Whether you want systematic, hassle free cold therapy in your home or business, it is clear that cold plunge tubs are your best option.
There are two main reasons:
1. Cold plunge tubs are significantly more effective than cryotherapy
Water is more than 20x more efficient at heat transfer than air.
Using a cold plunge tub ensures your fight or flight response is activated immediately. This is critical in maximizing your health benefits from the cold shock.
Cryotherapy is expensive, requires nitrogen gas, and does not ignite the same level of adaption as immersing yourself in water.
You can read more on this topic here: Differences between cold plunge tubs and cryotherapy machines
2. Cold plunge tubs are superior to ice baths and cold showers
Although ice baths can be initially colder than a cold plunge tub, they quickly rise in temperatures after several sessions.
You always need ice on hand to complete your cold routine.
You will need to prep your ice bath prior to every session. This can take between 10-20 minutes.
Rather than doing this prep every day, if you are serious about cold exposure, then you need a device than allows you to have your cold therapy without taking away your time.
Cold plunge tubs are essentially time savers and optimizers vs. ice baths.
You experience time savings in not having to prepare and clean up after each use.
This is key if you are incorporating cold plunging into a larger health routine with time constraints.
A cold plunge tub can save you 20 to 30 minutes per day in set up times for your cold exposure routine.
Also, if you want a volume capable machine, if you want it to handle back-to-back cold sessions without needing to add more ice, then it is critical that you buy a cold plunge tub versus other options.
You may not realize this, but ice is dirty. Ice doesn't circulate through filtration. In large volume use, ice becomes "dircicles."
And in regards to cold showers, they are a great place to start for beginners and while traveling. In fact, every shower ought to end a cold one like Wim Hof!
However, you will quickly grow your cold tolerance and need increasingly higher doses.
When it comes to purchasing your cold plunge tub there are 5 key features to consider:
All of these features are important.
However, flow rate is the #1 feature to consider because it affects your cold therapy experience directly and indirectly.
Cold plunge tubs with high flow rate Disrupt Your Thermal Barrierâ„¢. This maximizes the cold shock you experience.
If your cold plunge tub does not have flow rate, then you are essentially cheating if you do not perform micromovements while in the tub.
You can learn more about the importance of flow rate and thermal barrier disruption here: Disrupt Your Thermal Barrier
Filtration
Each cold plunge tub will have different filtration capacity. Ensure that they are using spa industry standards.
How large is the cabinet / frame for the cold plunge tub? Smaller total footprint means smaller filter housings and chilling motor sizes.
Chilling Power
What type of chilling motor is being used? 1 HP is the minimum you should get for hot climates / back-to-back use.
Anything less than 1 HP chilling motor will take 8+ hours for the cold plunge tub to reach lowest temperatures.
There are also differences in motor quality. Motors made in China typically do not have as robust of chilling power as ones made with Japanese compressors.
Smaller cold plunge tubs cabinets will house smaller chilling motors. That is the trade off between total frame size and what components you can use.
Tub Size
If you buy a larger cold plunge tub, you will be able to fully submerge yourself.
Full immersion up to the neck is key to maximize your cold exposure therapy.
Larger tub size means you will need a total larger footprint dedicated to your cold plunge.
This is a trade off. You will have constraints in your home or commercial center you have to deal with.
It is also dependent on your height. If you are above 6 ft. or 1.8 meters tall, then you would benefit greatly from a 60 inch. or 152 cm tub. It will be a more comfortable experience every plunge.
Quality Components
Are spa industry standards being used in creating your cold plunge tub? Are the components made in the USA?
If you are relying on foreign components, replacements / warranties are in general more of a hassle to service.
You often have to ship components of the cold plunge tub back to China, or whatever country they are from.
Although there are many cold plunge companies in the market, most are not commercial capable.
There are many "residential" cold plunge tub options.
Within the industry, "Residential" has come to mean low plunge capacity.
It's difficult to discern quality in the emerging market.
Whether you are placing your cold plunge tub in a gym, wellness center, or even your home, commercial capable means a robustness to ambient temperature and plunge volume.
If you are a commercial establishment you have several options:
1. Self-contained cold plunges tubs
2. In ground cold plunges
There are advantages and disadvantages to both types in terms of cost, space constraints, permits, etc.
"I have this Cold Tub in my garage. It's kids games compared to this [BlueCube] beast."
~ Nerijus (Nick) Zitkevicius
Customer of both Cold Tub and BlueCube cold plunges.
AKA Lithuanian Lunatic
Material Quality: The material quality of the cold plunge is another important consideration. High-quality materials, such as stainless steel or wood, are recommended for their durability, resistance to corrosion, and hygienic properties.
Warranty: The warranty offered by the manufacturer is an important consideration. A good warranty will protect your investment and provide peace of mind in case of any defects or malfunctions.
Some companies offer a standard 5-year warranty on frames, electrical, plumbing, and the tub, while others may only offer a 1-year warranty.
It's important to read the warranty carefully and understand what it covers, including any exclusions or limitations.
Maintenance: The maintenance requirements of the cold plunge should also be considered. This may include regular cleaning, water treatment, and maintenance of any filtration or chilling systems.
Some products may require more maintenance than others, so it's important to consider how much time and effort you are willing to put into maintenance before purchasing a cold plunge.
Customization Options: Some cold plunge manufacturers offer customization options that allow you to choose the size, shape, and features of your cold plunge to better suit your needs.
Energy Efficiency: For cold plunge tubs that use a heating or filtration system, it's important to consider the energy efficiency of the product.
ook for products that are designed to be energy efficient and have a low impact on your utility bills.
Customer Service: Finally, it's important to consider the quality of customer service provided by the manufacturer.
Look for companies that have a good reputation for responsive customer service and support, and who stand behind their products with warranties and guarantees.
You want to make sure that the manufacturer is responsive to customer inquiries, has a good track record for addressing any problems that may arise, and has trained service technicians who can provide maintenance and repairs as needed.
It's also important to consider the quality of the materials used in the construction of the cold plunge.
Some manufacturers use high-quality materials that are built to last, while others may use lower-grade components that are more prone to breakage.
"If there was a drug that you can take that gives you the feeling that you get right out of the cold plunge, it would be insanely popular."
- Joe Rogan on Cold Plunging
The temperature of your cold plunge tub will depend on your cold tolerance.
A typical cold plunge, for the purposes of activating an adaption response, is below 59° F or 15° C (based on the research of Dr. Susanna Soeberg).
However, there is evidence that benefits can be experienced from water as high as 68°.
1. Start Slow and Build Tolerance Overtime
The most common mistake when it comes to cold plunging is starting aggressively.
If you are new to cold exposure, you will want to acclimate your body overtime.
Even prior to cold plunges, we recommend starting with cold showers. It's as simple as taking a regular shower, then turning it all the way cold at the end. Every day, see if you can last an additional couple of seconds.
2. Cold plunge accountability partners
If you want to accelerate the habit of cold plunging, the fastest way to do so is to get an accountability partner.
We are social creatures and competitive by nature. If you cold plunge with others, you will find yourself naturally getting competitive and drawn to the activity.
Use this competition for consistency. Do not focus on needing to push yourself in the cold to the point of breaking yourself. Do not focus on how long you can cold plunge. Instead, leverage the community and social proof for consistency and building the habit.
Cold plunging up to the neck, fully submersed in water, provides
a significantly higher dose of cold exposure that cold showers.
If you have the opportunity to cold plunge, see for yourself
the difference between submerging to your chin vs. to your shoulders. In
addition, explore the difference between having your arms in the water and
outside the water.
You will notice an increase in intensity from having your
neck and arms submerged.
Furthermore, you can experiment full dunking your head
underwater at the start and at the end of your cold plunge. This leads to
further adaptation / adjustments your body goes through during cold exposure.
Cold plunging is nothing new—cultures around the world have leveraged cold exposure for thousands of years as part of ceremonies / protocols
for renewal. What has been missing is peer reviewed science highlighting the
enormous, multi-faceted benefits that cold plunging provides.
Below is a list of health benefits that research is beginning
to uncover.
In addition, you can access Youtube Videos / Articles that are educational on cold plunging / cold exposure for your reference.
• Boost Your Immune System
• Improve Cardiovascular Health
• Mitigate Alzheimer's and Dementia
• Increase Testosterone
• Alleviate Arthritis
• Stabilize blood sugar (increase insulin sensitivity)
• Blast Through Anxiety
• Address Mental Health
• Contributes to Longevity
• Speed Recovery Times
• Reduce Inflammation
• Eliminate Depression
• Leverage feel good hormones
• Makes skin and hair look radiant
* Disclaimer: These claims are not approved by the FDA. You
are responsible for your own research.
Cold Plunging Resource and Reference links that go
into depth on the benefit of cold exposure therapy:
Dr. Susanna Soeberg on Contrast Therapy
Dr. Andrew Huberman on Cold Exposure
Huberman Podcast on Cold Plunging Video
Cold exposure therapy may be even more therapeutic and visceral than Psilocybin (mushroom) treatment.
In a cold plunge, the water molecules are all touching vs. a cryotherapy machine which experiences gaps in air molecules (thermal transfer friction).
Dr. Andrew Huberman shares key ways to increase your dopamine baseline, which consequently increases your motivation to engage in hard activities. One of those methods is Cold Plunging.