PlusLife Ice Bath Review - Premium Cold Plunge For Gyms And At-Home Recovery
PlusLife Ice Bath Review
All of a sudden, the masses are looking for an ice bath tub or cold plunge tub to soak up the benefits of ice baths for exercise recovery, hacking sleep, improving body composition and metabolism.
Gurus in the wellness space like Dr Rhonda Patrick, Dr Andrew Huberman and others like Joe Rogan, UFC Champion Connor Mcgregor and certainly Wim Hof have popularised cold plunge as a recovery tool by speaking about the extent of cold water exposure benefits on their podcasts.
As a result, not only are people focusing more on smarter recovery but there are more ice bath tubs to choose from. Increasingly, gym owners and wellness centres are adding cold plunge to their services and people are looking for space at home to slot in a cold plunge pool. In this article, we take a plunge into the Australian born self-chilling cold plunge tub, PlusLife, that is opening the doors to premium ice bath technology.
In our PlusLife Ice Bath review, we will compare the PlusLife to its alternatives and lay out the cold hard truths about ice baths and cold water immersion benefits, and break down the nuts and guts of what you get when you buy a PlusLife.
Bottom Line
The PlusLife Ice Bath gives you as low as 2.5 degrees celsius temperatures that satisfy even the most seasoned cold plungers. Suitable for both indoors and outdoors, the PlusLife is a cost effective cold plunge for at-home or to add to a gym or wellness space from $7300.
Use code GURU for $150 discount at checkout
What We Like
Plug-and-plunge style setup
Remains cold for constant use
In-built filtration and UV sanitation
Australian designed and made
Ice bags not required
Insulated cover for energy efficiency
Free delivery in Australia
What We Don’t Like
No portability
Only comes in one colour
No cleaning gear included
Expensive price
What Are The Benefits Of Cold Plunge?
Cold plunge or ice baths that are used for deliberate cold exposure offer a myriad of benefits to the brain and body. We have been using ice baths as a recovery tool for almost a decade now and began the journey into cold water exposure like many people do - with the humble morning cold shower.
With cold plunge, we come for the benefits to exercise recovery and stay a little longer for the benefits offered to the mind and the same is true for an increasing number of athletes, world class performers, average joes and everyone in between.
Cold water exposure has a load of science backed benefits with studies conducted on various effects on recovery, longevity, adaptive hormesis (what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger), weight loss or metabolic benefits, testosterone, pain, anxiety and depression.
Cold plunge as a practice has some pretty epic benefits that can not be overlooked for speeding up recovery time from exercise, for improving sleep quality and reducing the time it takes to fall asleep, affecting mental fortitude and impulse control, for increasing immune strength, for accessing the rest and digest state, reducing pain and inflammation and many other science backed benefits.
We love the science behind cold plunge and there's plenty of it. Dr. Rhonda Patrick has written a pretty in-depth report into the benefits of shocking the body with cold water, which outlines the benefits of cold exposure on the brain, for weight loss, to reduce inflammation and pain and increase immunity. Dr. Andrew Huberman of the Huberman Lab Podcast also has a recent podcast on Using Deliberate Cold Exposure for Health and Performance, which is packed full of icy gems for you to feel confident that your next painful plunge is actually doing you good!
Cold water immersion stems back to the Ancient Greek days, where ice baths were traditionally an activity and treatment used by the Ancient Greeks under the teachings and practices of Thermalism. There you have it - cold plunge - a practice for the Gods and Goddess’.
Fast forward to the present day and cold plunge gets a rebirth thanks to Wim Hof and the cult following of biohackers, athletes and others seeking better control of their breath, mind and body, achieving feats of courage using a combination of the breath, movement and cold exposure. Wim Hof, and the Wim Hof Method he coined, has caused a huge revitalisation of both breathing practices and cold water therapy and created a massive market for ice bath tubs for cold plunge at home and in gyms.
Brands like PlusLife have capitalised on the opportunity and offer a premium design with in-built cooling and filtration for a fresh ice bath ready to use at a minute's notice without the need to keep adding ice to your cold plunge, but read on to see if it’s worth the money.
PlusLife Specifications
The Plus Life Ice Bath offers both at-home and commercial options for cold plunge. How big and heavy is the PlusLife ice bath and will it even fit in your space? PlusLife is built in the following measurements and dimensions:
Ice Bath Dimensions: 174cm (L) x 79cm (W) x 58cm (H)
Chiller Dimensions: 42cm x 45cm x 42cm
The weight of the PlusLife Ice Bath varies on water level and it is also important to ensure the space that you are intending on installing your cold plunge can withstand the combined weight of the full ice bath tub and your body. As for weight, the PlusLife Ice Bath weighs 100kg with the chiller unit adding another the chiller weighs 10kgs. When the PlusLife Ice bath is filled with water it weighs about 450kg.
If you're setting up the cold plunge on somewhere like your deck, balcony, or floored space you will need to make sure it can support the weight of the PlusLife Ice Bath. The PlusLife Commercial Ice Bath for gyms and wellness spaces is slightly larger and can fit two people with legs interlocked.
PlusLife Commercial XL Model
Pluslife Commercial Ice Bath Tub
PlusLife has recently introduced a larger, commercial ice bath tub suited to ice baths for gyms or as an addition to your client offering at a wellness space.
The PlusLife Commercial XL variant is larger enough to fit two people side by side for a partner cold plunge session.
The PlusLife Commercial XL Ice Bath can be purchased in a cold only variant as well as a hot and cold model. The cold only commercial XL costs $9350 while the hot and cold variant costs $9850.
What is slightly different about the PlusLife commercial XL ice bath compared to the standard PlusLife Ice Bath is that the commercial one has all of its pipe work and chiller unit built into the external shell of the ice bath. This design not only looks better aesthetically, but has benefits for greater energy efficiency as heat or cold isn’t lost through exposed pipes. While the larger model PlusLife ice bath is purpose built for ice bath gyms and other commercial wellness businesses, there is nothing stopping you from buying the larger model for home.
Get the PlusLife Commercial XL Ice Bath
What Does the PlusLife Ice Bath Include?
When you buy the Plus Life Ice Bath online for slightly over $7000, you can have it delivered for free anywhere in Australia. This at-home cold plunge tub comes with some pretty epic features that make your cold water therapy regime a pretty sweet one.
As far as a features and extras list, here’s what you get when you buy a PlusLife Ice Bath:
The tub
An acrylic design that is simple and sleek to fit in any indoor or outdoor designed space. The all-weather design of the tub makes it super hardy and is a true plug-and-plunge ice bath system. The minimal, white design of the tub means that it suits most residential spaces for your own personal wellness setup and also caters to commercial gym spaces as an added offering to their clients/members.
Chiller unit
PlusLife chiller unit
The PlusLife Ice bath includes a powerful chiller unit that can get the water down to 2.5 degrees celsius which is the lowest minimum temperature we have come across for a commercial ice bath. The chiller unit can get a whole tub of fresh water straight from the garden hose chilled down to the icy temperature you desire for cold plunge in just a couple of hours.
Insulated cover
The insulated cold plunge cover is placed over the PlusLife Ice Bath to maintain the temperature when not in use and contributes to the energy efficiency of the cold plunge tub.
Filtration System
The PlusLife Ice Bath is fitted with UV particulate filtration and filters out any impurities before they enter the system. What this means, is that you can leave the same water in the ice bath for longer periods without having to worry about the water getting dirty. PlusLife states on their website that the filters included with the ice bath tub last up to 6 months. To get the most life out of the water and life out of the filter, always rinse off before entering the cold plunge and use a skimmer net to scoop out any dirt and grime that builds up in the tub.
Underwater LED Light
There is no doubt that cold plunge is a mental challenge so there is every reason to set the mood with some underwater LED lighting.The PlusLife LED light provides a cool well lit solution to doing ice baths in the evening or at night before bed.
Warranty
PlusLife offers a standard 12 month warranty and a 30 day money back guarantee on their Ice Bath systems with a 2% restocking fee charged on returns.
When you buy the PlusLife Ice bath there are also a whole bunch of after-care and maintenance products that you will want to consider buying to keep your ice bath running smoothly and clean for cold plunge whenever you need. It is really no different to looking after a pool, it needs regular cleaning and water quality checks particularly if you are planning on leaving the same water in the ice bath for long periods of time.
PlusLife Cost
The price of a PlusLife Ice Bath will not give you much spare change from $7500 for the standard version at an icy $7300 when you use code GURU at checkout.
Although the cost of a PlusLife Ice Bath seems extreme when compared to some other portable ice baths, you have to factor in the added cost to cool your ice bath with ice if you are buying a cold plunge tub with no built in chiller unit. While some people are content with converting a chest freezer to an ice bath, the PlusLife Ice Bath is a purpose built cold plunge tub which is much safer than a chest freezer conversion.
Considering the average ice bath tub for cold plunge requires about 200-500 litres of water to fill you are looking at anywhere from 3 to 6 bags of ice to chill your ice bath to the temperature that you want for the benefits of cold water immersion to be accessible. If each bag of ice costs $4-5 you are looking at a further $15-$24 in costs every time you want to do a cold plunge.
If you have a regular cold therapy practice and are doing cold plunge for recovery 3-4 times a week like the experts like Dr. Rhonda Patrick recommends, you could be trying to fork out another $60+ per week to maintain your cold plunge protocol. Over the course of a year you have almost paid the same amount in ice as you would have spent on a PlusLife Ice Bath which has its own chiller unit.
In the long run, the PlusLife Ice Bath is a far cheaper cold plunge practice if you are a regular ‘plunger’ as it costs roughly $1-2/day to keep your PlusLife Ice Bath running.
PlusLife Ice Bath vs Gym Membership
Similarly, if you compare the purchase of buying a PlusLife cold plunge tub to spending money on a weekly membership or casual visit of a wellness or recovery space that does cold plunge, if you are a regular ice bather then buying your own is a smart move. Let’s say your gym membership or wellness space pass costs you on average $50/week to do a few cold plunge sessions, in a little over a year you will have spent the same amount it would have cost to buy your own PlusLife Ice Bath for home that you can take as many cold plunges sessions as you like without having to book in.
PlusLife Ice Bath Review 2022
PlusLife Ice Bath review - cold plunge for home recovery
The PlusLife Ice Bath has filled a gap in the market for cold plunge tubs in Australia, after being created during the covid lockdowns when the founders struggled to find a suitable ice bath alternative for their at-home cold plunge sessions.
The PlusLife Ice Bath is for people who love cold plunge and are looking to ditch the added cost of buying ice for every ice bath session and have constant access to ice cold water without the hassle of inflating a tub or waiting to fill the cold plunge with water.
The PlusLife brand was born, building premium ice baths in Sydney that can be shipped to your door with no extra assembly required. PlusLife have created a more affordable cold plunge tub than what was previously on offer for Australian plungers.
At the time of writing this ice bath review, the Plus Life Ice Bath is on an 8 week turn around for delivery time once your order is placed. This seems like a while to wait but it is far shorter than what you would be looking at if you were to order the other ice bath tub options with a built-in chiller, like the Cold Plunge or the Blue Cube Hydro Healer, which both come from the US and would take significantly longer shipping time.
The unique design, price, energy efficiency, warranty, inclusions and reviews of the PlusLife make it not a question of is a PlusLife worth it, but, how long will it take you to save for a PlusLife tub? Let’s take plunge into why we love the PlusLife so much and consider it the best option for ice baths for sale in Australia right now.
PlusLife Setup
PlusLife Ice Bath can be set up indoors or outdoors
The PlusLife Ice Bath offers a Plug-and-Plunge setup for its Ice Bath tub and when it is shipped you can literally unbox it and plug it straight into the wall, fill it with water and turn on the chiller unit.
The PlusLife setup procedure is super simple and you can not go wrong:
While you wait for your PlusLife to arrive, choose your desired location in your house or gym for the cold plunge;
Unbox your PlusLife and plug it into a standard wall socket.
Fill your Plus Life up with a standard garden hose or any other means of getting normal tap water into the tub, no need for filtered water;
Set your temperature anywhere down to 2.5 degrees celsius and leave it overnight or through day to cool down the water and further filter out any impurities;
Set your timer and start your cold plunge protocol, maybe one of the protocols we mention later in this article.
When you are finished ice bathing, place the insulated cover back over the ice bath to keep the energy efficiency high and the water temperature low.
PlusLife Space
PlusLife is an ideal size for gyms and wellness spaces
The biggest issue with a large bathtub style ice bath for most people is finding space in the home. The PlusLife Ice Bath is roughly the same size as a standard residential bathtub and fits a 6ft human laying out inside it with head and neck exposed.
Is the PlusLife going to fit in your space? The most attractive part about the PlusLife is that it can be set up both inside and outside. If you have limited room inside your house for a cold plunge, you can leave it outside on a deck or grass area without a worry if that is the only space you have. All you require is access to a wall socket outside or you could always run an extension cord.
We recommend properly measuring your preferred space and comparing it to the measurements outlined in the product specifications of the ice bath. Also, try to choose a space that is reinforced and can withstand a lot of weight as the tub is super heavy when filled with water. The PlusLife weighs 150 lbs. empty and 1,000 lbs. full of water. If you're placing it on a deck or balcony, make sure it can support the weight.
The sizing and dimensions of the PlusLife can be seen on their website.
PlusLife Warranty
As we mentioned earlier on in our PlusLife Ice Bath review, the warranty offered as standard is 12 months. The PlusLife warranty covers repairs and faults for the chiller unit as well as design faults on the tub structure.
Some other similar cold plunge tubs brands offer an extended warranty for 3 or 5 years which we think is a good option to have when you are spending over $5000 on an ice bath, however one year is the longest warranty that is offered by PlusLife.
PlusLife Ice Bath Alternatives
Pluslife ice bath comparison table
PlusLife is pretty new to the cold plunge market and there are quite a few ice bath options out there that have come before them and had much popularity. We have touched on a few of the most popular quality ice bath tubs online in our article Best Ice Bath Tubs in 2022. In this article, we offer a good guide and review for a variety of cold plunge for different budgets, size requirements, portability needs, cooling method and design (upright or bathtub style).
Below is a brief outline of some of the PlusLife alternatives we have reviewed or are worth the money for an ice bath for recovery at home.
Ice Barrel
The Ice Barrel is the ultimate upright ice bath tub that is the most popular ice bath on Instagram and Tiktok and is widely used by at home plungers and sporting teams. Much cheaper than the PlusLife but somewhat of a ‘dumb’ ice bath meaning it is simply a large plastic barrel that you fill with ice and water. This is still a great product that we love, but the PlusLife has its own built-in chiller, filtration and lighting with icy water whenever you need it for recovery after training and whatever temperature you desire that makes it a premium experience to the Ice Barrel. The Ice Barrel requires regular water changes and cleaning to keep it ready to use for cold plunge and has added cost of buying ice for each use, the PlusLife does not.
The Plunge
The Cold Plunge is the closest alternative to the PlusLife Ice Bath and is almost identical in design, function and shape. is one of the most premium cold plunge tubs we have come across when reviewing cold plunge tubs for home. We came across The Plunge listening to Dr. Andrew Huberman talking about deliberate cold water exposure and the health benefits associated with it. He talks about some really good cold plunge protocols that you can use as a framework to build on your ice bathing practice in his podcast. The Plunge is an Acrylic tub that can be setup indoors or outdoors and includes its own chiller and particulate filtration system that allows you to have icy water ready for cold plunge whenever you need it. The Plunge is available in an XL size as well as the Pro version which includes hot and cold capability.
Recovery Guru Portable Ice Bath
Many people start with a cost effective, portable and inflatable ice bath tub like our very own cold plunge tub. We created this ice bath as a cheap and transportable option for cold plunge both at home and for taking away to sporting events and games for teams to recover post activity. It takes about 200L of water and requires about 4-6 bags of ice to get it to a cool 9-10 degrees which is where we love our cold plunge. Much cheaper to buy than the premium ice bath tubs, but comes at an added cost each use with ice and water.
Blue Cube Ice Bath
The Blue Cube is a super high priced ice bath tub that features some beautiful timber trimmings and is best for someone looking to create a luxury feel recovery space in their home, gym or wellness space. You won’t get much change from $15,000 from one of these, so unless you are very sure about your commitment to cold plunge you may find it more logical to start with something for less than half the price that does the same job like the PlusLife Ice Bath.
PlusLife vs. Cold Shower
Is a cold shower as good as an ice bath? If you are new to using cold water immersion as a therapy for recovery from exercise or training the mind with the discomfort of cold, then a cold shower is a fantastic place to begin. Not surprisingly, this is where most people start the cold plunge journey.
The good news is, if you’re not living in a tropical area where your tap water sits at a warm temperature, a cold shower will offer some benefit of cold plunge. As a rough guide, if it doesn’t take your breath away just a little bit, it’s not cold enough. If you are looking for the real deal and to get all of the potential out of ice baths, then look to progress your practice into proper icy water from.
A cold shower is a cheap way to start your cold plunge practice too, it costs nothing and also gives you the chance to cycle through hot and cold quite easily for some contrast therapy. Spending 2 minutes under a cold shower every morning for a month is a good chance to wake you up very quickly for one, and to build some tolerance before you move onto a proper ice bath.
After our experience with Wim Hof breathing and attending an ice bath workshop in Sydney, Australia this is when we felt the real potential of using an ice bath like PlusLife for cold therapy. You are floating on a whole new world after the mix of breathing, cold and movement.
Overall, cold showers are a starting point for an absolute beginner, but the PlusLife compared to cold showers is a whole different experience and benefits. Cold showers will give you about 59F (15C) of temperature whereas the PlusLife can get you down to 2.5 degrees celsius which is where the real gains are at for cold plunge benefits.
PlusLife FAQs
How cold does the PlusLife Ice Bath get?
The PlusLife minimum temperature is 2.5 degrees celsius. Once the min temperature is set, it is beneficial to make use of the insulated cover that comes with the PlusLife to maximise the energy efficiency of the ice bath and keep the temperature low without much work from the chiller unit, as well as helping keep debris and dirt out of the water if it is set up outside.
Is an ice bath better than a cold shower?
Short answer: yes. For the most benefits out of cold water therapy as possible, it is best to build up to using a temperature like the PlusLife can give you with its built in chiller unit. A cold shower is a great place to start for newbies, and the PlusLife or an ice bath chilled with ice bags is a good place to work towards.
How much is a PlusLife cold plunge tub?
The PlusLife Ice Bath will cost you $6200 when you use our code GURU, which includes free shipping within Australia. For ice bathers shopping from USA, it may be smarter to check out The Plunge which is the closest PlusLife alternative which ships free in the US and can get down to 3.8 degrees F.
The PlusLife Commercial XL ice bath will cost $9350 for the cold only version while the hot and cold version costs $9850.
How long should you ice bath for?
Cold water therapy is definitely not an exact science. The ideal amount of time to spend in an ice bath is dependent on your tolerance and the temperature of the cold plunge.
Most experts recommend spending at least two minutes in an ice bath to get any sort of benefit from cold water immersion. When we plunge, we usually try to get our cold plunge tub down to about 45F (7 degree celsius), give or take 2 or 3 degrees and accumulate about 10 minutes worth of time spent in the ice bath for each cold plunge session.
It is definitely recommended to individualise the amount of time in an ice bath and temperature used, and don’t be embarrassed to start with cold tap water or a cold shower. Two minute intervals exposing to the cold then warming up naturally or with a sauna, is a good recommended timeframe to work with as a cold plunge protocol. Work yourself up to colder temperatures and more time in the cold but be aware of your own body temperature and know that it is possible to get hypothermia from cold plunge if you don’t do it mindfully.
Is hot or cold better for recovery?
When conducting exercise recovery, it is important to know what you are recovering from, your recovery time frame and when you are next needing to be performance ready. Heated therapy like sauna and sauna blankets compared to cold therapy like ice baths and cryotherapy for recovery produces different physiological responses, although both can be good. When comparing sauna vs ice bath for recovery, it is important to understand what type of exercise you are recovering from, how long you have to recover and when do you next need to perform.
As a general rule of thumb, we tend to utilise cold plunge more around endurance based exercise, races, games and recovering from cardio style workouts but avoid ice baths around strength training as it can produce negative results and prolong recovery instead. Heated therapy we use more around both endurance and strength training, Crossfit workouts and olympic lifting days as the science suggests that heat therapy can be beneficial for improving restoration of muscle function, restricting muscle atrophy and decreasing soreness and swelling.
Although there is no clear science behind contrast therapy at this stage, we have also experienced some very beneficial results from combining the ice bath with sauna using 3-5 minutes of cold plunge with 5-10 minutes of sauna and notice marked improvements in sleep, reduced muscle fatigue and soreness, increased state of wellbeing and greater mental clarity.
Is ice bathing safe?
Exposing yourself to cold water should be done in a somewhat controlled environment and should never be done to the point of danger. Hypothermia is a very real risk of cold plunge and exposing the body to cold temperatures should be done in a mindful way. Always gradually condition yourself to ice bath and cold plunge within your limits. If ice bathing is done with a deliberate protocol that keeps your body within its physical limits of temperature regulation, ice baths can be very safe and attract many benefits as we have mentioned.
Exposing the body to any extreme temperature, whether it be from the cold of an ice bath or the heat of an infrared sauna, it can be dangerous if done in excess and if pushed too far. Certainly, if you are new to cold water exposure for recovery, we recommend making sure you are fit to do so by consulting a medical practitioner and always know your limits.
When doing an ice bath at home, we try to only do so with a partner and don’t push it to the level of hypothermia (extreme low core body temperature) that is characterised by uncontrollable shivering, fumbling hands, loss of dexterity, unsteady gait, slurred speech, confusion and drowsiness.
Final Word on PlusLife Ice Bath
The PlusLife Ice Bath definitely fills the gap in for people looking for a cold plunge Australia with its own chiller system for ready to go cold therapy for recovery. As you can see in this ice bath review, the PlusLife stacks up pretty well in price compared to some of the other cold plunge tubs like The Plunge and Blue Cube, especially if you are an Australian customer. It can be hard to justify dropping thousands of dollars on a cold plunge tub but in the long run, The PlusLife Ice Bath works out a cheaper ice bath setup than having to buy your ice to cool your cold plunge for each session.
Cold plunge is a practice that holds solid weight as a recovery practice and if you haven’t been incorporating it yet, we recommend the PlusLife Ice Bath to kick off the habit as you can adjust the temperature to a suitable level for your personal cold tolerance and slowly reduce the temperature. Sure, start with cold showers but definitely consider progressing to a self-chilling cold plunge tub like The PlusLife Ice Bath to start experiencing the true benefits of cold water exposure that will have you recovering from training faster, sleeping better, increasing pain tolerance, reducing body fat, increasing mood and developing mental resilience.
The PlusLife is a relatively new cold plunge tub brand but as you will see it is extremely well designed and engineered and is ideal for both at-home use or for commercial spaces like gyms and fitness clubs. A positive of spending a large amount of money on these things is that we always find that when we financially commit to something we always end up using it a whole lot more to make the most of it!