Since introducing the Cotswold Eco Tubs Sauna to our wood-fired range we have had a number of enquiries about using them with a cold plunge bath. For those people with a hot tub, they used the tub unheated for their cold dips. Now that it's officially Hot Tub Season and the tub will be heated it means an alternative cold tub is required. Well, when you ask, we deliver!
What is an ice bath?
An ice bath, also known as a cold plunge tub, is a container that allows you to submerge your body in a mixture of cold water and ice. It is usually the size of a hot tub, although it can be smaller or larger depending on your needs.
Ice baths are commonly used in sport recovery, so they are often found in gyms and physical fitness training centres. However, with the increase in personal wellness retreats, they are now becoming popular for at-home use, especially when combined with a steamy, wood-fired sauna.
I'll hold my hand up and admit that I didn't know very much about hot and cold water therapy until I started researching the sauna benefits. Once I started checking out the health benefits of ice bathing, there were two names that kept popping up in the search results:
Joe ‘jump in the ice bath’ Wicks, and Wim Hof, a famous Dutch athlete with 21 Guinness World Records, aka 'The Ice Man'.
Just watching that video brings me out in goose bumps! I'll be honest, I'm still not sure that cold water bathing is for me. However, in the interests of research and customer service, I'm hoping to take the ice bath plunge when they are delivered at the end of November. Obviously, that's assuming we still have one available. From the four that I pre-ordered one was sold before we had even been given a provisional supplier delivery date. We are getting at least two enquiries a week at the moment. So if they are all sold my personal research will sadly have to be put on hold. 🙂
Ice Bath Details
While we collect a few more photos for creating the ice bath website page, here is some of the important info. All of this is included in a very cool price - 1778€
Thermowood Exterior - available in Oak or Black only (as per the hot tub Exterior Colour Chart)
Stainless steel Interior
Thermowood cover with 2 x stainless steel handles
Thermowood seat/internal step Thermowood external step
Height: 105cm Diameter: 110cm High flow drain tap with hose lock fitting 2 x tension bands
Maximising Cold Plunge Health Benefits
Ice baths are used for cold water immersion and sauna therapy and to get the full benefits of the cold plunge, it's best to keep the cold bath at or below 10°C (50°F) . For experienced cold bathers, closer to freezing seems to be the preferred temperature. But if you are just starting out, it's best to start at 10-15°C until your body gets used to it.
So, whether you’re looking to enhance your mental and physical performance, or improve your overall health, here are just a few of benefits of sauna and cold plunge bathing.
- Enhances blood flow
- Reduces inflammation
- Can help with weight loss
- Lessens muscle aches
- Lowers stress levels
- Strengthens the immune system
- Improves flexibility and range of motion
- Helps in preventing and improving mental health issues
- Boosts energy levels
- Help to improve sleep quality
- Enhances alertness.
Our Upcoming Events
I'm still hoping to get an ice bath demo model for the weekend of the Prestige French Property Show (Southampton 7th and 8th October). Failing that we will try our best to get one for our upcoming Hot Tubs HQ Open Day Event on 15th October.
For anyone that's interested we can share with you all the information we have gathered. We will also be offering special events discounts for anyone who places an order for a hot tub, sauna or ice bath at either of these events. We offer even bigger discounts if you order a combination of products to create your very own wellness retreat. Simply get in touch, tell us what you need and we guarantee to give you our very best price - inclusive of delivery, your choice of delivery date and full set up and installation. You also get our 5 Star Customer Service which is worth it's wait in gold.
Contact Us
If you've got any questions or need expert honest advice about ordering or maintaining a wood-fired hot tub, sauna or the new ice bath, just get in touch. We're here to help. Happy Hot Tubbing!
P.S. Still wondering about the blog title? Then you have never heard of The Ice Man Cometh.