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It’s surprising how popular cold plunge tubs have become as mental and physical wellness tools. After all, it’s tough to sell folksdunking their body into frigid water for minutes at a time.
Personally, I find that using cold therapy—especially when combined with a hot sauna—changes my entire day for the better. It’s like a mind and body reset button. And it’s been a substitute for that third cup of coffee in the afternoon, leaving me with a natural buzz.
For everyone ready to shop for their own cold plunge tub, I’ve tested and reviewed six of the best and most popular tubs to help you find a match for your needs and budget. If you’re still on the fence, I recommend testing them out before buying one for yourself, to know if it’s something you want to invest in.
These can get very expensive, and some people might be fully on board with the idea of a cold plunge until they actually get in one and find that in the fight-or-flight feeling cold tubs induce—they fly out of the tub quicker than a wet cat.
Best Cold Plunge Tubs at a Glance
- The Best Cold Plunge Tub: Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro
- The Best Budget Cold Plunge Tub: Ice Barrel 300
- The Best Vertical Cold Plunge Tub: Nordic Wave Viking Gen 2
- The Best Modern Design Cold Plunge Tub: The Plunge Original
- The Best Tub for Commercial Use: Morozko Pro
- The Best Portable Cold Plunge Tub: Hydragun Supertub
I first tried cold plunging several years ago at the Malibu home of surfing legend Laird Hamilton and Olympic volleyball champion Gabby Reece. After getting out of a sauna, I went into an ice tub for two minutes. It was a shock to my system, but for hours afterwards my skin glowed and I had a feeling of elation.
I am among those now hooked on daily cold plunges, and I’ve been using them regularly for the past two years. Over the past several months, I have been testing a range of different cold plunge tubs to try to find the best in this rapidly growing category of wellness equipment.
Through this process, the best cold plunge that I have tried and tested is the Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro. It may not be the best for most people due to its high cost, but it is the best that I have tested. That said, what is best for you will depend on your budget, the space you have available, and the location where you intend to install it.
The Best Cold Plunge Tub: Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro
Sun Home’s Cold Plunge Pro felt like the Ferrari of cold plunges from the moment I first took a dip. It is also the only cold plunge tub here capable of creating ice. This is a very expensive tub, but for many it’s worth the cost. It’s also a very large tub so you’ll need a good amount of space. And it weighs 345 pounds before adding water, so you’ll need some strong helpers to get it into place.
The casters make it easy to move on solid ground, especially on concrete, then a few twists of the adjustable wheels and feet lower that raise it off the casters and stop it from moving. It has neon LED under-lights and an interior light that switches between different colors.
The standout feature is that if you turn it to a temperature below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, it creates ice sheets along the walls that automatically defrost and float in the tub for a true ice experience without a trip to the grocery store or gas station for ice bags.
It’s deep enough to dunk your face and head into the water while you’re plunging, and the squarish shape is ideal for a wide range of body types. Despite its size, it’s surprisingly quiet when chilling, and almost silent when just circulating and filtering.
Pros:
- Creates its own ice
- The UV filter and particle filter keeps water cleaner for longer
- Very quiet operation
Cons:
- It’s big, heavy, and expensive
- No control of the LED lights other than on/off
The Best Budget Cold Plunge: Ice Barrel 300
The best part of the Ice Barrel 300is how easy it is to move around when it’s empty. It’s light enough empty for one person to move it, while still being very sturdy. Ergonomically, it has a great shape; a bigger footprint than the Nordic Wave Viking 2, but is also slightly easier to get into and out of.
The biggest advantage and drawback is that there’s no chiller. That drops the price considerably, but you then have the hassle of needing to add ice with every use. When compared to other systems that are exponentially more expensive, this may be perfect for someone who wants to start plunging immediately on more of a budget and doesn’t mind adding ice. And Ice Barrel does offer a compatible chiller ($3,500) that can be added on later.
It’s also great if you have it at an off-grid location without a power outlet, but somewhere you can bring a few bags of ice. Depending on how cold the ambient temperature is, with the lid kept closed when not in use, this can stay cold for 24 hours with a recommended ratio of one part ice to three parts water.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Neutral color fits many backdrops
- Relatively affordable
Cons:
- Buying ice can be a pricey hassle
The Best Vertical Cold Plunge Tub: Nordic Wave Viking Gen 2
What I love most about this tub is the upright position. That makes breath work easier because your body is in a more natural breathing position. Nordic Wave also has a companion app, Nordic Flow, for perfecting breathwork for a more comprehensive wellness experience. Available in three colors, this vertical design has the smallest footprint out of any cold tub on this list.
While the step-in is steeper than horizontal tubs, once inside there’s a far greater feeling of privacy. If space is an issue, this is the cold plunge I would recommend. But don’t let that make you think you won’t get a full body immersion, which you will, and your breath work may even be better in this upright position.
The chiller is easy to lock into your chosen settings. (This is useful if you have kids who like to push every button they see.) The chiller’s filter also has an automatic bypass that engages if the filter gets clogged. This feature will extend the life of their chiller—the most common failure point for a tub—says Nordic Wave CEO Warner Jenkins.
The tub is made in a factory formerly used by Yeti to make coolers, to give you an idea of how rugged it is.
With a lower end temperature of 35F, it gets very chilly. The foam-insulated tub not only keeps that water cold efficiently, but it also insulates the water from below-freezing ambient temperatures during winter so there’s no need to winterize it. Another great feature is that the sloped bottom drains quickly for refills—something that can be annoying with flat-bottom tubs on this list.
Pros:
- Vertical body position offers more privacy than bathtub style
- No winterization needed in cold climates
- Ozone filtration step helps sanitize water in addition to particle filtration
Cons:
- Deep step-in could be tricky for some, but the steps are included
The Best Modern Design Cold Tub: The Plunge Original
I’ve used the Plunge for nearly two years. Once I got the water chemistry right with the supplies included, I had clear water that I didn’t need to change for months on end while using it daily. I did have some troubleshooting and a minor repair of a thermometer, but after all that time it was still doing its job.
The acrylic tub is light relative to steel options, and it’s easily movable by two people. App connectivity allows you to control the temp remotely, which was nice to have, but I never used it.
The low step-in height makes it the most accessible tub on this list for smaller people. In fact, the Plunge is the best cold plunge for most people, with its All-In unit as a strong contender. However, because the tub is not as insulated as others on the list, there was a lot of condensation on the outside of the tub in hot weather.
Pros:
- Modern design, smallish footprint
- Low step-in height
- Excellent customer service
Cons:
- The white acrylic tub requires waterline cleaning regularly
- One-step filtration
- Condensation is an issue in hot weather
The Best Cold Plunge for Commercial Use: Morozko Pro
This is the only tub on the list that I tested at a gym instead of at home. Impressively, with several people in a contrast cycle from a sauna and into this tub, it was still able to maintain a bitingly cold 39 degrees under heavy commercial use.
I spoke to gym manager Chad Reese at Ethos Athletic Club in Charleston, who is responsible for sourcing and maintaining equipment for the gym’s contrast therapy class. After exploring dozens of systems, they winnowed the options down to Morozko as the best high-volume commercial system for its durability and the power of its chiller system.
It’s bulky and heavy, so this really is one that you’d need help installing. But if you’re looking at cold plunge tubs as a massage therapist, chiropractor, personal trainer, or any other commercial setting where you will have higher volume use, this may be worth the investment. There is also a new (and less expensive) residential version coming soon that could rival the Sun Home Cold Plunge Pro.
Pros:
- Extremely cold
- Holds cold temp despite lots of use
Cons:
- Bulky and heavy.
- The commercial-grade cost
The Best Portable Cold Tub: Hydragun Supertub
The Hydragun Supertub is not as portable as, say, a lawn chair or a camping tent, given that the uninflated tub and chiller are still fairly heavy. But it is much closer to portable than any other cold tub on this list and could be transported in the trunk of an average car.
Inflating the tub is easy with the included electric pump. The inflatable buckle-down lid is secure (if not, leaf blowers will put leaves in any tub) and the chiller has three filtration steps: a mesh strainer, 20-micron filter, and an ozone generator.
The chiller can bring the tub temperature down to 37 degrees, which is well below what most people will set their chillers to—that’s generally around 45 degrees.
One benefit of the inflatable design is that it’s quite comfortable to lean against–perhaps the most comfortable on this list in that regard. Yet it’s rigid enough to not feel like you’re rolling around in a waterbed. For its relative affordability and the fact that you can transport it without a pickup truck, for some people, this will be the perfect cold plunge tub.
Pros:
- Relatively affordable
- Portable
Cons:
- Less durable than solid tubs
Health Benefits of Cold Plunges
Studies on the health benefits of cold plunging are still in the early stages, so it’s difficult to make definitive claims of what the practice can do for your body.
Cold water immersion reduces exercise-induced muscle damage, according to the Mayo Clinic. This means less inflammation and quicker recovery. The Mayo Clinic also recommends checking with your doctor to make sure cold-water immersion is right for you, particularly if you have any specific cardiovascular risk factors. There is also evidence that cold water immersion can activate your immune system. In my experience, the most noticeable effect of a daily cold plunge is that it boosts my mood and mental alertness.
There is also more research to be done on what the combination of cold and hot contrast therapy can do for your body–something I also do daily by pairing a cold plunge with a sauna. Contrast therapy is promoted for heart rate variability (HRV), stress resilience, brain function, inflammation, and recovery. And while there is evidence to support this, more research is needed.
While humans have been willingly immersing themselves in cold water for thousands of years for perceived mental and physical benefits, we’re still in the early days of fully understanding and objectively proving the science involved.
What to Know Before Buying a Cold Plunge System
As you begin shopping for your cold plunge tub, weigh these key considerations.
Chillers
All but one cold plunge tub here includes a chiller. These components are the most expensive part of most tubs and act like a reverse sous vide, cooling the water and holding it at a steady temperature.Most good chillers can reach temperatures under 40 degrees. The strongest chillers can hit freezing temps and create ice.
Without a chiller, you’re cooling your tub with bags of ice from the store. This saves thousands of dollars, but requires a lot more time and effort for a practice that supposed to help you feel energized.
Filtration Types
All of the above tubs, excluding the Ice Barrel, have a water filtration system. This is a white filter like you’d find in a home aquarium that has a particle size rating, such as 20 microns, or 50 microns. They will also have mesh or grating for the largest particles such as hair or leaves.
Beyond that there are additional filtrations, such as the Nordic Wave’s ozone generator, that disinfects water in addition to filtering it, or the Sun Home Pro’s UV filtration system that kills microorganisms for a similar effect.
Customer Service
Chillers will break, especially if you run them 24/7. Buying a tub with a chiller is like buying a car, says Nordic Wave’s Warner Jenkins. It’s not a machine that can simply last forever without maintenance and repair, which is why Nordic and the other companies above prioritize customer service and product support over time. This is also why you should buy your cold tub from a company that has been in business for a while.
There are many pop-up companies that dropship imported cold tub components. But with a product this expensive, it pays to explore how responsive they are to your questions and do your research before making a purchase. It’s not a question of if you’ll ever need to maintain your chiller, but when.
App Connectivity and Wi-Fi Range
For some, the ability to adjust the temperature remotely and turn the unit off and on could be great, but you’ll need to have the tub in Wi-Fi range, which could be tricky if it’s in your back yard.
I didn’t find it to be a critical for a cold plunge tub, which you’re more likely to set at one temperature and leave it. To me the most useful Wi-Fi use is if you realize you want to turn the unit completely off for some reason—maybe you’re sitting on the tarmac about to head to Fiji for a month.
Accessories
When you start filling up your cold plunge tub, a carbon filter on your hose is a good first step. Some, but not all, come with a hose filter. A cheap aquarium net is a good addition for scooping out the little leaves and grass blades that might get in on the bottom of your feet. And a sponge with a scrubbing side is good to clean waterline buildup.
Cold plunge experts recommend drip-drying while standing in the tub as much as possible to extend the benefits of the immersion, but you’ll still end up getting a good amount of water outside the tub when you step out. After testing different mats, my overall favorite cold plunge mat is this
