The Ultimate Guide to Cold Plunge Pools: All the Benefits, Options, and Costs Explained

The Ultimate Guide to Cold Plunge Pools (All the Benefits, Options, and Costs Explained)

A cold plunge into freezing water doesn’t sound like the most appealing experience. Your heart rate will jump. Your stress hormones will likely reach dizzying heights, and you could hyperventilate. Then, there are the gasps and the shivers to cope with.

Yet, the TikTok hashtag #coldplunge has had more than a billion views. So why have cold plunge pools become so popular?

Many talk of a powerful, sometimes transformative improvement to their sense of well-being and state of mind. Read on as we look at the benefits of taking a cold plunge and the options available for those thinking of splashing out on cold plunge tubs.

What Is a Cold Plunge?

Social Media influencers, celebrities and athletes from Florida to California have been talking up the benefits of taking a cold plunge. These are some of their claims about the benefits of cold plunges:

• Relief of sore muscles
• A recovery aid after a strenuous workout
• A reduction in inflammation
• A quick immunity boost and enhanced clarity of thought
• A tonic for anxiety and depression

So, what is a cold plunge, exactly? Put simply, it means submersing the body in cold water. That can be in cold plunge pools, cold plunge tubs, lakes or even the sea. We also refer to it as cold water swimming or cold water immersion.

Ice baths are also a kind of cold plunge, generally on the lower end of the temperature scale. Cold plunges may be de rigeur at the moment, but they’ve been around since time immemorial.

Long before Wim Hof, the Dutch extreme athlete known as “The Iceman,” began smashing cold exposure records and attracting our attention to cold plunges, the ancient Greeks were using them. They were a way to socialize and relax. Even Florence Nightingale and Charles Darwin were fans of their therapeutic effects.

How Do You Take a Cold Plunge?

You can reap the rewards by submersing yourself in cold plunge pools either by getting in and out quickly or by staying in the water for a few minutes. The water should normally be between 53 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit or about 11 to 24 degrees Celsius. Any colder than 53 degrees, and there can be serious physical health risks.

How Long Should You Stay in Cold Plunge Tubs?

The length of any cold plunge will depend on the temperature of the water and how long it feels comfortable. The colder the water, the shorter time you should stay in it.

Cold plunges generally last between five to ten minutes. Any longer, and you raise the risk of physical harm. Although people have described the benefits of cold water submersion, they’ve also flagged up the risks.

A rapid dip in and out of cold plunge pools counts, but how long does it take for the effects to kick in? There is normally a delay of three to five minutes for the cold to penetrate beyond the skin. It’s at this point that it begins to have a neuromuscular effect.

What Are the Physical Benefits of Cold Plunge Pools?

The main benefits of a cold water plunge appear to be:

• Enhanced recovery from exercise
• A reduction in feelings of physical pain
• A pause in the sensation of muscle soreness

Studies suggest that a cold plunge is effective for recovery after a period of high-intensity exercise. There’s also a belief that using a cold plunge pool can reduce inflammation in the body. This is because as we enter cold water, our blood vessels constrict in order to keep heat close to the heart.

A cold plunge can slow down blood flow to the arms and legs, pumping more blood to the core of the body. This temporarily lowers our natural inflammatory response after exercising.

Can a Cold Plunge Reduce Stress and Boost the Immunity?

A cold plunge may also lead to a heightened level of stress, putting us into “fight or flight” mode. The body will release a sudden rush of cortisol, the stress hormone, and norepinephrine.

We may also gasp, hyperventilate and experience a faster heart rate after a cold water plunge. This can be risky, but it can also bring physical benefits. People with any history of heart problems, vascular disease or high blood pressure should probably avoid taking cold plunges.

When you put yourself under stress in a structured and meaningful way, your body may respond by accelerating the way you react to everyday anxiety. Whether cold water plunges really improve our immune systems is still open for debate. There’s little definitive proof yet.

Can a Cold Plunge Help Regulate Blood Sugar Levels?

There’s evidence that repeated exposure to the cold can enhance insulin sensitivity. That can help manage your body’s blood sugar. However, it would seem that you’d have to shiver to get maximum benefit. This is because you’re activating muscles that can cause similar responses to those you may experience when exercising.

Changes could last for up to two days after being in the cold. Some improvements can be even better than what you’d expect to see after taking exercise, experts say. Exposure to the cold can, therefore, be a type of workout in a sense.

It boosts your metabolic rate by as much as five times above your regular resting rate. Although cold exposure may not be effective for losing weight, it can play a helpful part in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

What Are the Benefits of Cold Plunge Tubs on Mental Well-being?

Many regular users of cold plunge tubs swear by improvements to their mental health that they say are a result of the dips they take. Taking a cold plunge can boost our endorphins, our happy hormones. These can make us feel euphoric and also give a heightened sense of focus and clarity.

It’s also possible that there is an inflammatory element to depression. Given that cold plunges can decrease inflammation, there could be a connection between this and feeling happier.

At the same time, after completing a cold water plunge, we may also get a feeling of achievement, having overcome a significant challenge. That may also have a positive impact on our sense of mental well-being.

Some users report feeling a sense of calm washing over them, lasting for at least a few days. Others say any anxiety or anything they’re struggling with simply disappears after a cold plunge. It feels, they say, as if they’ve left their troubles behind in the water.

12 Benefits of Cold Plunge Pools

Are you sold on the idea of installing cold plunge pools or cold plunge tubs? Before we look at the options available and costs involved, here’s a quick summary of some of the key benefits that regular cold plunge takers say they get:

• A big endorphin rush
• A reduction in inflammation
• Improvement in mood and sleep patterns
• A dopamine spike
• An easing of pains and aches
• Lower stress levels
• Improved recovery times from injury
• A reduction in swelling
• A boost to the metabolism
• Better hormone regulation
• The promotion of lymphatic drainage
• Possible increases in testosterone levels

What Options for Cold Plunge Pools Are Available?

One of the benefits of cold plunge pools is that you can enjoy them wherever you live, regardless of the climate. Just because the temperature is lower in Alaska and Maine than in Florida or New Mexico doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy taking a cold plunge.

Ideally, you should be able to turn a hot tub into a refreshing and cooling escape so that you get the benefit of cold plunge pools as well as hotter settings. A fiberglass plunge pool like those available from Little Pools is ideal.

Cold plunge tubs come in a broad spectrum of sizes and shapes, with plenty of useful features such as UV-sanitation systems and temperature regulation.

As with larger swimming pools, there’s a choice of in-ground or above ground installation. The former is always going to be more expensive and involve more hassle. That’s because excavation work can be both tricky and time-consuming.

What Are the Key Issues When Buying Cold Plunge Tubs?

Aside from cost, the three critical factors when considering the purchase of cold plunge pools are size, capacity, and temperature range.

There are tub-style options that allow you to sit back and stretch out. There are plenty of vertical and narrow choices, too, designed to submerge the body in an upright position. You’ll only be able to accommodate one person in many of the smaller, vertical cold plunge pods.

Check out the temperature range on specific models. You might also want to consider purchasing an external cold plunge chiller if you want all temperature options covered in your plunge pool.

Here are some popular choices:

Barrel-Type Cold Plunge Tubs

Many of these are available in lightweight, durable thermoplastic. You’ll also find metal versions—most claim to be resistant to cracking, fading, and pressure. You may be able to fit a water cooler, but with most, you’ll have to cool the water manually with ice.

The significant disadvantage of these types of cold plunge tubs is that they’re typically only for cold plunges and not for hot tub use as well. Insulation can also be poor.

Fiberglass Plunge Pools

You can quickly adapt these for cold water use. Little Pools offers a selection of sizes in fiberglass pool range. They’re ideal as cold plunge pools because:

• They’re lightweight, easy to transport, and straightforward to install
• You can enjoy the cold plunge experience with others
• You can cover them inside and out with your bespoke coverings
• They’re algae-resistant, solid and less inclined to shift once installed

Pre-Cast Concrete Cold Plunge Pools

These are likely to cost more. They’re also heavier and trickier to install. Concrete is also prone to cracks, especially when there are sudden changes in temperature. You can probably count on your plunge pool suffering structural cracks over time. Pre-cast concrete pools tend to also work out more expensive over time. That’s because of additional chemical usage, cleaning demands, and resurfacing costs.

Inflatable Cold Plunge Pools

Many of these come as kits that you have to put together yourself. They may well work, but when bought online, they can provide little consumer protection if there are missing parts. Some offer the option of controlling the temperature using a smartphone app.

Metallic or Wooden Therapy Tanks

Some of these you can install either outdoors or indoors. Again, they tend only to offer cold options. That’s fine if you live in a state like Arizona, where you may want to be cool more frequently, but it’s not so great for other more temperate states like South Carolina.

Stainless Steel Plunge Pools

These can be long-lasting but tend to cost far more than other types of plunge pools. Because they get welded together off-site from sheets of stainless steel, they can develop weak spots. Stainless steel plunge pools tend to be durable, resistant to corrosion and easy to clean and maintain.

How Much Will a Cold Plunge Pool Cost?

Those cold plunge tubs at the lower end of the market, such as one-person pods, can still cost several thousand dollars. There’s a compromise to their value because of their often limited capacity.

You can expect the cost of a bespoke plunge pool to be around $30,000 – $50,000. This can often be offset due to the extra value a plunge pool will add to your home. Prices in cold plunge pools can fluctuate from the national average due to:

• The pool size and shape
• The pool type and the material used,
• The pool’s location, labor, permit fees, site preparation and potential excavation
• Permit fees and Homeowners’ Association (HOA) restrictions
• Geographical location

What Optional Extras Will You Wish to Include?

Installing a chiller will push up the price too, regardless of the type of plunge pool you eventually settle on. And there are also endless extras to consider, such as lighting and sound systems. How often you need to clean your plunge pool will be another dependency because some materials, such as fiberglass, are easier to clean than others.

Multifunctional above ground plunge pools made of fiberglass may initially seem to work out at a similar price when compared to some of their concrete cousins. However, they tend to be far cheaper to install and are simpler to add decking to. Because they’re lightweight, there’s no need for cranes to get them from the truck to your backyard.

By going for a self-standing fiberglass plunge pool, you’ll boost your options because you can use it for other functions rather than simply a cold plunge pool. Made for relaxing, they’re the ideal stress-busters for those who need to regularly unwind.

Take the Plunge With Little Pools

With one of our plunge pools, you’ll be able to enjoy relaxing in all temperatures with family and friends.

Little Pools offers a very competitive choice of above ground plunge pools that are modern, lightweight, and durable. They’re a great alternative to shipping containers, vinyl liners or precast concrete kinds of pools. Amazing-looking, they’re available in a choice of stunning colors.

Take the plunge today. Contact one of our experienced team for a free quote. You, too, could soon be reaping the health benefits that come with regular use of cold plunge pools.