How to keep an ice bath cold

While the exhilarating rush of stepping into a regular cold plunge is just one of the core reasons why so many people take up this well-being activity, any experienced cold water therapy enthusiast knows that one of the biggest challenges putting many others off from enjoying a regular soak is knowing how to keep an ice bath cold.

Although any properly prepared ice bath will start out cold and well within your desired temperature range, if not looked after properly, it’s only a matter of time before your tub’s ice melts between soaks and you have to cool it all over again – especially over summer!

Fortunately, there are several things you can do between plunges to make sure your tub is as cold as possible before you begin prepping it for your next cold water therapy session, many of which we’ve outlined in our guide below.

From how to keep your ice bath cold in summer to how to make your own ice at home to save you time and money on cold plunge costs, here are our top tips for how to keep an ice bath cold.

Tips for how to keep an ice bath cold

First things first, let’s look at what can be done in general to keep your ice bath cold between plunges by taking advantage of our 4 essential tips for consistent ice bath cooling:

• Use bigger blocks – to start with, if you can purchase them or make them yourself, you should absolutely be using bigger blocks of ice to cool your tub to the ideal ice tub temperature. Bigger blocks melt slower, keeping your water colder for longer, and reducing the amount of time needed to cool your ice bath at the start of each session.
• Insulate your bath – another great solution for maintaining the cold temperature of your ice bath is to insulate it as much as possible. Some more expensive ice baths naturally come with in-built insulation in their frames, which can substantially reduce heat dissipation. However, if you’re using a beginner ice bath or an ice pod, then you can recreate the same effect by wrapping towels, blankets, and insulation sheets around your bath between uses.
• Prep the night before – although it might feel like it requires more effort, if you prepare your ice bath for a soak the night before, it will help you save that much more time in the morning, as the night is naturally cooler than the day and will maintain the low water temperature required for a quality plunge. Bear in mind, however, that you should be cautious about doing this over winter to avoid your water freezing over.
• Keep the lid on – this really should go without saying, but keeping your ice bath’s lid on is essential if you want to maintain water temperature between soaks. Evaporation and external heat sources are one of the main reasons for your ice bath water increasing in temperature, so you want to reduce the potential for this as much as possible.

How much ice is needed for an ice bath

When it comes to how much ice is needed for an ice bath, this will all depend on the specific size of your cold tub. For example, most experts recommend adding between 4.5kg and 7kg of ice for cold baths with a water volume of 100-150 litres and then doubling the amount of ice for each additional 100 litres of water (e.g., 9kg of ice for 200 litres of water).

Of course, it’s not always going to be possible for you to exactly measure and weigh the volume and weight of the water needed for your ice bath, however, the general recommendation is to go with 1 part ice for every 3 parts water.

How to make ice for an ice bath

As convenient as it can be to buy ice from a supermarket for your soak, knowing how to make ice for an ice bath can save you a lot of time and money when it comes to preparing for cold plunges in the future.

And to be honest, making your own ice bath ice is a relatively simple process. All you need are some ice moulds and a spare freezer big enough to store your frozen blocks in. We recommend larger moulds that are rectangular in shape, as these will freeze faster and make the blocks easier to pop out once solid.

Once you have your moulds, all you have to do is fill them with cold water, leaving a little bit of space at the top for easy removal, and freeze them in advance of your next cold plunge session. Ideally, you’ll want to do this 24 hours before your next soak, as it can take 8-12 hours minimum for these larger ice blocks to freeze entirely.

How to keep an ice bath cold in summer

Last, but not least, one of the core challenges facing most cold plunge enthusiasts is maintaining the chill of their ice bath over the summer months – after all, warmer temperatures mean your ice will melt faster.

Naturally, we recommend using all of the steps we’ve outlined above to keep your ice bath temperature low, but we also have a few extra tips you can try over the summer to make things easier:

• Add extra ice – starting off with the most obvious solution, if you want your ice tub to stay colder for longer, then adding more ice to the mix is an easy and convenient option to try, especially at short notice.
• Keep your bath shaded – given that direct sunlight and warm temperatures are the main reasons for ice bath warming, keeping your cold tub in a shaded area will help to maintain a lower water temperature for longer.
• Reduce water levels – while it might sound counter-intuitive to start with, reducing the water levels in your tub to the lowest level required for you to be comfortable will also reduce the surface area on display, thus slowing down the rate of heating and water evaporation.
• Freeze water bottles – a nifty hack for anyone who wants to speed up their water cooling just before their plunge, by freezing a large number of water bottles the night before, you can drop them in about 30 minutes before your plunge for rapid cooling. Best of all, their sealed nature means you can keep using them in the future as a backup cooling solution.

Start your ice bath journey with Chill Tubs

Hopefully, you should now have a much better idea of how to keep an ice bath cold, both in summer and all year round. Naturally, it will take a little bit of time for you to find the ideal cooling methods and routines for you, but once you have, your regular cold plunges will become that much easier to prepare.

Of course, if you’re only just beginning to climb into cold water therapy, or you’re still thinking about taking your first tub, then the Chill Tub range is the perfect place to look for your first ice bath.

With beginner ice baths and more advanced cold tubs available, as well as ice pods for those with limited space, we’ve something for every cold-water therapy enthusiast in our range.

Get in touch today to find out more about our products from our in-house experts, and don’t forget to visit our cold plunge blog for more insights into using and maintaining your ice bath, such as when to use your ice bath and how to warm up after a cold plunge.