Cheap cold plunge tubs worth buying
A cheap cold plunge tub costs $80 to $160 and works. Four compared, with what owners report, and why the cheapest tub is not the cheapest way to plunge.
Budget tubs in this guide
- The Pod Company Ice Pod ProUnder $300See it on Amazon
- The Cold Pod StandardUnder $300See it on Amazon
- VEVOR JC-01Under $300See it on Amazon
- Bubplay Ice Bath XLUnder $300See it on Amazon
The short answer
$80 to $160
That buys a cheap cold plunge tub that works: a soft, insulated pod you fill with water and ice. The best cheap cold plunge is The Pod Company’s Ice Pod Pro, because it is the one that takes a chiller later. The cheapest of all is the bathtub you already own.
Budget tubs in this guide
- The Pod Company Ice Pod ProUnder $300See it on Amazon
- The Cold Pod StandardUnder $300See it on Amazon
- VEVOR JC-01Under $300See it on Amazon
- Bubplay Ice Bath XLUnder $300See it on Amazon
What a cheap cold plunge gets you
An affordable cold plunge is a soft pod: fabric walls, a foam layer, legs to hold it up and a lid. It holds water and it gets cold. What it does not do is stay cold. Owners report ice melting within the hour in summer, and makers give one or two years of warranty. For what more money buys, see our pick of the best cold plunge tubs.
We have not used these tubs ourselves. Specs are the maker’s or the seller’s, and owner reports come from r/coldplunge and Trustpilot.
| Tub | Maker’s price | Stated capacity | Takes a chiller | Warranty | Owner reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Pod Company Ice Pod Pro | $79 | 110 gal | Yes | 2 years | Many |
| The Cold Pod Standard | $120 | 85 gal | Not stated | 1 year | A few |
| VEVOR 90 gallon | Under $300 | 90 gal | None stated | Not stated | One |
| Bubplay 105 gallon | Under $300 | 105 gal | None stated | Not stated | None found |
The best cheap cold plunge tubs
The Pod Company Ice Pod Pro
The best for the money. It is the only one of the four with valves for a chiller and a two-year warranty, so it is the one you will not have to replace when you upgrade. Owners say its insulation is thin and its height claim generous.
The Cold Pod Standard
A small pod with an insulated cover, from a maker with its own site and a one-year warranty. Three of its nine Trustpilot reviews describe the top ring deflating.
VEVOR 90 gallon
A low-priced pod from a large tool brand. One 6 ft 2 in owner on r/coldplunge says it fits him but is tight. Its listing gives three different sizes for the same tub, so measure it against your own height before relying on any of them.
Bubplay 105 gallon
Among the lowest-priced pods we looked at. We found no owner reports for it outside Amazon, so this rests on the listing. Its stated 105 gallons is a little more than a cylinder of its stated size can hold, which is about 100.
The cheapest cold plunge is not the cheapest to use
A cheap tub runs on ice, and ice is what costs money.
| Pod on ice | Pod with a chiller | |
|---|---|---|
| Tub | $120 | $79 |
| Chiller | None | $649 |
| Ice for a year | $2,388 | None |
| Electricity for a year | None | $120 |
| First year | $2,508 | $848 |
If you plunge once a week or less, stay on ice. Past that, a chiller pays for itself within months. The full sums are in what a cold plunge costs.
How to plunge for almost nothing
- Use your bathtub. Fill it with cold tap water. Mayo Clinic notes that a bathtub with cold water and ice does the job.
- Measure your tap. If it runs in the 50s, you may need no ice at all.
- Freeze your own ice. A gallon jug of water, frozen, is 8.34 lb of ice you can reuse.
- Buy a tub only when you know you will keep going.
How much ice you need is in how much ice an ice bath needs. If you would sooner build than buy, see the DIY cold plunge tub.
Budget against the other types
A cheap tub is right if
You are trying cold plunging, you plunge once a week or less, or your tap water is already cold.
Spend more if
You plunge most days, or the tub will sit outside in the sun. An insulated barrel costs ten times as much and holds its cold for days.
The types are compared on the tubs page, and all our picks are in the best cold plunge tubs.
Common questions
What is the cheapest cold plunge?
Your bathtub, with cold tap water and ice. The cheapest tub we found from a maker with its own site is The Pod Company’s Ice Pod Pro at $79.
What is the best budget cold plunge?
The Ice Pod Pro. It costs less than most of the others and is the only one with chiller valves and a two-year warranty.
Are cheap ice baths worth it?
Yes, for finding out whether you will keep plunging. Expect thin insulation and a life of a season or two. The tub is the small cost. The ice is the large one.
What is the best cold plunge for the money?
Over a year, a cheap pod with a small chiller. At three sessions a week it costs about a third of what the same pod costs on ice.