The Ice Pod — An Affordable Entry Into Cold Water Therapy

Like many, I first became interested in cold therapy after hearing about the science-backed benefits from the Huberman Lab podcast.

Since then, I've been on a little journey trying to find the best ice bath on the market. Some might call it obsessive, but at this point I've tried most major players in the market, and finally got around to trying the Ice Pod as well.

This is the fourth cold plunge product I've tried in the last 6 months, and I've got to say, I think the Ice Pod is my favorite at this price point. Let's get into it.

The benefits of cold water therapy

If you're looking for a deep dive into all the benefits, I'd highly recommend watching this episode of the Huberman podcast, where he goes into all the nerdy little details:

If you don't have 2 hours to spare watching that interview, I've also put together the benefits (including links to various studies) in my Plunge ice bath review.

At a high level, it'll help reduce inflammation of the joints, boost various parts of your immune health, kickstart your metabolism, and combat depression.

Not bad, right?

An elevated design

At the end of the day, most of these products are going to be somewhat similar. You fill it with ice, top it up with water, then drop your poor body into the thing and hate every second of it (until you get used to it, of course).

The Ice Pod has a few defining characteristics that I would like to call out that sets it a little bit apart from the competition.

First, it's a little bit wider than the Nurecover that I've been used to, which is pretty nice as someone that's 6'4".

The design is pretty similar otherwise, featuring a big black plastic basin that holds up to 300L of water.

The most significant difference that I've noticed compared to the others that I've tried, are the free-standing legs that give the unit a bit more of a sturdy foothold. For example, my backyard is on a bit of an angle, so the posts on the base dig into the ground a bit, giving it a bit more of a secure feel compared to the Nurecover for example.

It's also pretty portable, weighing only 7lbs, so if you do decide you need to haul it from the inside of your place to the outside, it's not going to be a big pain.

Extra features

The Ice Pod also includes a waterproof cover, which is pretty handy if you want to conserve water and just seal the whole thing for the next day when you're taking your next plunge.

Without the cover, you'll probably end up with some nasty bugs and debris, which isn't the greatest when you're jumping into in the morning.

They do have a chiller available if you want to spend some extra money (around a grand), which should help with the pain of constantly having to restock ice every time you want to use it.

Should you get the Standard or the Pro 2.0 Icepod?

They market the difference between these two units as one for regular people like me, and one for "pro athletes". As I'm looking through the differences, the only thing that stands out to me is the double thickness of the pro version, which personally, I don't really care too much about.

Ice bath treatment typically only lasts for 10-15 minutes, so is double insulation really going to benefit you during that time? I doubt it.

Ice Pod alternatives

As I mentioned earlier, I've had the opportunity to try out a few of these ice bath products. Here are my recommendations based on what I've tried so far and who they would best be suited for.

Plunge Ice Bath

This thing is beautiful, but boy, it ain't cheap. While you typically see the small barrel designs like the Ice Pod, the Plunge Ice Bath has a full on bathtub aesthetic, making it great for those with the room (and budget) in their environment. If you're looking to pick up some Ice Baths in a commercial space, these might be one of the best options on the market.

Nurecover Ice Bath

The Nurecover was my go-to affordable ice bath that got me into this whole thing.

Its cheap, lightweight, and I recommend it to everyone.

I prefer the Ice Pod because of the size, and the base feels better suited for the slight incline that I use it on though.

Lumi Therapy

The Lumi Therapy Ice Bath is good in that it's also affordable, but has a few other options that get it close to the functionality of the Plunge Ice bath, without the huge cost.

The materials feel a bit cheaper out of the three listed here, but I haven't had any issues with it yet.

Ice Pod coupon codes

Since my life has apparently taken a turn to be reviewing ice baths, Ice Pod has in return offered $10 off to anyone that wants to purchase one by using this link.

Summary

I'm a skeptic at heart, but after seeing all the studies around the benefits of cold therapy, it's hard for me to not want to dive in (no pun instead) to start getting all of those benefits.

At the end of the day, it's a big plastic bin that you put water and ice into, so I wouldn't overthink this one too much.

If you're someone that's seen the benefits and think it would help you out, the Ice Pod is an affordable product to try for your first dip.