I Used a Smart Cold Plunge All Summer. Just a Wellness Trend or New Way of Life?

For the better part of a year, my social media feed has been inundated with cold plunges, ice baths and cold exposure therapy. Ever since learning about Wim Hof, a Dutch extreme athlete known for withstanding cold temperatures, I have wanted to give the recovery technique a try. As a rookie, the closest I’d come to an ice bath was the frigid water of Lake Tahoe.

This summer, I tested the Echelon Smart Cold Plunge Pro (1.0 HP). It’s an inflatable tub connected to a chiller device that can get as…