How long should a first session be?
The answer fits in one cautious figure: 1 to 2 minutes. Get into the water gradually, then sit on the water cushion with your back straight and your knees bent, the water up to your shoulders depending on your height. Breathe calmly and keep your head above the water for the whole session. Someone attentive stays beside you from start to finish. If you feel dizzy, have chest pain, go numb or start shivering uncontrollably, get out straight away, even if the first minute is not up. A good first session is short and never unaccompanied.
Why so much caution? According to the RNLI, the UK's sea rescue organisation, cold water shock can happen in water at 15 °C or below: it takes your breath away, with uncontrolled gasping, and makes the heart beat faster. The temperatures often quoted for an ice bath sit at around 10 to 15 °C. That is a concrete reason to get in slowly, to start with less cold water and a short session, and never to be on your own.
Lengthening the time over the weeks
Once your first sessions have passed without discomfort, the time can be lengthened very gradually. The simplest method is to change only one thing at a time: a little more time, or slightly colder water, never both on the same day. At each session, write down the water temperature you measured and the minutes you spent in the water, then read your notes back from one week to the next. This log describes your own practice: there is no level to reach, no duration to hit and no result to expect.
Some sessions will be shorter than the one before: that is not a failure, because how it feels varies from day to day. If in doubt, go back to 1 to 2 minutes. The rule for getting out stays the same whatever time you have already reached: at the slightest sign of feeling unwell, you get out, and the person with you stays until the very end.
| Week | Water temperature noted | Minutes noted |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Measure before getting in | Example: 1 to 2 min |
| Week 2 | Measure before getting in | Example: 1 to 2 min, or less |
| Week 3 | Measure before getting in | Write it down, no target set |
| Week 4 | Measure before getting in | Write it down, no duration to aim for |
| Following weeks | Measure, one change at a time | Write it down, back to 1 to 2 min if in doubt |
How often should you take an ice bath?
No frequency is recommended here as better than another. Some people like a session at a fixed time, others prefer an ice bath now and then, when they feel like it and their diary allows. The rhythm is a matter of your routine and your comfort, not a set timetable, and it can change with the seasons or from one week to the next. The useful benchmark is a practical one: a frequency that always leaves you someone free to stay by the tub, time to warm up afterwards and time to look after the water without rushing.
Frequency has a practical side too. The supplier's text advises changing the water every 10 to 15 days, and the tub must be dry before it is folded away. Between sessions, the lid stays closed, which also keeps leaves and dust out of the water. If you add ice, do it just before your bath. For any health question about how often to take an ice bath, a doctor is the person to ask.
What time of day, before or after exercise?
Morning or evening, before or after a workout: it is a question of how you organise your day, and no effect is promised or compared from one moment to another. The right criteria are concrete ones. Can someone stay beside you for the whole session? Do you have time to dry off and dress warmly straight afterwards? Is the tub standing on flat, load-bearing ground, somewhere you can empty it without flooding the room? If the answer to all three is yes, the time of day is yours to choose.
After training, many people make the ice bath one step in their routine, much like a shower. Many people say they like the feeling of freshness, but choosing the time remains a matter of your diary. In summer, the water warms up over the course of the day: keeping the lid closed, the tub in the shade and adding ice just before the bath all help to keep it cold.
Warming up after an ice bath
Getting out deserves as much attention as getting in. Before you even get in, put a towel and dry clothes within reach, next to the tub rather than back in the house. Get out slowly, without sudden movements, stepping onto dry ground, then dry yourself completely. Put on several warm layers, a hat and socks, and move gently: walk a few steps, move your arms, stay active without effort or hurry. The person with you stays there while you get dressed.
As for the tub, close the lid as soon as you are out: when it is not in use, the tub stays covered, and it is emptied whenever nobody is there to watch it. To empty it, use the side drain hose with its valve or the bottom plug, outside, in a shower or over a drain. Never tip it over when it is full: the support tubes could slip.
Who should see a doctor first, and the safety rules
Before a first ice bath, see a doctor if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, a heart rhythm disorder, a circulatory disorder (including Raynaud's syndrome), diabetes or epilepsy, if you are pregnant or if you are taking medication. This guide gives no medical opinion: it describes a practice and its rules. Questions of duration, frequency or temperature that concern your health are for a doctor, not a shop. The rules below apply to every session, the first as much as the hundredth.
Place the tub on flat, load-bearing ground: when full it holds about 330 kg of water, plus the person; on a balcony or in an upstairs flat, ask the managing agent or your landlord what load is allowed. If you are looking for a tub to start your log, Ice Bath Tub sells a single round, foldable, insulated tub with a lid, as a complete kit (the contents of the box: the tub and its 6 tubes, lid, dust cover, pump, cushion, drain, repair patches and carry bag), delivered free from stock held in the UK.
- Never alone: someone present and attentive close by.
- No alcohol, drugs or medication that makes you drowsy before or during the bath.
- Get in gradually, breathe calmly, start with 1 to 2 minutes and keep your head above the water.
- Get out straight away if you feel dizzy, have chest pain, go numb or shiver uncontrollably.
- Not for children: lid closed when not in use, tub emptied when nobody is watching it, and never a child nearby without an adult.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 10-minute session too long?
This guide sets no maximum and promises nothing for any given duration. It recommends starting short, with 1 to 2 minutes, then lengthening very gradually. Whatever time you reach, the rule does not change: you get out at the first sign of feeling unwell, whether that is dizziness, numbness or uncontrollable shivering. For a health question about duration, ask a doctor.
Can you take an ice bath every day?
No frequency is recommended here, daily or weekly. How often depends on your routine and how you organise things: someone free to stay beside you, time to warm up afterwards, and looking after the water. If your question concerns your health, for example one of the situations listed above, a doctor can answer it, not this guide.
Should you time your session?
Yes, it is the simplest way to know how long you have really spent in the water. Put a timer or your phone out of the water where you can see it, or leave the timing to the person staying beside you, since you never take an ice bath alone. The timer is not a record to beat: it is there to fill in your log, and you get out at the first sign of feeling unwell.
Sources
- RNLI, Cold water shock
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), In-Home Drowning Safety Information Center
Our guides are based on the supplier's product listing and public documentation. We have not tested the tub ourselves.
