This is up for debate. An ice bath usually involves sitting down in a body of cold (approximately 3-10 degrees) water for 3 to 5 minutes. A cold plunge involves standing up in a body of cold water (about 3-10 degrees) for around one minute. 

Some people prefer sitting down because it helps reduce the stress on their back and legs while sitting in a pool of cold water is more comfortable than standing with your feet on the ground. Some people prefer standing because it’s easier to engage your muscles.

This is up to you. Some people prefer taking an ice bath daily, while others prefer taking an ice bath 3-5 times a week.If you’re trying to reduce the effects of DOMS, relieve anxiety or depression, increase energy expenditure and alertness, or gain muscle, then you should take an ice bath once a week. 

If you’re trying to reduce soreness and improve recovery, then you should take an ice bath once every two weeks. If you’re trying to increase pain tolerance, then you should take an ice bath three times a week.

Some people prefer taking an ice bath immediately following a workout while some people prefer taking an ice bath on the days they don’t workout.

With the influx of popular public figures such as Joe Rogan, Tony Hawk, Tony Robbins, Tom Brady and many more star athletes and personalities taking to social media, there is no surprise that it’s easier to try Ice Baths in Australia more than Ever.

Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and the Gold Coast have all seen a rapid number of Wellness Studios which have either Ice baths or Cryotherapy on offer for people to simply to walk in and try.

If you are located in any of the popular metro areas, particularly Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth we would recommend you try one in person to experience the benefits first hand.

The best time to take an ice bath is after a tough workout or, in the evening, or before bed. If you exercise in the morning, try taking an ice bath at night or after your workout. Choose whatever time of day works best for you.

First, fill up a bathtub halfway with cold water. Then go ahead and slowly lower yourself into the water. This part can be a little tough, but just go slow, and it’ll be alright. After 4 to 10 minutes in the bathtub, get out and dry off. The most important thing with this process is to stay hydrated. You can expect to lose about 1 litre of fluid per 10 minutes in the bathtub.

You can take a cold plunge as well. A cold plunge is similar to an ice bath, except it typically lasts longer. Also, the water is typically colder and deeper than it would be for an ice bath. The process begins the same: fill up a bathtub halfway with cold water but continue to fill it with cold water until the bathtub is full. Soak in this for about 5-10 minutes, then get out and dry off.

After this, it’s highly recommended that you do something physical for five to ten minutes (run up and down your stairs or do jumping jacks or something like that). Why is this? Well, it turns out that the benefits of cold water immersion and cold plunge are most evident after this short period of active recovery.

You can use an ice bath or cold plunge as a substitute for active recovery by doing the same thing after your shower – run up and down your stairs or do jumping jacks for 5-10 minutes, then dry off.

Well, you could, but then you wouldn’t get the benefits of cold water immersion. An ice bath or plunge will cool your core temperature, but taking a cold shower won’t do the same. The key to maximizing the benefits of cold water immersion is to cool your core temperature.

Normally, your body regulates its core temperature by constricting or dilating blood vessels near the surface of the skin. When these blood vessels dilate, more blood flows to these areas, and you feel cold. When your body needs to keep your core temperature elevated, it will constrict the blood vessels near the surface of your skin and trap heat.

This is why you feel hot after exercising. When you take an ice bath or cold plunge, your body needs to constrict blood vessels near the surface of your skin to keep your body temperature elevated. This is like a mild form of vasoconstriction. This is the process by which your blood vessels constrict and reduce blood flow.

It’s also one of the ways your body can increase energy expenditure (the number of calories you burn) via something called the thermic effect of activity. Like I said, taking an ice bath or cold plunge is like a mild form of vasoconstriction. Vasoconstriction is a way that your body can increase energy expenditure and thus burn more fat.

Well, this is a great question. Some people believe that the primary benefit of taking an ice bath or cold plunge after a workout is not related to fat burning but rather by decreasing inflammation in your muscles. The theory is that cold water immersion reduces the level of metabolites – products of metabolic reactions in your body – in your muscles. The increased level of metabolites is believed to cause an increase in the permeability of your cell membranes, allowing more metabolites to leave your muscles.

The increased level of metabolites also causes the release of some potentially harmful substances called cytokines, produced by our white blood cells in response to inflammation. This is believed to be one of the leading causes of muscle soreness, and when you take an ice bath, you’re reducing inflammation and thus relieving muscle soreness.

To summarize, cold water immersion reduces the level of metabolites in muscles, reducing the permeability of muscle cells and reducing the release of cytokines, resulting in faster recovery. All this makes you feel better and allows you to exercise harder and more frequently.

Portable or Inflatable Ice Baths are generally available as a budget option or Premium option. The budget options are usually less than $100 and are a great way to dip your feet in the water with cold plunging.

However, if you are keen for an ice bath which you can move around when you travel, or take between travel locations, then a premium portable ice bath would be worth considering.

The biggest difference is that the premium portable ice baths include a chiller and filtration system, so that you don’t need to buy ice bags or worry about water cleanliness.