The Essential Beginners Guide to Cold Plunges
Beginners Guide to Cold Plunges (everything you need to know to get started)
Read time: 4 minutes
Coming up: temperatures, timings, learning to breathe, useful life hacks, big buckets of ice, a famous crazy Dutch man, and the Sauna n Plunge beginners guide to everything you need to know about cold plunges!
You’ve seen plunge pools.
You’ve heard some benefits of cold water dips.
You also probably know about the legendary Wim Hof.
… and you want to get involved.
But: what exactly is a cold plunge? And what temperature should I be plunging into? How do I find somewhere to do it? What’s this I’ve heard about breathing techniques? And am I gonna die from hypothermia?!
Coming up, all that and more: here’s the Sauna n Plunge beginners guide to cold plunges!
What is a cold plunge?
A cold plunge is where you dip all of (or some of) your body into cold water. Simple.
This cold water is usually:
- Seawater
- A natural lake or river
- Ice water in a manmade tub
- Or in a venue specializing in cold-water immersion
Regardless of the location, the cold water is usually between 10°C and 15°C (that’s between 50°F and 59°F, for my fellow Americans).
Benefits of cold plunging include:
- A big ol’ boost for mood and mental resilience
- Improved circulation and heart health
- Improved exercise recovery
- Improved immune function
- Increased dopamine
- Fat loss
Home cold plunge vs commercial cold plunge: your options
To plunge at home, you of course have many options. You could:
- Use your bathtub or a bucket, filled with ice and water.
- Buy a plunge pool from Amazon—basic ones cost $25USD, while the most expensive are thousands of dollars.
- Make your own plunge pool. To get some help, you can ask an expert—like me!
But to go natural, you can head outside. For example, I’ve plunged in oceans, lakes, waterfalls and rivers.
Or, to find a venue*, search online for “cold plunge near me,” or “ice bath near me.” Or, instead, head to our database, where we’ve listed many of the planet’s plunges (and we’re adding more every day!).
*Note: some commercial venues offer various plunge pools with various temperatures. Some only have one pool. Some offer health-boosting ‘contrast therapy,’ with both plunge pools AND saunas.
Life hack: start with cold showers
Obviously, plunge pools are cold (duh!).
… but if you’re a newbie, you’ll be surprised by just how cold they are.
So, for this reason, I recommend starting with cold showers. Hop in a warm shower, gradually reduce the water temperature, then stand in the water for a couple minutes. Next time, try three or four minutes.
When you’re relatively comfortable with a cold shower (you’ll never be fully comfortable; neither am I!), it’s then time to move on…
Choosing your plunge water temperature
Just like with cold showers, you should gradually decrease your plunge pool temperature
So, start on the warmer end of the spectrum (around 15°C/59°F)…
… and over time, work your way down to 10°C/50°F (or even lower!)
Whether you’re plunging indoors or outdoors, a good thermometer is all you need to check the water temperature. If you’re heading to a venue, they should have their temperature(s) displayed.
Breathing techniques
When you dip into cold water, your brain and body might go into slight panic mode.
Panic mode means: irregular breathing.
… and irregular breathing leads to more panic.
So, you should use some breathing exercises. These can prep your brain and your body for the intensity of the cold water, and give you a useful distraction. My favorites include:
- 4-7-8: breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, breathe out for 8 seconds. Then keep repeating this cycle.
- The Wim Hof Method: obviously named after the ice-loving man of the same name, this technique involves intentional sort-of hyperventilation.
- Box breathing: inhale for 4 seconds. Hold four 4 seconds. Exhale for 4 seconds. Hold 4 four seconds. Then keep repeating the cycle.
For more, here’s our guide to overcoming the initial shock of a cold plunge.
How long to stay in a cold plunge
As you’ve probably worked out by now, cold plunging involves lots of gradual immersion (figuratively AND literally).
So: when you first start, stay in the cold plunge for only 30-60 seconds.
When you’ve built up your tolerance and experience, you then might stretch your stints to 5-10 minutes.
What to do after your cold plunge
- Keep focusing on your breathing: with controlled intentional breaths
- Sip on something warm, to increase your inner temperature
- Get out slowly: if you jump out quickly, you might get dizzy
- Dry off quickly, and put on a couple of warm layers
You don’t want your body to be too cold for too long—so these habits will safely rewarm you.
Finding some cold-plunge community
I love cold plunges, for loads of reasons.
But even I think perpetual solo plunging can be a bit bleak.
So, you have three options:
- Find a partner: for example a friend, someone you work out with, or even your actual partner.
- Find a group: in some sunny cities, you’ll find groups who meet weekly or monthly to plunge together. But without having plunged before, this can be hard to find.
- Use our directory to find a venue: if you find a venue with regulars (which many of these venues have), you’ll quickly and easily build a cold-loving community.
How often should I plunge?
It’s up to you!
Some people plunge once a week, but some people plunge twice a day.
Personally, if I have easy access to cold water, I plunge every day. If I don’t have easy access, I make sure I get at least 11 minutes per week.
For newbies, I recommend plunging 2 or 3 times a week.
Everything you need to know about cold plunges: final thoughts
And we’re done!—that’s everything you need to know about cold plunges!
For more, here’s our guide to the top 10 most common cold plunge questions.
… and to learn how high temperatures can also improve your health, here’s the science behind the benefits of saunas.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for visiting Sauna n Plunge. Stay chilly!
