7 Best Ice Bath Tubs of 2023 to Ease Muscle Soreness

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Soaking in an ice bath to treat sore muscles and joints is nothing new. 

“The routine of taking cold plunges after an intense workout or competition has been common practice for centuries,” says Matthew Kampert, DO, staff physician in Sports Medicine and Endocrinology and director of exercise medicine at the Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute. “More recently, however, these practices have been better studied through research that evaluates the pathways that are activated or made inactive by this icy environment.”

What Does an Ice Bath Do?

After a workout, your body needs to repair itself to prepare for the next training session. It does so with the help of blood vessels that bring oxygen to your muscle tissue while removing waste products of exercise—the most common being lactic acid. 

Too much lactic acid buildup can cause your muscles to function poorly and will often lead to fatigue. An ice bath will immediately reduce swelling while flushing lactic acid out of your body. 

When you sit in an ice bath, the cold causes your blood vessels to tighten. This helps drain lactic acid out of tired muscles. When you get out of the bath, your muscle tissue warms back up, causing a return of oxygenated blood, which, in theory should help muscles recover.

Ice Bath Benefits

Kampert says ice baths can be an effective tool for your training, but it depends on what your goal is. 

Lessen Pain and Inflammation

While celebrities and athletes tout ice baths for being a recovery cure-all, the science is a bit lukewarm. 

Ice baths can be beneficial “if the athlete is trying to improve recovery by decreasing inflammation from an acute injury or workout,” Kampert notes. It makes sense for Keanu Reeves to hop into an ice bath after filming stunts for John Wick: Chapter 4, but inflammation isn’t always a bad thing.

Certain types of inflammation are important for your body’s repair and adaptation processes. Ice can’t discern good inflammation from bad inflammation just as antibiotics can’t tell the difference between good and bad bacteria.

While massage may blunt disadvantageous inflammation, ice hits them all. That said, if you’re competing in a multi-day event, ice is a great way to keep your muscles feeling good.

Ease Soreness

Slipping into ice baths post-workout isn’t just an athletic rite of passage. As noted, it can alleviate muscle soreness and stiffness, and get you ready for your next bout, according to research from the American Council on Exercise. 

Boost Energy

Kampert suggests doing ice bath immersion early in the morning or pre-training as a means of energizing the body. Your body releases endorphins (“feel good” hormones) in response to the shock of the cold therapy, which can generate mental clarity and elevate mood.

Aid Weight Loss

A Scandinavian study (where else?) found that cold-water immersion followed by hot sauna recovery can give you an advantage when it comes to losing weight. In the study, researchers monitored the vitals of a group of young men who’d spent at least two years swimming twice a week in cold water and compared them with a non-swimming control group. They found those who regularly swam then sat in a sauna burned more calories via brown fat (the type that keeps you warm). In short: Cold-water immersion followed by hot sauna bouts can increase energy expenditure and promote weight loss. If your gym has a cold plunge and sauna, make this a part of your regular regimen.

Ice Bath Cons

“If the desired goal is building strength and muscle size, athletes may actually want to avoid ice baths following training sessions,” Kampert says. A Journal of Physiology study showed reduced long-term muscle mass and strength gains with the use of cold plunges.

How Long to Do an Ice Bath For

Ten freezing minutes is the magic number to recover from back-to-back workout days, per ACE, whether you’re running, power biking, or weightlifting. In a six-week study, ice bathers were better able to match their exertion level one day to the next compared with those who just took a hot shower.

Some helpful notes: Those who iced for 20 minutes had no better results than those who soaked for 10. Try to take a dip within two hours of your workout. And, if you’re struggling to stay in the cold, ice in 10 one-minute increments.

How Cold an Ice Bath Should Be

In studies researching the effects of cold plunges, the ice bath is typically at 50 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a thermometer to ensure accuracy.  

How to Take an Ice Bath

To DIY an ice bath, grab three bags of ice from a convenience store and fill your bath tub halfway full with cold water. Pour the ice in. (The first few times you take an ice bath, only immerse your lower body, from the hips down. 

After you get more comfortable with sitting in the ice bath, begin slowly lowering your upper torso until submerged, up to your neck if you can handle it.) Work your way up to 10 minutes.

Note: If the ice bath is too intense, you can alternatively do an ice massage. 

1. Buy a sleeve of paper cups and fill two or three with tap water, leaving an inch of space at the top. 
2. Place in the freezer. After your training session, grab a cup from the freezer, tear off the paper around the top, and massage the muscle you worked. 
3. As the ice melts, you can slowly tear away more of the paper. 
4. Massage for at least 10 minutes.

If you don’t want to take over your bath tub, there are loads of ice bath rubs you can buy.

“The most common method is keeping a tub or barrel outside and adding ice appropriately,” says Kampert. 

Get started by equipping yourself with a portable ice bath that fits your needs and budget. Here are our favorite ice bath tubs that are perfect for a quick, curative plunge from the comfort of home. 

7 Best Ice Bath Tubs of 2023

MURO is a great option if you want to dip your toe into ice baths without making a huge financial commitment. The inflatable tub is made of PVC and likely won’t hold up well outside, but it’s small enough to fit in a garage or a large bathroom—which also means you can’t lie down in it.

PEAKn is an inflatable tub, which makes it less durable than other choices, but also quite mobile and easy to store. This is a great option for, say, traveling athletes or those who only want to cold plunge during the summer months. PEAKn is also big enough to sit down in and is another great starter ice bath tub price-wise.

This luxury tub is a combination of all the best features. It’s inflatable, portable, and fits in a backpack. It’s also sturdy and able to cool the water to 37 degrees or heat it to 105 degrees. A built-in filtration system keeps the water clean, and you can set everything up within 15 minutes. The company even offers virtual demos.

If you want a tank of an ice bath—one that’s made of virtually indestructible plastic and was designed to hold cattle feed—this one’s for you. The Rubbermaid tub comes in 100- and 150-gallon sizes and has no frills. An oversized drain plug makes it easy to empty and clean.

Designed specifically for cold plunging, Ice Barrel is a freestanding plastic tub meant to be crouched in. At 105 gallons, it’s big enough to fit anyone over six feet in an upright seated position. Aesthetically, its subtle black design also fits easily with backyard decor.

If you want a spa-quality cold tub, Renu Therapy offers a freestanding unit that also allows you to customize your base and deck colors (and add a light). The “Super-Tuff Exterior” is meant to be beaten up outside, and it can chill water to 36 degrees. It’s one of the sleekest options available, and perfect if you know that cold plunges will be a part of your routine for years to come.

Another good budget option, Kiseely Portable Foldable Bathtub is constructed from PVC, thermal insulating cotton, and thick waterproof lining. The tub can be used indoors or outdoors (for either cold or hot water) and is unlikely to puncture or leak. Assembly is required.

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