Based in Québec City, Québec, Gecko Alliance Group has been a leader in spa design and manufacturing for over 30 years. While its core customers remain OEMs, manufacturers and distributors, Gecko has recently turned its attention toward a different audience: hot tub owners. The company’s latest innovations are designed to simplify spa care and address three of the biggest consumer concerns — water maintenance, energy efficiency and connectivity.
Tackling water care
Gecko’s Waterlab system, launched earlier this year, integrates directly under the spa skirt and connects to Gecko’s spa pack. Unlike floating sensors, it discreetly monitors water chemistry and delivers clear, real-time guidance through the app.
“Our users signed up to unwind, to chill, to relax — not to be chemists,” says Dominic Gosselin, director of product and marketing.
“Set it and forget it,” says marketing manager Kim Gallienne-Plante. “Let Waterlab do the monitoring, notifying you only when necessary.”
Energy as a rising concern
While water care has long been a top challenge, energy is becoming the next big worry, especially in Europe, where energy prices are climbing.
“The enemy is not the energy consumption of the spa, per se,” Gosselin says. “It’s the waste of energy that the display is using.”
Gosselin says most spa owners only use their tub around 1%-3% of the time. Yet displays, pumps and heating systems consume energy around the clock. Gecko saw an opportunity to optimize the idle hours.
Redefining efficiency
Introduced in July, Gecko’s new energy platform is built around three pillars designed to reduce waste without interfering with actual spa use.
- Energy IQ score: Users receive a personalized rating showing how well they’re optimizing idle time. Updates will make the scoring more intelligent, helping users save money without compromising their spa sessions.
- Smart spa routine: Because most soaks are spontaneous, scheduling is tricky. Gecko’s smart routine learns usage patterns and adjusts heating to help ensure the spa is ready when needed while cutting unnecessary heating time. “It will get smarter the more it knows you and optimize according to usage,” Gosselin says.
- Energy-saving engine: This feature actively adjusts heating cycles during idle periods. By tailoring warmup times to user behavior, it balances comfort with efficiency. Importantly, the system targets idle heating and display energy — not the essential circulation needed for water care.
Working together, these features can deliver significant savings. In one test case in San Diego, Gecko’s system reduced costs by up to 55%. In Québec, where electricity is cheaper but winters are harsher, it still reduced costs by around 36%. “Even the most energy-efficient spa can save more by being smart and optimizing the idle time,” Gosselin says.
Ongoing improvements could bring projected savings of 80%–90%, varying with temperature, electricity rates and the spa itself.
One app, total control
These new features join Gecko’s existing app ecosystem that puts full control of the hot tub in the palm of the user’s hand. Its ease of use “makes the spa experience a [true] spa experience,” Gallienne-Plante says.
From a single dashboard, owners can adjust temperature, jets, lights, filtration schedules and music. Paired with Gecko’s in.touch 3+ module, the app enables remote spa management with a long-range, stable connection. “Connectivity isn’t just a want now; it’s expected,” Gosselin says.
Beyond convenience, the app integrates Gecko’s water monitoring and energy-saving features. “In the same app, you have water maintenance, the control of your tub from anywhere and the energy features,” Gosselin says. Basic functions are free, while advanced energy-management tools are part of a $99-per-year premium plan — a cost offset by the savings it delivers.
Because it’s cloud-connected, updates will be pushed directly through the app, continually adding functionality and long-term value to Gecko-equipped spas.
The bigger picture
For retailers, Gecko offers both a sales advantage and long-term value story. Connectivity has become a purchase driver — “Our latest survey showed that 43% of spa [buyers] were influenced to select a particular spa because of its connectivity options,” Gosselin says.
Showing water care and energy savings turns cost concerns into a selling point.
“When you show it as a positive instead of a fear, that’s where the sales pitch can get much more interesting and personal,” Gosselin says.
Waterlab can be factory-installed by OEMs or sold separately by retailers as an upgrade, creating a profitable upsell opportunity. At the same time, the app’s premium energy features are unlocked directly by consumers, but it’s retailers who bring the technology to life. By showing the app in demo mode, dealers can prove how simple and intuitive spa ownership has become. “The moment that you demo how simple that is, that’s how you get the sale,” Gosselin says.
Gecko believes this simplicity is the key to growing the market. “Making it easier to manage and cheaper to use will actually democratize [spa ownership],” Gosselin says.
That means not only water care and energy tools but also wellness upgrades like the new variable-speed massage pump, which lowers noise and allows customizable hydrotherapy.
“People don’t think about spas every day of their lives,” Gosselin says. “They’re thinking about what keeps them stressed at night. If we can position spas as the answer — and make them easier, smarter and more affordable to operate — that’s how we grow the industry.”