Is The Inergize Cold Plunge Tub Worth $4k — My Honest Review

The endorphin rush that followed my very first cold plunge turned me into a cold water therapy convert—and I began researching ways to get 24/7 access to a cold plunge tub. But as an apartment dweller with a limited budget, I quickly realized the bathtub-sized pools taking over my social media didn't make sense for my lifestyle (or cement backyard).

Inergize Health offered the perfect solution. Designed for portability, the inflatable cold plunge tub takes less than 15 minutes to set up, with a powerful chiller that rivals the horsepower of industry leaders like the Plunge. What's more, it costs less than $4,000.

While Plunge leads the charge for permanent cold plunge tubs, Inergize Health was an early innovator in the portable cold plunge tub space. The brand's signature product is the Inergize Health Ultra-Portable Cold Plunge Tub, which pairs an inflatable tub with an external chiller.

When purchasing from Inergize, you have the choice to buy the tub and chiller together or individually. This allows you to pair the powerful 0.8 hot and cold chiller with the brand's tub or third-party tub. (The latter is useful for people who purchased an ice bath but found they preferred an automated chiller over spending $70 on ice for every session.)

When you purchase the Inergize Cold + Hot Plunge Tub, you'll receive the inflatable tub, insulated cover, dual-action hand pump, and a sanitizer kit for the four months of water treatment. Your order also comes with a backpack to store the tub and a hand skimmer net to tackle debris.

The entire setup process took me less than 10 minutes, and I found filling the 80-gallon tub with water was actually the longest part of the setup process. I received a used plunge, so my tub didn't come with any instructions. However, I found the brand's video instructions offered useful guidance.

Setup requirements include finding a spot with access to a 120V/60hzh power supply on a 15A circuit. This meant I had to keep my tub close to my apartment windows, as I needed to plug it in indoors. Additionally, I paid close attention to the 800-pound weight requirement for a filled tub.

It's worth noting the chiller is not waterproof but rather splashproof with an IPX4 rating. Therefore the brand recommends keeping it in the shade or under shelter; I opted to move my chiller in and out of the apartment to ensure its longevity. After all, the chiller is the most expensive part of any cold plunge tub!

Inergize's 1,800-watt chiller offers both heating and cooling capabilities. This extends the tub's water temperature range from 37 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

Truthfully, warming up the tub seemed to take way longer than the chiller, which I think was likely due to the lower outdoor temperatures. For example, increasing the water temperature by 5 degrees from 42 to 47 degrees Fahrenheit took about two hours.

Bypass the stress of trying to jump between two temperature extremes with the chiller's smart app, Tunya. The app connects the chiller to Wi-Fi, so you can easily change the temperature without touching the chiller's buttons or create schedules that suit your recovery routine.

As a frequent plunger, I know the importance of a good flow rate to prevent your body from creating a thermal barrier. The Inergize has a flow rate of 309 gallons per hour, which is average for a portable cold plunge tub. (FYI, luxury plunge tubs like those from Renu Therapy have a flow rate of up to 2,500 liters per hour.)

The most surprising part of this inflatable tub is how durable it feels. Its double-stitch polyester reminds me of an inflatable paddle board or heavy-duty nylon backpack. Before the tub arrived, I was worried about a rogue rock puncturing the material—now that's the least of my worries!

My next shock was the tub's compact footprint. The base is smaller than the bathtub in my apartment at 4 feet, 3 inches long, yet the 2.5-foot walls make the tub feel exponentially larger.

When sitting in the tub at a 90-degree angle, my feet grazed the other end of the tub and my heart was fully underwater. I'm about 5 feet, 5 inches tall, so I do struggle to see someone over 6 feet fitting into the tub as comfortably as me.

On the flip side, I found the walls were just about at my max height to hop into the tub. I think anyone shorter might need a small stepstool to make entering the tub slightly easier.

My cold plunge journey started with submerging myself in water at 32 degrees Fahrenheit for 6 minutes. Initially I used the Inergize Tub to follow the same protocol before reading more about the different temperature suggestions for women when cold plunging. I decided to keep my 6-minute protocol but increased my water temperature to about 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

I found the tub did a phenomenal job of maintaining this temperature when not plugged in. I attribute this to a combination of double-insulated walls and cold winter temperatures.

Water upkeep is a necessary evil of any cold plunge tub—and it's essential to ensuring you're not plunging in dirty water. Although the chiller has a built-in section for the micron filter, you'll still need to treat the water regularly.

You don't need to be an experienced pool boy to keep up with maintenance on the Inergize. The brand's curated maintenance kits walk you through all the steps, including six replacement water filters, test strips, oxidizer, and sanitizer.

When setting up the tub, you'll need to balance the water and then test it every two weeks. The filter should be replaced monthly.

An Inergize Cold + Hot Plunge Tub costs $4,490, but the brand often offers discounts. The tub is available for just $3,990 at the time of publishing.

Every Inergize tub comes with a one-year warranty for at-home use or a six-month warranty for commercial use.

The tub ships free to those within the continental United States, though you can work with the brand for international shipping. Currently, there is no lead time for an order, which means your tub will ship the next day.

If you're ready to invest in a cold plunge tub but don't want to sacrifice limited real estate in your home, the Inergize Cold + Hot Plunge Tub is your perfect solution. While I wish the flow rate was higher and found the heating element to be average, I was impressed by the tub's portability, durability, and spaciousness. Plus the smart app connection adds extra points for making this tub feel modern and high-tech.