Most people never think about where a hot tub comes from. It shows up on a truck, it gets set on a patio, and that’s the end of the story. For a Royal Spa, the story starts in one building on the southwest side of Indianapolis, and it has since 1981.
If you’ve ever wondered what “made in Indiana” actually means for a hot tub, here’s what happens inside our plant, why we build the way we do, and how you can come see it for yourself.
Two 18-year-olds and an idea
Royal Spa started in 1981, when Bob Dapper and Rick Bartlett were 18-year-old engineering students in Indianapolis. Two years later, in 1983, the business was incorporated as the Royal Spa Corporation. Bob went on to graduate from Purdue with an engineering degree, and he has spent more than 40 years designing and building hot tubs here in Indiana.
In 1996 the company changed direction. Instead of trying to make products similar to everyone else’s for less money, the goal became building what our founders called the “Best of the Best.” That decision still shapes almost everything about how a Royal Spa is made. You can read more of the backstory on our About Us page.
Almost everything happens under one roof
Today Royal Spa is a full-service manufacturer with a plant of more than 89,000 square feet in the southwest part of Indianapolis. Very little of a Royal Spa hot tub is made somewhere else and shipped in finished. Inside the plant you’ll find:
- A molding shop, where we design and produce our own molds for hot tubs, swim spas and float tanks.
- A vacuum forming and fiberglass shop, where the hot tub and swim spa shells are formed.
- A wood shop, where we build spa cabinets, gazebos, saunas and steps.
- A complete assembly plant, where each tub comes together.
Our service department and our Factory Showroom are at the same address, 2041 W Epler Ave. So the people who answer your service call work in the same building where your tub was built.
Built to order, one tub at a time
We don’t fill a warehouse with identical tubs and hope the right one sells. Every Royal Spa is custom built to order. When you pick a model, you also pick what goes into it:
- Six shell colors: Gypsum, Midnight Canyon, Odyssey Marble, Sahara, Silver Marble and Smokey Mountain.
- Two cabinet finishes: Grey Polymer and Mahogany Polymer.
- Upgrades such as waterfalls, LED lighting, stereo systems and stainless steel jet packages.
- One of three builds, so you can match the configuration to your budget and how you’ll use the tub. The 40-year structural warranty is the same across the line.
The lineup runs from the 3-seat Princess to the 8-seat Monarch. If you’re comparing sizes, our model comparison lays them out side by side.
What we build in, and what we leave out
Building your own tubs means you get to make the engineering calls yourself. A few of the choices Bob is known for:
No computer in the control panel
There’s nothing on a hot tub that needs a computer to run. Temperature, jets and lights can all be handled by simple, reliable controls. Computer control panels add to the purchase price, cost more to repair and create failure points that didn’t need to exist. As Bob puts it in our hot tub buying guide, “The only one who benefits from spa computers is the repairman.”
Standard parts any qualified technician can service
Every Royal Spa uses standard, widely available components. That includes filter cartridges, so you’re never locked into a proprietary replacement. If you ever need a repair, you aren’t stuck waiting on a part only one company makes.
Water that keeps moving, all year
A Royal Spa is built to run 24/7. The water circulates continuously, which keeps it filtered and ready whenever you want to use it. That’s also why we don’t recommend winterizing a Royal Spa you plan to keep using. Heated, circulating water doesn’t freeze. Our winterizing guide explains when draining does make sense.
Epsom salt compatible
Every Royal Spa hot tub is Epsom salt compatible, so you can add Epsom salt to your soak without voiding your warranty.
Built to last decades
Every Royal Spa hot tub carries a 40-year structural warranty, with 10 years on the surface and 3 years on components. Because we’re the manufacturer, we handle the warranty ourselves, and our Parts & Service Center is one phone call away at 317-780-2121.
Our favorite proof that the approach works: the second hot tub Royal Spa ever built is still running. If you’re weighing price, it’s worth thinking about how many times you’d replace a hot tub over four decades. We cover that in how long a hot tub should last and what a hot tub really costs.
Nationwide: built in Indianapolis, ships anywhere
You don’t have to live in Indiana to own a tub built here. Royal Spa hot tubs are built in Indianapolis and ship anywhere in the country. Talk with a product specialist about your location and they’ll walk you through the details.
Come see where it’s built
The best way to understand a Royal Spa is to sit in one. Our Factory Showroom is at the plant, 2041 W Epler Ave, at the southwest corner of Epler Ave and IN 37, a few minutes south of I-465. It’s open seven days a week: Monday and Friday 9 AM to 6 PM, Tuesday through Thursday 9 AM to 7 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM and Sunday noon to 4 PM. Call 317-781-0828 with questions.
Our Fall Sale is on now at all three showrooms. Stop in and ask about fall pricing, or send us a message and we’ll help you find the right tub.
