If you're like many new to cold plunging and curious about the benefits, we recommend starting with ice. 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 well-being, you may be ready to invest in a long term solution. Ice is a great starting point but will only take you so far in terms of temperature and convenience.
Things to consider with ice:
- Cooling temperatures will vary based on the ambient temperature. The hotter the temperature outside the cold plunge, the more ice you will need.
- With ice, there is no way to filter debris that finds its way into your water so you may consider investing in a skimmer or just frequently replace your water and clean your cold plunge.
- Ice has no mechanism to kill bacteria so we recommend changing your water every 3-5 cold plunges to keep your water fresh and clean.
- Ice is a single use application, mainly for one individual. Once the ice hits the water, the clock starts ticking so act fast.
- Have a thermometer handy so you can measure the water temperature.
How much ice do I need? How much will it cost?
The assumptions below are based on cooling water temperature from a starting point of 70°F down to 55°F.
- 5 ice Bags = Bags of ice required
- 80lbs of ice = Pounds of ice required
- $4.19 = Average cost of one 16lb bag of ice
- $20.95 = Cost per cold plunge (5 ice bags, 16lbs each)
- Cost of one year's worth of ice:
- 4 plunges a week = $4,358
- 3 plunges a week = $3,268
- 2 plunges a week = $2,179
Osone™ Water Chillers range from $1499-$1999 and can cool water temperatures down to 37-39°F. For fresh, cool, clean water, learn more here.