THE 5 BEST ICE BATHS TO BUY FOR YOUR OWN HOME.
“Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change”
“Why am I doing this?” The subconscious ponders in resentment….
*Ice bag rips, GLONK GLONK GLONK* “Let’s have it then” the boys spring into action after realising there’s no backing out now.
“3,2,1 Okay bro you’ve got 15 seconds to get in the barrel, your time starts now.”
*Reluctantly steps up, takes a deep breath and lowers on the exhale. *
The birds are tweeting, as you close your eyes you almost see the waves of electromagnetic frequency bouncing in stimulation.
“SHARP INHALE, LOOOOOONG EXHALE. AGAIN.
SHARP INHALE, LOOOOOONG EXHALE.
GOOD WORK BROTHER, 2 MINUTES TO GO”.
*Generic iPhone timer alarms*
JHEEEEEEEZE the warrior escapes, asking his companion to check the barrel to see if his peckers left inside.
With the recent exposure of Cold-Water Therapy and what it can do for your mental and physical well-being, it’s no wonder that everyone has been going crazy to acquire one within their own home.
Wim Hof brought the world to its freeze (pardon the pun) with his method that incorporated breath-work & CWT. The benefits of what it can do for you are endless, and it seemed to come around at a great time of need during the lockdowns and restrictions that engulfed our society through the pandemic.
Zenful Men have advocated the practice since we started nearly 2 years ago, simply because it was instrumental into dragging myself, Sam Neath out of depression when it was rife. I was always the typical kind of English lad that was chasing pleasure, usually in the form of alcohol, drugs & partying.
Once I realised that these habits could be swapped for something much more fulfilling – like meditating in a barrel of ice for 5 minutes, I was inspired. So, I swapped the anxiety fuelled Sundays scrolling tinder needlessly, eating junk food and convincing myself that the hair of the dog would be a good idea. To the Ice bath; releasing 250-300% more dopamine, lowering my heart rate by 20-30 BPM 24 hours a day, gaining a grip on my procrastination to life and ultimately building a level of discipline that I never thought was possible.
Fast forward 2 years and this practice is what I like to call “going to church”. I’d be absolutely lost without it! We’ve hosted cold water workshops for the likes of global brand Gymshark (where we raised £10,000 for charity!), Tribal Hearts Festival and Secret Garden Party. And I’ve paid homage to the method through Zenful Men by regularly hosting wild swims, assisted dips in the barrel and even facilitating our very own program to help people take on CWT with confidence and reap all the benefits that it can bring.
So, whilst we could not agree more that having a station within your own home would be beneficial to keep consistent – we also understand that there is a lot of noise on the internet. The options are endless depending on your budget, time for maintenance or the aesthetic you are after.
As these Ice baths differ in price and experience, they are not named in order of competence, but instead we have given the best from each option we believe is available.
5. Ice Bath Co
We teamed up with these guys at the Gymshark workshop. An amazing man called Luke is in charge and these tubs are manufactured with excellence and care, they can incorporate temperature controllers, filters and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. As expected they are among the premium range, but not extortionate when taking into account ease of maintenance and not having to go out and buy ice every time.
Website: https://theicebath.co
PRICE: £995-£6,795
ADVANTAGES.
• Filter can be purchased as an upgrade, so that it’s hassle free
• Temperature controller also available for an upgrade
• Aesthetically good looking
• Easy maintenance
• Hand made in the U.K.
• Different sizes and models available
• Installation available
DISADVANTAGES.
• Top end of our selection (expensive), but with value
• If you don’t buy the temperature control kit upon installation – it cannot be added at a later date.
4. LUMI Recovery Pod
The best portable pod we have been able to find. Lumi do a range of health and wellness products that are backed with great quality which for some people this is great if you’re constantly on the move and are a beginner to the ice bath community.
Website: https://lumitherapy.co.uk
Price £125-£3795 . You’ll be paying minimum £2895 for a bath that contains a temperature control kit (the skinny dipper)
ADVANTAGES:
• Portable to take anywhere you want!
• Comfortable design
• Cover both low-end option and premium which includes filter & temperature controller
• Plenty of good reviews
• Currently on offer for £95 (29/11/22)
DISADVANTAGES:
• If not looked after can quickly become a deflated
balloon at the bottom of the garden
• Only 2 options
• Once its ripped – it’s done
3. Urban Ice Gear
Another different product available here, Urban Ice Gear also sell the pod, but we were specifically interested in their metal freestanding baths. We absolutely love the aesthetic and value for money, and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You see these baths being used a lot by the ICEMAN, and there’s something spectacular about a galvanised steel container brimming with sparkly cubes of doom.
Price: £290- £1275 (pop up for £99)
Website: https://urbanicetribe.com
ADVANTAGES.
• Easily maintained to keep clean
• Aesthetic is very unique
• Semi portable, not as easy as the pod however light when not full of water
• Long lasting & good value
DISADVANTAGES.
• Not as comfortable as an upright position
• Metal conducts the cold
2. Custom Ice Barrell
Whether you’re buying one yourself and have the time to convert it, or you want the Zenny boys to come over and fit one for you, this is a very adaptable, beautiful bit of kit to have in the garden. We customise the colour to your specific tastes - and even fit a seat tailored to your height! The maintenance can be a pain in the backside, however we fit a tap which allows you to refill and empty after a few uses, and a step to help you climb in!
For us, the rustic experience of sitting in a beautiful Oak barrel with hint of bourbon, filled with water and ice is one that’s hard to compare, it’s not perfect, and its not always easy but damn it’s a rewarding bit of kit. It reminds me of a old combustion engine made in the 70’s, you never quite know which version of herself you’re going to find when you wake up.
Buy now at www.zenfulmen.com
info@zenfulmen.com
Price £300-£400
ADVANTAGES.
• Aesthetically beautiful & rustic
• Upright position helps with the practice of CWT
• Adaptable because it’s created with wood, can install an array of taps/plugs/filters/temp controllers
• Great value for money
• Sustainably friendly
• Installation available
• U.K made
Disadvantages
• Hard to set up if you’re doing it yourself
• Hard to maintain cleanliness if precautionary steps have not been taken.
• Very heavy
• Can smell of remnants of alcohol for a while! (Potentially an advantage depending on personal taste)
1. The bath at home!
Obviously, most of us have a bath at home, and it seems silly to not mention the fact that this is an option. So here we are, reminding you that there’s potentially an empty vessel in your bathroom.
Feel free to head to Aldi, buy some ice and do it the original way that most would snub their noses at! Not us. We’re council housed boys through and through and take our hats off to anybody that will brave the bathtub
Price: Absolutely f*ck all
Website: Shutupyoudonut.com
ADVANTAGES:
• FREE!
DISADVANTAGES:
• Indoors
• Uncomfortable
• Not great in a hectic house
• Hard to submerge the upper shoulders and knees
Whatever route you decide to go down in regard to CWT, its important to remember to be safe and controlled. Build exposure in the shower until you are at 2 minutes comfortably, and then start your ice baths around 10-12 degrees and slowly lower the temperature.
Also ensure you have been practising the dynamic breath-work exercises which primes your body for the experience, and allow you to practice deep breathing which helps to calm your response. As previously mentioned these exercises were instrumental into changing my life and I honestly don’t think if it wasn’t for the emotional regulating effects, I’m not sure I’d be here today.
The continuous practice of these techniques will transport you mentally and physically to a place of relentless discipline. Looking back at my former self I can’t fathom the rubbish I used to accept in my daily life. I was completely programmed by my spontaneous decision making, fuelled by anxiety and stress that I was trying to escape.
Zenful Men was founded to change the statistic. We want to empower as many men as possible to understand that there is another way of embracing life than to feel like we’re stuck in a cycle.
And on that note, we would like to leave you guys with an incentive; Come join our ever-growing movement of men that want to take it to the next level.
Zenful Men – The 7 Pillars Holistic Program
We are building a brand-new community full of like-minded individuals that support and empower each other to become better MEN. For just the price that you would pay to go drinking down the pub on 1 evening, you can be a part of this too.
AND, if you don’t feel better after completing the first half of the program, we will refund 100% of the money you've invested into us. Oh, and if you buy a barrel off us - you're entitled to this program absolutely free!
For £79 you will have direct access to the Discord Zenful Men community where we host regular walks, wild swims, socials and accountability/support from people who have experience in a range of fields, 7 Pillars PDF, Audio files of the breath-work we previously mentioned & Step by Step video guidance for every pillar. All of these Pillars have been directly formulated to initiate change, build discipline, reduce stress, anxiety and depression.
What you get:
• Complete access to the Zenful Men holistic program, with step-by-step guidance
• Audio breath work to listen on the move
• Access to our Discord support / accountability group - exclusive for members!
• Information dense PDF - to revise and study at your own pace
• All natural powerful techniques
How you get it:
• One off payment is rewarded with an email link which DLC straight to your device
• A personal link to our Discord community, exclusive to the purchase of the full programme
Why you get it:
• The complete program to initiate change and transform; reduce anxiety, stress and depression
• Improve overall physical & mental health
• Develop confidence, strength and determination
• Support from a group of experienced individuals; so, you can learn PROVEN techniques
If this is something that interests you, come and join the community that wants to see you win.
https://www.zenfulmen.com/products/zenful-men-holistic-program-7-pillars
If not, we wish you all the best with your journey moving forward, and if there’s anything that you believe Zenful Men can help with, feel free to email us on info@zenfulmen.com
But one more thing… As you’ve made it to the very end of the blog post, we’d also like to offer you 15% off discount code on any of our website products! Including our Premium Streetwear Collection.
CODE: ZENFULGANG
Yours truly,
Founder; Sam Neath