Cold Plunging has gained popularity in recent years for its long list of physical and mental health benefits. The number of different ways to engage in the practice range from commercial facilities with Cold Plunge pools and pods to At-Home Cold Plunge systems mainly for ease of convenience and setting a routine.
If you're like many new to cold plunging and/or curious about the benefits, we would recommend starting with ice. Ice is how we started and ice is what got us addicted. Ice is easily accessible at your local grocery store, reasonably priced and will help you start a new routine in order to reap the benefits. After a couple weeks of feeling the effects cold plunging can have on your body and wellness, you may be ready to invest in a longer term solution. Ice is a great starting point but there are constraints such as temperature, overall convenience and setup time required to cold plunge.
A few things to consider with ice:
- Cooling temperatures vary based on the ambient temperature when using ice. The hotter the temperature outside, the more ice you will need to lower the temperature of the water. Also, when using a tub vs a barrel, more ice will be required as the surface area of the water exposed to the air with a tub is more significant than a barrel. Thus, the ambient temperature will raise the water temperature more quickly.
- There is no automatic mechanism such as a filter to remove debris that finds its way into the water so consider investing in a skimmer or just frequently replacing your water and cleaning your cold plunge.
- As there is no mechanism to remove and kill bacteria, we recommend changing your water every 3-5 cold plunges to keep your water fresh and clean or using chemicals designed to remove unwanted bacteria and viruses from the water.
- Ice is a single use application, mainly for one individual. As soon as the ice is submerged in the water, the clock starts ticking so get to plunging quickly.
- Have a thermometer handy to gauge the water temperature and adjust the ice levels as needed.
How many bags of ice do I need and how much will it cost?
There are many assumptions required when gauging how many bags of ice is needed. The assumptions below are based on cooling water temperature from a starting point of 70°F down to 55°F.
- 5 bags of ice, 16 pounds per bag = 80 pounds of ice
- $4.19 for a single 16 pound bag of ice
- $21 per cold plunge session
- 4 plunges per week for a year = $4,358
- 3 plunges per week for a year = $3,268
- 2 plunges per week for a year = $2,179
Osone™ Water Chillers start at $1499 to $1999 and can cool water temperatures down to 37-39°F. All of our water chillers come with a one year warranty.
For fresh, clean, cool water, learn more here.