Ice Bath Tubs

Inflatable

A PVC or drop-stitch tub you pump up, fill and drain. Cheapest, folds into a bag, fine for a balcony or a bathroom, loses cold fastest because the walls are thin. PlungeBox CORE ($59.98) is the entry point; the PlungeBox XL Lay-Flat ($149) lets you lie back with legs out; the Natural High Inflatable ($599, 100 gallons) sets up in about five minutes and is the sturdiest of the three.

Insulated

Foam-walled tubs with a lid, usually a seated "slipper" shape. They hold cold through a session and most of the way to the next day, which cuts the ice bill in half once you are using one daily. From PlungeBox: the PRO Insulated ($179), the roomier XL Pro Series ($499) and the group-size Party Plunge ($699). From Icebound Essentials, all with chiller ports for later: the Endeavor ($299.99, 150 gallons, cut long for people 6'3" and taller), the Pink Endurance ($299.99) and Big Tex ($499.99) at 155 gallons, and the Endurance ($849.99, 155 gallons, double-slipper).

Rotomolded

A one-piece LLDPE plastic shell, the material of kayaks and coolers, with chiller ports built in. Heavy, leaves a mark on nothing, lives outside year round. The Modtub 2.0 Tub ($2,100, 90 gallons) is the one here; the same tub with its chiller is the Modtub 2.0 System on the chiller page.

What we do not stock

Upright barrels and pods (Ice Barrel and Ice Pod are two brands, not affiliated with us), wooden tubs, and galvanized stock tanks. A stock tank costs $150 to $300 and works, but bare metal sheds cold as fast as an inflatable and has no lid, no drain fitting and no ports; an insulated tub at the same price holds temperature overnight.

Most people start at 55 to 59°F and work down to 50°F or a little under; colder than 45°F is for experienced users and short sessions. Tap water runs about 55 to 70°F depending on the season and where you live, so the question is how much ice it takes to close the gap.

A working rule: about 1 pound of ice per gallon of water lowers the temperature by roughly 10°F. A 100-gallon tub filled at 65°F needs around 100 to 150 pounds of ice (six to eight 20-pound bags) to reach 50°F; a 155-gallon Icebound tub needs a third more, a 90-gallon Modtub a little less. That is the first fill. After that, an insulated tub with its lid on drifts only a few degrees overnight, so a daily user tops up with one or two bags; an inflatable without insulation is back near room temperature by the next day and needs a fresh load. Over a month of daily use, insulation pays for itself in ice.

Water changes: with no filter or ozone, drain and refill an ice bath every one to two weeks, sooner with more users; rinse the tub and let it dry. A chiller system with filtration stretches that to months, which is the other reason people graduate to one.

Size: a lay-flat tub (PlungeBox XL Lay-Flat, Party Plunge) lets you stretch out; a seated slipper tub (the Icebound line, PlungeBox PRO) puts you upright to the shoulders in less water; the Endeavor is the pick at 6'3" and up. Filled dimensions for each tub are being confirmed with the manufacturers and will go in the table; until then, check the product page and your floor space, and remember that 100 gallons of water weighs about 830 pounds, so an upstairs floor needs a thought.

• Try it for under $200: PlungeBox CORE ($59.98) to see whether you will keep doing it; PlungeBox PRO Insulated ($179) if you already know you will.
• Daily use under $500: Icebound Endeavor or Pink Endurance ($299.99), insulated, lidded, chiller-ready.
• Two people, or a large user: PlungeBox Party Plunge ($699) or the Icebound Endurance double-slipper ($849.99).
• Tallest users: Icebound Endeavor ($299.99), cut long.
• Lie flat: PlungeBox XL Lay-Flat ($149).
• Outdoors, permanent, a chiller later: Modtub 2.0 Tub ($2,100).

What to check on any tub

Insulation (foam walls and a lid, or none); a drain fitting rather than tipping it out; chiller ports if you might add cooling; a cover to keep leaves and light out; how it inflates (hand pump, electric pump, or rigid); and whether the seat height puts your shoulders under. Price tracks construction and gallons more than brand.

Cheap ice bath tubs

The cheapest purpose-built tub here is $59.98 and the cheapest insulated one is $179; the Amazon and warehouse-club inflatables in the same band are the same idea. A galvanized stock tank or a chest freezer conversion is cheaper still and a popular DIY route; the trade is insulation, a lid, a drain and ports, and with a freezer, a real electrical risk. If the budget is $300, the Icebound tubs at $299.99 are the point where a tub stops being a trial.

An ice bath is a tub you cool with ice. A cold plunge, as the word is used now, is usually the same tub with a chiller: a pump and refrigeration unit that holds the water at a set temperature, filters it and often ozonates it, so you never buy ice and change the water every few months instead of every week. Every tub on this page is an ice bath; the Icebound tubs and the Modtub 2.0 have the ports to become a cold plunge later with a chiller, and the ready-made systems and bundles are on Cold Plunges with Chiller. Systems that heat as well as cool, and sauna-and-plunge bundles, are on Contrast Therapy. Every cold tub we sell, with or without a chiller, is on Cold Plunge Tubs.

Whether a tub is worth it is a cost question we can answer: a $300 insulated tub plus a bag or two of ice a day costs less in a month than four studio sessions, and it is there every morning. What cold immersion does for you is a health question we leave to your clinician and the research; we do not make claims for it on a product page.

Buying from us

Every tub is new, with the manufacturer warranty (1 year for Icebound, PlungeBox, Natural High and Modtub) handled through us. Free shipping to domestic USA addresses in the lower 48; Alaska, Hawaii and international by quote. 30-day returns on eligible products in original condition.