How to Set Up Your Ice Bath: Lid, Pump, Drain and Storage

What the kit contains and what each part does

The supplier's box contains the round, black, foldable tub with its six support tubes, an insulated lid, a thermal dust cover, a cushion you fill with water, a manual air pump, a drain hose, a 1/2-inch drain valve, two repair patches, two seals, a zippered 210D nylon carry bag and an instruction sheet. The tub measures 33.5 in (85 cm) across and 29.5 in (75 cm) tall on the outside, and 31.1 by 26.8 in (79 by 68 cm) on the inside, for 87 gallons and 8.4 lb empty. Its wall has three layers: PVC on the inside, pearl foam lined with aluminum in the middle, and PVC-coated nylon on the outside.

The kit is exactly this box, and a few parts are easy to overlook. The thermal dust cover goes over the insulated lid between sessions and keeps dust and leaves out of the water. The water-filled cushion sits on the bottom so you can sit with your back straight. The two repair patches are for a small puncture in the wall or the top ring: keep them with the two seals and the instruction sheet, so everything is at hand.

Setting up the tub step by step

One person can set it up with no tools, but everything depends on what you decide before filling: once full, the tub holds about 730 lb of water, plus the weight of the person, and it will not move anymore. Choose a floor that is level, stable and able to carry that load. On a balcony or an upper floor, ask your landlord, building manager or HOA what load is allowed. Think about draining too: place the tub near a drain, in a shower or outdoors.

Unpack the parts and keep them within reach. The support tubes, 0.8 in in diameter, slide into the vertical sleeves in the wall: check that each one is in place along its full height before filling. Only the top ring inflates, using the manual pump included: it forms the rim of the tub and serves as a neck rest. The tub itself unfolds; it does not inflate.

• Clear a flat, clean, stable spot where you want the tub.
• Unfold the tub there, with the opening facing up.
• Slide the six support tubes into their sleeves.
• Fit the valve on the side drain hose and check that the bottom plug is firmly closed.
• Inflate the top ring with the manual pump.
• Fill the cushion with water and set it on the bottom: you sit on it, back straight, knees bent.
• Fill the tub, then close the lid.

The 24-hour leak test on delivery

Leaks are the issue most often mentioned in public reviews of this type of tub, either at the bottom or around the support tubes. The best time to spot them is the day the tub arrives, before your first real session. Set up the tub in its final spot, or outdoors on dry ground, then fill it as you would for a session, so the bottom and the wall around the tubes are under load. Close the lid and wait 24 hours without touching it.

The next day, look at the floor all around the tub, feel the bottom of the wall and run your hand along each tube sleeve. A damp spot, a drop at the foot of a tube or a water level that has clearly gone down signals a leak. If you find one on delivery, email us photos of the spot and the water level: the shop offers an exchange.

Patching a small puncture

Two repair patches come in the box. They work for a small puncture in the wall or the top ring; for more serious damage found on delivery, ask for an exchange instead. Start by locating the leak: on a full tub, it is often where the floor stays damp, and on the ring, it is the area that goes soft. Then drain the tub below the level of the hole, or completely if the puncture is in the bottom, before preparing the repair.

The repair takes three steps: dry the area completely, clean it to remove dust and marks, then apply the patch, pressing firmly from the center out to the edges. No drying time is given: leave the tub empty for a while, then refill it partway and check that the spot no longer seeps before going back to your cold plunges.

Draining the tub without flooding the room

The tub has two drains. The side hose, fitted with its valve, sends the water to a drain, a lawn or a yard drain, and the valve shuts off the flow at any time. The bottom plug is pulled out over a floor drain: it suits a tub set up in a shower, on a patio with a drain grate or outdoors. Before opening anything, check where the water will go: a badly placed drain is what floods a room.

Never tip the full tub to empty it: the support tubes can slip when you tilt it, and the water then rushes out all at once. Let the water run out completely through the side hose or the bottom plug. If a little water remains, remove it with a bucket or a sponge, then leave the tub open so it starts to dry.

Cleaning, drying and storing the tub

The supplier's instructions recommend changing the water every 10 to 15 days. Between plunges, keep the lid closed: it keeps leaves and dust out of the water, and in summer, together with shade, it helps the water stay cool, though not as well as a tub with a chiller. Keeping the lid closed when not in use is also a safety rule: the tub is off-limits to children, it must be emptied when no one is watching it, and a child should never be near it without an adult. In winter, do not let the water freeze in the tub.

To store it, drain the tub, rinse it and let everything air-dry: never fold a damp tub. Remove the tubes, deflate the ring, fold the wall and pack everything into the 29.5 x 17.3 in zippered bag. The Ice Bath Tub shop sells this tub as a complete kit (what's in the box: the tub and its 6 tubes, lid, dust cover, pump, cushion, drain, patches and carry bag), shipped free from stock in your region.