Cold Plunges

Help your body chill with a quick dip in frigid temps.

- Addison Aloian

Ice baths are popping off on social, with athletes, biohackers, celebs, and beyond hailing them for the wellness perks. The thinking is, when you dip for several minutes in frigid water, the sudden change to your body temp can ignite physiological processes that lead to wins such as improved athletic performance, a revved-up metabolism, and a perkier mood.

Brands like Deep Dive Wellness, Ice Barrel, and Nurecover are making the practice easier to execute at home with refillable, insulated "pods" that fit one person and keep the water chilly (they range from $100 to the thousands).

Sounds like a practice with payoffs, right? Know that the research on coldwater immersion is still limited, and any too-good-to-be-true claims (like freezing away fat and transforming metabolism) are just that. But experts agree there may be mental and physical takeaways from braving the cold that make it worth a shot....