An ice bath — also called a cold plunge, cold water immersion (CWI), or cold plunge bath — involves submerging your body in cold water, typically between 3°C and 15°C, for a defined period. The cold triggers vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels), which reduces inflammation and flushes metabolic waste from muscle tissue. When you exit, blood rushes back through dilated vessels, improving circulation and delivering oxygen-rich blood to fatigued muscles. Nordhaus ice baths use a precision chiller unit to maintain your exact target temperature at all times — so you never have to buy ice again.

Regular cold plunge therapy has been studied extensively. Key documented benefits include:

• Reduced muscle soreness and DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) after intense training

• Decreased systemic inflammation, supporting long-term joint and tissue health

• Improved circulation and cardiovascular function through repeated vasoconstriction/dilation cycles

• Significant mood elevation via norepinephrine release — cold exposure can trigger 300–500% increases

• Improved mental resilience, focus and stress tolerance through regular cold exposure

• Better sleep quality, particularly when used in the evening as body temperature drops

• Enhanced immune system response with consistent long-term use

• Accelerated recovery between training sessions for athletes and active individuals

💡 Nordhaus ice baths are used by NRL players, F45 studios, Pilates studios, CrossFit gyms and thousands of home users across Australia.

This depends on your experience level and goals. General guidelines for Australian users:

Beginners (first 2–4 weeks): 14–16°C. This allows your nervous system to adapt without excessive shock.

Intermediate: 10–13°C. A strong therapeutic stimulus for most recovery goals.

Advanced / athletes: 3–8°C. Maximum vasoconstriction and mental challenge.

Hot therapy / contrast therapy: Up to 42°C for a hot plunge experience.

Nordhaus ice baths support the full range of 3°C to 42°C, so you can dial in your ideal temperature or use the bath in both modes for contrast therapy.

For most people, 2–5 minutes in water at 10–15°C is sufficient to trigger the full physiological response. Studies suggest that 11 minutes of total weekly cold exposure (spread across multiple sessions) delivers meaningful health benefits. Beginners should start at 1–2 minutes and gradually build up. Do not stay in longer than 15–20 minutes. Always listen to your body, and never push through uncontrollable shivering or numbness.

For the vast majority of healthy adults, cold plunge therapy is safe when practised sensibly. However, you should consult a medical professional before beginning cold water immersion if you have:

• Cardiovascular disease, heart conditions, or high blood pressure

• Raynaud's disease or other circulation disorders

• Diabetes (particularly with neuropathy affecting cold sensitivity)

• Pregnancy

• Recent surgery or open wounds

• Severe asthma (cold air and water can trigger bronchospasm)

Never plunge alone if you are a beginner, and never submerge your head without experience. Nordhaus recommends gradual progressive exposure.

Yes, daily cold plunge use is safe and practised by many of our customers. For muscle recovery specifically, research suggests spacing sessions around 4–6 hours after strength training rather than immediately after, as acute inflammation plays a role in muscle adaptation.

For general wellness, mental performance and mood benefits, daily use is excellent. Many Nordhaus customers do a morning cold plunge as part of their daily ritual.

Contrast therapy alternates between heat (sauna) and cold (ice bath) exposure. This dramatic temperature switching creates powerful circulatory effects — blood vessels dilate in the heat and constrict in the cold, acting as a pump for the cardiovascular system.

Most protocols involve 10–15 minutes in the sauna followed by 2–3 minutes in the ice bath, repeated 2–4 times. Contrast therapy is widely used by elite athletes and is a core reason Nordhaus offers wellness combo packages combining a sauna and ice bath together at a discounted price.

It depends on your primary goal. For muscle recovery and reducing soreness, starting with the sauna (heat first) is typically recommended — heat loosens tight tissue and prepares the body, while the cold finish constricts vessels and reduces inflammation.

For mental clarity and alertness, finishing with cold is almost always preferable as it produces the strongest norepinephrine boost. For immune support and general wellness, either order can work. Most Nordhaus users follow the pattern: sauna → ice bath → sauna → ice bath, finishing on cold.