For fuck's sake, can we just all take a beat when it comes to sitting in a tub full of ice water?
Regular listeners of THE ROCK FIGHT hear me banging on about how much useless crap is made by outdoor industry brands. But after going down a Cold Plunge Tub rabbit hole this morning, I can’t believe how many of these things are out there.
In case you haven’t heard, over the past few years it’s become quite trendy to sit in really cold water in the name of generic health benefits. Is it better to eat avocado pits, snort blueberries, or sit in a giant Tupperware container filled with water from your hose? No one knows because the science on any of those three things is unproven, to say the least.
Please realize that if you’re one of the many denizens who aim to climb inside a petroleum-derived plastic tub filled with ice and sit there while repeating Buddhist mantras in your head so you can reach the ideal soak time given to you by that one guy on the internet, I’m not trying to yuck your yum. You do you, man.
But do you have to do it in a tub created specifically for this purpose? Doing a quick Google shopping search showed that you can procure tubs ranging from $60 to $8,000. So there is enough interest out there for this activity that a Cold Soak industry has formed with reputable outdoor journalists doing side-by-side comparisons.
Side note to any entrepreneurs out there: the Mormon church already has the Warm Soak industry cornered.
Also, there is zero scientific consensus on any of the reported health benefits of soaking in cold water. Zero. The only thing any reputable expert out there will admit to on an official level is that for some people, it feels really good and gives them a boost. Do we really need to be manufacturing a wide range of permanent or portable tubs so folks can have a soak to put a pep in their step? You know what already exists? Bathtubs, lakes, rivers, oceans, and cold fucking showers.
So to the companies out there trying to cash in on this ridiculous trend, knock it off. To everyone else who feels like soaking in ice water improves their mood? Go take a cold bath. Or better yet, find something to soak in outside. I looked it up and the furthest point in the US from a natural body of water is the Sonoran Desert west of Phoenix, which is 45 miles from the Colorado and Gila rivers. Chances are there’s something near where you live that will give you the fix you need.
If not, there’s always cocaine.
-ct
Drips & Dregs is the weekly column from Rock Fight Founder Colin True.
Sometimes outdoorsy and always outdoor adjacent, check in weekly to see what is on his mind.