When people start ice baths at home, they almost always begin with ice. It makes sense: no investment, you try it, you see if you like it. Then comes the moment you start wondering about a chiller. Here's what you need to decide, with the numbers to back it up.
How much ice do you really need?
Let's do the maths for a bath of around 300 litres filled with water at 20 °C that you want to bring down to 8 °C. You need to remove a little over 15,000 kilojoules of energy from the water. Each kilo of melting ice absorbs around 370 to 400. The result: you need between 35 and 45 kg of ice for a single cool-down, or a good ten bags.
And that's just the start. Once the ice has melted, the water warms up from the air and from your body. In summer it can climb several degrees in a few hours. If you want an 8 °C bath every day, you have to start again every day, or close to it.
Ice: who is it right for?
Ice remains a good option if you take a bath now and then, if you live somewhere the tap water already runs cool for much of the year, or if you simply want to try the practice before investing. A well-insulated bath with a lid will help you keep the cold longer.
The limits show up quickly once it becomes a habit: trips to buy ice, a freezer that's always full, a temperature that varies from one session to the next and water you have to change often.
The chiller: what it changes day to day
A chiller connects to your bath and circulates the water to hold it at the temperature you've chosen. Set 6 °C and you get 6 °C, Monday or Sunday, July or January. Our models cover a range from 0 to 42 °C, so you can also heat the water for a warm bath.
The other, less obvious advantage is consistency. A stable temperature makes your sessions comparable, which helps you progress and work out what works for you. And water that circulates constantly stays cleaner than standing water.
Which chiller for which use?
For a single bath used once a day, the Chiller Lite is enough in most cases. If several people use the same bath during the day, or you want to cool down faster, the Pro Chiller (1 or 1.5 HP) takes over. For large volumes, gyms and clubs that rotate athletes through, the Master Chiller (1.5 or 2 HP) is built for the job.
Rather not manage two separate units? Some baths have the chiller built in, like the Acrylic Step or the All in One hot and cold bath. You'll find them in our ice baths collection.
So, ice or chiller?
If you do less than one session a week, start with ice and a well-insulated bath. Once you go past two or three sessions a week, or you share your bath with others, a chiller quickly becomes a must: fewer hassles, water that's always ready, and no more sessions skipped for lack of ice.
Still unsure which model fits your bath? Send us its dimensions on WhatsApp and we'll tell you which one to get.
