2024 Is the Year You'll Finally Buy a Cold Plunge Tub
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Cold plunge therapy, aka freezing your balls off for health benefits, used to be plain weird. Now, it’s a health craze that all sorts of people—Liver King, Wim Hof, Lebron James, Joe Rogan, and even Oprah—are on board with.
And no, we don’t literally mean freezing off your balls. But the benefits of cold plunge therapy for your whole body have been found to promote blood flow, improve immunity, manage pain, and decrease cortisol levels, among others.
The gateway into this very regimen often involves turning your shower temperature all the way down and standing under a teeth-chatteringly cold stream for up to two minutes. And while a cold shower sounds mildly torturous, we assure you that submerging into an ice bath is actually less so.
The highlights of cold plunging and best cold plunge tubs for the job, below.
- Best Overall: Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro ($8,599)
- Best for Small Spaces: Ice Barrel 400 ($1,200)
- Best Hot/Cold Hybrid: Aleko Natural Pine Hot Tub and Cold Plunge Tub ($3,229)
- Sleekest Design: Polar Monkeys The Portal ($2,690)
- Best Indoor/Outdoor: The Cold Plunge ($4,990)
- Most Customizable: Renu Therapy Cold Stoic ($9,700)
- Best Budget Option: Muro Portable Inflatable Bath Tub ($80)
- Best Portable Option: The Cold Pod Ice Bath ($120)
- Best for Tall People: Ice Barrel 500 ($1,500)
- Best DIY Option: Rubbermaid 100 Gallon Structural Foam Stock Tank ($140)
What Are the Benefits of a Cold Plunge Tub?
Using a cold plunge tub falls under the catch-all term cold water therapy which encompasses ice bathing, cold plunging, and cold showering. The list of claimed cold water therapy benefits is long, but the science-backed benefits include (1, 2, 3):
- Relieves muscle soreness
- Improves mood
- Supports better sleep
- Boosts immune system
- Reduces inflammation
- Speeds up metabolism
- Increases testosterone
It’s worth noting that of all the cold water therapy options, a cold plunge tub might be your best bet. Cold plunge tubs excel in temperature control and full body immersion—two important factors that are tough to master in a shower or a classic DIY ice bath that can make your cold water therapy session more effective.
Ready to graduate from an ice shower to a cold plunge tub? We’ve rounded up a handful of options—from bougie to basic—that get the job done.
RECOVER FASTER
What to Look for When Buying a Cold Plunge Tub for Your Home
Size
Cold plunge tubs aren’t one-size fits all, which can be an especially annoying thing to find out after you’ve already purchased one and filled it with water. Make sure to check the size of the entire footprint when deciding where you want it placed in your home.
Most cold plunges on the market can fit a human of average weight and height, but if you’re gifted in the brawn or height department, you’ll want to take a closer look at the interior capacity to ensure you’ll fit comfortably inside for the three or so minutes you’ll be submerged every day. Models like the Ice Barrel 500 are specifically designed for those up to 7 feet tall.
Filtration
If you’d prefer to set it and forget it, rather than manually filling and draining your cold plunge tub on a regular cadence, you might want to opt for a design with built-in filtration. Although a bit more expensive than your typical cold plunge, these models will ensure that you never have to drain and refill for clean water at all times. Models like Sun Home’s Cold Plunge Pro and The Cold Plunge come with built-in filtration systems.
Temperature Range
The cold plunge benefits are aplenty, from recovery to mood-boosting to burning fat, but to reap the benefits, you need to ensure you’re plunging at the right temperature and for the right amount of time. The general consensus for a safe cold plunge is anywhere from four minutes to 20 minutes in water between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit. If you think 50 degrees is nothing, it’s probably colder than you realize. Start with a few minutes, and build up over a few weeks as you get more acclimated to the temperature.
The Best Cold Plunge Tubs
References
1. Mooventhan, A. et al (2014). Scientific Evidence-Based Effects of Hydrotherapy on Various Systems of the Body.
2. Lee, Yoon-Hyung Society (2021). Effects of Cool-Down Exercise and Cold-Water Immersion Therapy on Basic Fitness and Sport-Specific Skills among Korean College Soccer Players.
3. Xiao, Feiyan et al (2023). Effects of cold water immersion after exercise on fatigue recovery and exercise performance–meta analysis.
