting shellA molded ABS frame carries the water weight, not the shellNo
Bullfrog builds the structure into a separate ABS EnduraFrame with extra supports under high-use seats, then fully encases the acrylic shell in closed-cell foam. The shell warranty promises no leaks rather than structural integrity. Full foam also means a tech has to cut foam away to reach a plumbing leak.
What this means, and how to check it →bullfrogspas.com ↗bullfrogspas.com ↗
Clamped plumbingBullfrog Spas doesn't publish this. Ask the dealerNot published
Bullfrog never says whether its joints are glued PVC or barbed fittings with clamps, and the manual only tells you to hand-tighten a leaking fitting. One outside site claims glued and clamped lines, with nothing to back it up. Ask a dealer to open the equipment bay and show you.
What this means, and how to check it →hotspas.com ↗bullfrogspas.com ↗
Manifold-fed jetsEach seat feeds from a manifold, but seats may run in seriesPartly
Every JetPak gasket seats into the H2Air manifold instead of splicing into a hose run, and the jets inside a pack feed off that manifold. Bullfrog's own older patent shows the seat manifolds chained one to the next along the supply line. Whether current tubs still do that is not published.
What this means, and how to check it →bullfrogspas.com ↗hotspas.com ↗
Standard partsStandard controls and pumps, but JetPaks are Bullfrog-onlyPartly
Boards, topside panels, pumps, motors, jets and filters are industry-standard parts any tech can buy. The JetPaks, the H2Air manifold and the frame are patented Bullfrog designs that independent retailers do not stock. Routine repairs stay cheap and easy, while anything JetPak-related goes back through the dealer.
What this means, and how to check it →hottuboutpost.com ↗pool-n-spa.com ↗
Compression-fitted jetsShell jets bolt in with a nut; jets inside JetPaks aren't documentedPartly
Bullfrog's parts store sells shell jet bodies with nuts and gaskets for fixed-jet seats. A JetPak lifts out whole and seals to the shell with a gasket. How the jets attach inside the pack isn't published, and packs are sold only complete.
What this means, and how to check it →bullfrogspapartscharlottesville.com ↗hotspas.com ↗
Adjustable jetsShell jets adjust one by one; a JetPak's jets share one valvePartly
Foot, hip, calf and wrist jets molded into the shell turn like normal jets. Inside a JetPak, one valve in the lower housing raises or lowers flow for that whole seat, and it will not shut off completely. So you get per-seat control, not per-jet control.
What this means, and how to check it →hotspas.com ↗hotspas.com ↗
Service networkDealers do the service, and only they stock the JetPak partsPartly
Bullfrog sells through authorized dealers and its own factory stores, and the manual sends every warranty issue to them. Manuals are published free and commodity parts are easy to source, which helps an independent tech. The proprietary JetPak and manifold parts are not widely stocked outside the network.
What this means, and how to check it →hotspas.com ↗bullfrogspas.com ↗
American made?Built in Bluffdale, Utah and Herriman, UtahYes
Bluffdale, Utah: Plant completed in 2003 and headquarters until 2020; converted in 2022 to build Swim Series swim spas. Herriman, Utah: 286,000 sq ft headquarters opened in 2020 with manufacturing, warehousing, retail and offices.
What this means, and how to check it →bullfrogspas.com ↗bullfrogspas.com ↗
What Bullfrog Spas says, part by part8
M, A and STIL seats take removable JetPaks that seat into a gasket-sealed port, one valve per pack. X Series and Calm use fixed jets; Bullfrog doesn't say how those connect.
The H2Air manifold inside the tub feeds each JetPak with water and air; Bullfrog says this removes most under-shell hoses and fittings. Pipe type for remaining lines not published.
EnduraFrame: an injection-molded ABS support structure with no wood or metal, first launched in 2007 as UniFrame.
Barbed, clamped or glued? What it means3
Hose slides over a ridged fitting and a clamp holds it. Easy to service, but clamps are one more thing that can loosen.
Pipe is solvent-welded into the fitting and becomes one piece. A strong seal, but a leak repair means cutting and re-gluing.
Which method this model uses, whether the joints are reachable for repair, and what the plumbing warranty covers.
What owners and watchdogs say
A BBB letter grade rates how a company handles complaints, not how happy owners are. Read it next to the complaint count and the reviews.
How complaints ended, and the reviews by star2
- 4 Resolvedthe customer accepted the company's answer
- 13 Answeredthe company replied; the customer didn't confirm it was fixed
- 0 Unresolvedthe company replied; the customer said it wasn't fixed
- 0 Unansweredthe company never replied
The company replied to 17 of 17. BBB counts 31 in three years but publishes 17; the rest aren't shown. A complaint count means more next to how big the company is.
What owners complain about5
Owners across model years describe the seal where a JetPak meets its port shifting, spraying water behind the seat or buzzing loudly; reported fixes include spacer rings and a newer gasket.
The most common complaint on independent sites: warranty work runs through the selling dealer, and owners describe unreturned calls, farmed-out repairs and being stranded when a dealer closes.
Owners report long waits and tubs arriving with cracked corner panels, wrong or missing covers or loose control panels, mostly in 2020 and 2021 but also in 2026.
What owners praise3
The most-praised feature in reviews on Bullfrog's own site: owners like tailoring each seat and moving or adding JetPaks later. 69 of 77 such reviews gave four or five stars.
Ratings on other sites & BBB details5
The warranty, part by part
Read the warranty card before you sign: what labor is covered after year one, and whether the coverage moves to a second owner.
History and ownership
Founded in 1996 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Never sold. Owner today: Privately held Bullfrog International, LC; shareholders not disclosed.
Who has owned it
Full timeline18
- 1989BrandDavid Ludlow conceives modular jetted seat backs holding most of the spa's plumbing, the idea behind the JetPak.
- 1996FoundedBullfrog International LC is established in Salt Lake City; the first production spa has six JetPaks and two jet pumps.
- 1997BrandGets a UL safety listing and its first six patents; debuts a six-model line at the NSPI trade show in New Orleans.
- 2003FactoryCompletes a new manufacturing plant in Bluffdale, Utah, to add capacity.
- 2003BrandLicenses JetPak technology in Australia and New Zealand and starts building JetPak spas for Villeroy & Boch to sell under its own name in Europe.
- 2007BrandLaunches and patents UniFrame, a wood-free ABS base and support structure, now called EnduraFrame.
- 2011LeadershipJerry Pasley becomes CEO in February.
- 2013BrandIntroduces the H2Air manifold and redesigned JetPaks: 18 JetPaks across the new A Series and R Series, 16 models in all.
- 2015BrandIntroduces STIL, developed with Villeroy & Boch, which Bullfrog says won iF and Red Dot design awards.
- 2018FactoryUtah approves a tax-credit incentive of up to $334,633 for a $20 million expansion adding up to 150 jobs.
- 2020FactoryOpens a 286,000 sq ft headquarters in Herriman, Utah, with manufacturing, warehousing, retail and office space.
- 2020BrandLaunches the M Series, its top line, which Bullfrog says won a Red Dot design award.
- 2022FactoryLaunches Swim Series swim spas and converts the Bluffdale plant to build them.
- 2023BrandRedesigns the A Series with five new JetPaks and the Simplicity filtration system.
- 2023LeadershipDan Sjoblom is promoted from executive vice president to president; Pasley stays CEO.
- 2024LeadershipPasley retires as CEO at the end of 2023 and stays on the board; Dan Sjoblom becomes CEO.
- 2025BrandTakes over EU and UK distribution itself, ending Villeroy & Boch's sale of Bullfrog-built spas under the V&B name.
- 2026BrandLaunches the Calm Series.
Where it's built2
Builds here today
Past plants
Offices, showrooms and warehouses
- Europe and United Kingdom: Warehousing and distribution set up for direct EU and UK sales from 2025, at locations Bullfrog doesn't name. Not a plant.
- Bullfrog Spas Factory Stores (Utah and other states): 25 company-owned retail stores as of May 2025, six of them opened in the prior year. These are stores, not plants.
Charity and sponsorships1
Recent news6
- Aug 28, 2026Marked 30 years: about 590 employees and nearly 280,000 spas built, up from 24 spas in its first production year.
- 2026Added Calm, a Value Class line with fixed jets rather than JetPaks, starting at $8,395 MSRP.
- May 29, 2025Said it runs 25 company-owned factory stores, six opened in the past year, and sources most components in the US, though it gave no figure for the US share.
- Jan 29, 2025After a Jacuzzi challenge, the National Advertising Division found Bullfrog couldn't support claims that its tubs are more personalizable, powerful, efficient and durable than rivals. Bullfrog disagreed in part but agreed to comply.
- 2025Began distributing directly to EU and UK dealers from its own European warehousing, replacing the Villeroy & Boch arrangement.
- Jan 5, 2024Jerry Pasley retired as CEO effective December 31, 2023, after about 13 years; president Dan Sjoblom became CEO.
Good to know8
- In 2005 the Deseret News reported that Bullfrog was privately held by 13 individual shareholders, with founder David Ludlow as president and CEO and 130 to 150 employees.
- No change of ownership has been documented since 1996. Bullfrog called itself privately held in August 2026 but does not name its owners.
- Pasley stayed on the board after retiring, serving as executive director during the CEO handover.
- Bullfrog says its spas are assembled in the USA at its plants near Salt Lake City. The wording is "assembled," not "made."
- JetPak patent US 7,908,684 expired in 2024; a later Bullfrog patent on its current modules (US 9,662,268) runs to 2034.
- Around 2019 to 2020, six Bullfrog models were sold online through Costco; the listings were gone by October 2020.
- Tadpole Spas was a secondary Bullfrog line; owner's manuals exist only for 2003 to 2006.
- CPSC and Health Canada recall searches on September 24, 2026 returned no Bullfrog Spas recalls.
Same owner
None. No parent company found.
Ownership last checked September 2026. Who owns every hot tub brand.
Owners: Bullfrog Spas error codes, explained from the manuals.
What’s a good deal on a Bullfrog hot tub?
We send you the price range, then introduce you to one Bullfrog Spas dealer near you.