The company file
Sundance Spas
Massage jets with no moving parts, big two-stage filters and UV-C water care on every model.
The long read: how the tubs are built, the complaint record, the warranty part by part, and the company’s history.
How it started
The Clarks started in a Costa Mesa garage making automotive accessories, then switched to portable hot tubs.
What Sundance 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 base pan and a separate frame hold it upNo
Sundance's own patent shows the acrylic shell resting on an ABS base pan and a frame of vertical supports and a top rail. Sprayed foam beds the shell into place and insulates it. Take away the pan and frame and the shell has nothing to stand on.
What this means, and how to check it →freepatentsonline.com ↗links.imagerelay.com ↗
Clamped plumbingSome joints are clamped barbs, others are glued slip fittingsPartly
The parts catalog lists barbed manifolds and jet bodies along with Sundance-numbered hose clamps, but also slip ports that are glued solid. Which one you get depends on the circuit. Either way the lines sit in sprayed foam, so reaching a leak means digging foam out first.
What this means, and how to check it →hottuboutpost.com ↗hottuboutpost.com ↗
Manifold-fed jetsManifold-fed. One trunk line splits out to each jetYes
Sundance sells its own 2, 4, 6 and 7-port water manifolds plus air manifolds and blank plugs. Jet bodies have one water port and no pass-through to the next jet, so a blocked jet does not starve the rest. This comes from the parts catalog, not an opened cabinet.
What this means, and how to check it →hottuboutpost.com ↗hottuboutpost.com ↗
Standard partsPumps and filters are standard parts; jets and boards are notPartly
Pumps trace back to Aqua-Flo, Balboa and Emerson, flow switches are Harwil, and filters cross-reference to Unicel and Pleatco. Independent suppliers sell all of it online without a dealer account. Fluidix jets, control boards, topside panels and ClearRay UV only come from Sundance.
What this means, and how to check it →hottuboutpost.com ↗hottuboutpost.com ↗
Compression-fitted jetsMany jet bodies bolt in with a nut; the main Fluidix body isn't documentedPartly
Parts sellers list body nuts, washers and O-rings for most Sundance jet families. The Fluidix ST body used on many current tubs isn't documented, and newer shared Jacuzzi parts use push-in grommets. Nothing shows glued bodies.
What this means, and how to check it →hottuboutpost.com ↗hottuboutpost.com ↗
Adjustable jetsTurn the outer dial on each jetYes
The owner's manuals tell you to turn a jet's outer ring to raise, lower or shut off its flow, and to rotate the center disk to change the stream. At least six have to stay open per system so the pump and filter work properly. Air is set per group, not per jet.
What this means, and how to check it →links.imagerelay.com ↗links.imagerelay.com ↗
Service network359 authorized dealers, and they do the warranty repairsYes
Sundance lists 359 dealer locations in the US, and the 2022 temperature-sensor recall was repaired free through those dealers. Independent suppliers also stock Sundance-numbered parts online. The published warranty covers components but never says who must do the work or whether labor is paid.
What this means, and how to check it →sundancespas.com ↗cpsc.gov ↗
American made?Built in MexicoPartly
Mexico: 680 to 980 Series spas built July 2021 to December 2022 were made in Mexico, per a 2023 federal recall.
What this means, and how to check it →recalls-rappels.canada.ca ↗
What Sundance Spas says, part by part8
Sundance markets patented Fluidix jets with no moving parts, co-developed with Bowles Fluidics. Jet-body connection method is not published.
Factory plumbing is warranted against water loss. Pipe material and whether fittings are glued or barbed are not published.
880 Series has a steel frame with its own 10-year term. Frame material for 680, 780 and 980 Series is not published.
Sundance says it uses full-foam insulation throughout the cabinet. Foam density and R-value are not published.
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
- 0 Resolvedthe customer accepted the company's answer
- 2 Answeredthe company replied; the customer didn't confirm it was fixed
- 0 Unresolvedthe company replied; the customer said it wasn't fixed
- 3 Unansweredthe company never replied
The company replied to 2 of 5. A complaint count means more next to how big the company is.
What owners complain about4
The most common grievance: claims refused on technicalities, fees charged to diagnose warranty faults, and short coverage on replacement parts.
Owners report slow scheduling, repeat visits that don't fix faults, travel charges, and losing support when a dealer closes.
What owners praise2
Recalls2
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 1979 in Costa Mesa, California. Changed hands 3 times. Owner today: Investindustrial (private equity) through Jacuzzi Group; Sundance is a Jacuzzi Spa brand.
Who has owned it
- 1979Founded by Jim Clark and his sons Ron and Chuck in Costa Mesa, California.
- 1998Becomes part of the Jacuzzi group of companies, per Sundance's corporate backgrounder.
- 2007Parent Jacuzzi Brands is taken private by Apollo Management affiliates, and Sundance goes with it.
- 2019Parent Jacuzzi Brands is sold to Investindustrial by Apollo, Ares and Clearlake.
- TodayInvestindustrial (private equity) through Jacuzzi Group; Sundance is a Jacuzzi Spa brand
Full timeline7
- 1979FoundedOpens its first manufacturing facility in Costa Mesa, California, the company says.
- 1993BrandBegins an aggressive international expansion, per its corporate backgrounder.
- 1996BrandSays it was the first spa maker worldwide to earn ISO 9001 certification.
- 1998Changed handsBecomes part of the Jacuzzi group of companies, per Sundance's corporate backgrounder.
- 2007Changed handsParent Jacuzzi Brands is taken private by Apollo Management affiliates, and Sundance goes with it.
- 2019Changed handsParent Jacuzzi Brands is sold to Investindustrial by Apollo, Ares and Clearlake.
- 2022BrandRecalls 680, 780, 880 and 980 Series spas, with Jacuzzi models, over faulty temperature sensors. No injuries reported.
Where it's built1
Builds here today
Listed, but not confirmed as a working plant today
Charity and sponsorships2
Recent news4
- Jul 22, 2026Hawke Media named agency of record for Jacuzzi Group brands, including Sundance.
- 2026Sundance earns two stars (score 102.4) in Lifestory Research's first America's Most Trusted hot tub study.
- Sep 29, 2025780 Series refresh announced, adding Intelli-Jet, glass-touch controls and heat-pump compatibility. Rollout set for December 2025.
- Apr 22, 2025Sundance is named as a Jacuzzi Spa brand when Robert P. Baird Jr. becomes Jacuzzi Spa CEO.
Good to know3
- Sundance Spas, Inc. also does business as Jacuzzi Hot Tubs. The two brands share one legal entity and one Chino address.
- Sundance says it sells through more than 750 retail locations in more than 60 countries.
- Founded in Costa Mesa, not Chino, per Sundance's own careers page. Chino is its current base.
Ownership last checked September 2026. Who owns every hot tub brand.
Owners: Sundance Spas error codes, explained from the manuals.
What’s a good deal on a Sundance hot tub?
We send you the price range, then introduce you to one Sundance Spas dealer near you.