The Ultimate DIY Cold-Plunge Guide
How the heck do you build your own cold-plunge?
Upon popular demand, here is my at DIY home cold plunge setup.
I’ve found this to be one of the more helpful tools in my kit for recovery, reducing inflammation, improved sleep, and bringing friends together for some fairly ridiculous times.
I personally prefer a chest freezer (literally just a meat freezer you’d get from Home Depot) over the trough-style because I’d prefer to get in daily.
If you’re a person who plans on using the cold plunge a few times per summer, you’d do fine with a trough and running to the grocery store for 80 lbs of ice every now and again.
Here’s exactly what I used for my chest freezer setup:
Water hose (duh)
Wine cork
*If you want to get fancy, you could grab a digital temperature controller thermostat to automatically turn the freezer on/off to maintain a specific temperature. I personally just manually turn mine on and unplug it once it’s cold enough but some people appreciate the convenience of the timer.
How to set it up:
Order the freezer here (or find one on Craigslist) and set it up in your desired location.
Rinse and dry your freezer out.
Once completely dry, apply the sealant to the seams inside the tub and follow drying instructions on the tube.
Remove the drain valve cap and lightly hammer in the wine cork to replace it (the stock drain valve cap will leak if you leave it in).
Fill your freezer with the filtered hose water to around halfway or so and turn it on until it reaches your desired temperature (I recommend between 45-50 degrees to start).
You're now ready to begin freezing your balls (or labia) off, I recommend 3-5 minute soaks. Tune into the Align Podcast episode on ‘How to Build Your Own Cold Plunge’ to learn more about breathing techniques, etc (see below).
