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There has been a lot of buzz surrounding cold plunges in the last year, and it’s been fascinating watching and listening to other dealers describe how they’ve had so many customer inquiries and must get them on the floor as quickly as possible. However, following the rush to get them to market, we’re hearing of several production and supply issues from various manufacturers. In some cases, the product simply doesn’t work as advertised.
Don’t get me wrong, there can be significant advantages to being first to market, but we’ve decided to take a much more measured approach, in part because we don’t seem to have the number of customer inquiries about them that others are reporting, and the data from Google Trends seems to back this up. We’ve heard anecdotal reports that the interest in cold plunges has increased by 200% or more, but when you look at the level of search interest for cold plunges relative to hot tubs on Google Trends, cold plunges are below 20%. This is not indicative of a strong market for the product.
Finally, I do believe in the benefits of using a cold plunge; however, subjecting yourself to submersion in 50-degree water is pure misery for most consumers. So, I tend to think of this as a bit of a fad, and there is some psychology to back this up — a high-profile influencer, athlete or other celebrity talks about the amazing health benefits. Consumers get wrapped up in the “quick” fix of the product and a lot of talking about it happens. I think we’re still in this phase.
The reality is, while many people surely believe they would use them regularly, most of us suffer from at least some level of overconfidence bias. We humans tend to overestimate our willingness to subject ourselves to things like the routine of going to the gym every day, or eating healthy or the misery of sitting in a cold plunge. So, we’re going to wait until we can get a better look at how big the market for cold plunges really is.
Rob Anderson
Olympic Hot Tub
Vice President
Eight locations across the greater Puget Sound region
We have only had a couple of customers ask about cold plunges. I have been keeping an eye on them. My team is interested in selling cold plunges, but I’m unsure if we can get the price for them when there are so many cheaper options online. I have been keeping tabs on how other dealers are doing with them to see if it makes sense for us to bring them in.
Kara Weed
Ultra Modern Pool & Patio
Managing Partner
Two locations in Wichita, Kansas, and a third in Derby, Kansas
We have not seen a lot of requests. We have not started selling them, and our manufacturer has not started producing them. The few requests we’ve had have not been serious. One comes to mind — a gentleman asked if we sold cold tubs. When told we were considering them and asked why he wanted a cold tub, he listed the health benefits, many of which are the same as a hot tub. We gave him a price range, and he said, “I will buy a horse trough and fill it with ice.”
Obviously, you can’t judge the market based on one example; however, I do feel they are a fad driven by popular influencers.
I do not believe the American consumer is so health conscious as to spend several thousand dollars to sit in 38-degree water for three minutes alone every day year-round. I cannot see how we could compete with online pricing other than the value a professional local dealer brings to the experience.
I have spoken to a few dealers who have purchased cold tubs and are not experiencing success.
Earl F. Michels
Backyard Leisure
Owner/President
Terre Haute, Indiana; Springfield, Champaign, Peoria and Bloomington, Illinois
