There was a time when a relaxing, hot bubble bath was all I needed to unwind, but these days my ice bath has taken precedence. And trust me, nobody is more surprised about this than I am. Like countless wellness trends before it, cold-plunge pools, ice baths, and cold-water therapy have been fueled by social media and celebrities, with Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, and David Beckham all advocates.
Just as massage guns made the transition from elite recovery tools to workout essentials, cold-water therapy is no longer just for use by athletes looking to alleviate pain post-exercise, or as a torture device in luxury spas.
The idea of submerging myself in water below 60 degrees Fahrenheit seemed farcical, but my interest was piqued after a seemingly sensible friend told me she now skipped her morning coffee for an icy cold plunge, as it improves her “mental clarity.” Ice-cold water instead of coffee? Madness! Or so I thought.
If you’re wondering what the point of cold-water plunging is—I certainly was—some studies have shown it can relieve muscle soreness and even encourage weight loss. It has also been shown to improve mental health and increase alertness by increasing levels of noradrenaline by 530 percent and dopamine by 250 percent. Steven Dick from the Fitness Group explains further: “Exposure to cold water can also stimulate the release of endorphins, which are natural painkillers, and can trigger the activation of brown adipose tissue (brown fat), which burns calories to generate heat.” Keen to test these claims, and (hopefully) enjoy a dopamine hit, I called in the Myo Master MyoFreeze ice bath to try.
The ancient Greeks are said to have practised the art of “thermalism”—the exposure to cold and heat—to ease muscle fatigue and reduce disease. So when confronted by my first dip in the plunge pool, I imagined I was cooling off in Mykonos rather than in England, in February, in the rain. It didn’t work. Getting my toes, let alone my shoulders, under the icy water was horrific. If I wasn’t being paid, the pool would have been packed up and shipped out the very next day.
But I’m a professional, so I persevered with the pain, and I was surprised that by my third dip I was able to stay in for two minutes and even started to relax. Research from Susanna Søberg, author of Winter Swimming, suggests that 11 minutes per week of being fully submerged gives you the best health benefits. But this needs to be divided into different plunges across the week.
- The Best Value Plunge Pool: Lumi Recovery Pod Ice Bath
- A Premium Plunge Pool: Sun Home Cold Plunge
- Another Great Self-Chilling Plunge Pool: Hydragun Supertub
- The Best Mid-Priced Plunge Pool: MyoMaster MyoFreeze
- Great Value Big Capacity Plunge Pool: The Cold Pod XL
- Best Plunge Pool for Versatility: The Edge Tub Elite
- Other Cold-Plunge Pools
- Is An Ice Bath Worth It?
- How to Get Started
- Plunge Pool FAQ
Updated August 2024: We added new plunge pool reviews including the Supertub from Hydragun, the Cold Pod XL and the Sun Home Cold Plunge. We also added more information to the FAQ guide and updated links and pricing.