With interest booming, wellness experts and pool builders have seen more homeowners hoping to take cold therapy immersion into their own backyards.
4 min
Cold plunges have gone from fringe curiosity to full-blown cultural phenomenon, the wellness world’s equivalent of a headline-grabbing breakout star.
Adherents slip into icy water on a daily basis, chasing an electric jolt of clarity that feels like a flip has been switched inside your brain.
Dedicated cold plunge practices are everywhere from upscale fitness studios and pro sports locker rooms to renowned wellness destinations such as Mountain Trek Health Reset Retreat in British Columbia.
Considering the ever-expanding assortment of companies flooding the market with cold plunge tubs and other custom devices dedicated to achieving icy bliss—with costs potentially reaching into the tens of thousands—some homeowners are tempted to use their swimming pools as an alternative.
“We’re absolutely seeing more homeowners use their pools as year-round cold plunges, especially in colder climates,” said Nick McNaught, CEO and co-founder of Toronto-based Stay Unbounded, which offers cold exposure workshops, retreats and certifications.
“The motivation is often simplicity and cost. If the water is already cold, people see value in keeping the pool open longer or winterizing it differently to support cold exposure.”
Suzanne Vaughan, president of Massachusetts-based pool builder SwimEx, points out the inherent convenience that comes with taking a frosty dip out back.
“From what homeowners tell us, the appeal of a cold plunge at home is less about chasing extremes and more about having a simple ritual that’s always available,” she said.
“It’s quick, accessible and easy to build into a daily routine.”
Among new clients Vaughan works with, year-round cold plunge use is usually planned from the start rather than as an afterthought.
“More are choosing indoor pools or small attached structures because that makes temperature control, equipment protection and day-to-day use much easier in colder climates,” she said.
If someone is thinking about using an existing home pool as a cold plunge, the main questions are likely to involve practicality and protection.
“Larger volumes of water take more energy and time to keep at colder temperatures, and you need a plan to protect plumbing, finishes and equipment from freeze–thaw cycles,” she added.
“Whatever the design, you want a system that’s built for the temperature range you have in mind, and a pool professional who can help you winterize safely.”
One such professional is Hunter Gary, a certified master pool builder and owner of H2 Outdoor Living in Tennessee.
“Most everyone has a ‘number’ in degrees when it comes to cold plunging. When a client asks our company to design a cold plunge for them, I ask ‘what’s your number?’” Gary said.
“A smaller body of water or cold plunge vessel may be much easier for maintaining a balanced temperature…but if using a pool gets you excited about a more serious approach to inviting this wellness experience in your life, then go for it.”
Amy McDonald, owner and CEO of Under a Tree, a wellness consultancy, said transforming a pool into a plunge might not be worth time and investment
“It is almost impossible to retrofit a standard swimming pool into a cold plunge,” she said.
“The energy and money to do it properly is greater compared to just creating a complimentary contrast circuit.”
A proper setup needs to be exceptionally cold, she noted, so depending on where the pool is located it might not get chilly enough to provide optimal health benefits.
“That could work in northern areas of the U.S., but it takes a lot for a pool to generate and keep that kind of cold, not even considering if the pool ices over,” she said.
McNaught echoed those concerns, citing how home pools aren’t designed specifically for cold plunging, so temperature consistency, cleanliness, ease of access and safety become important factors.
“Dedicated cold plunge setups offer more control, smaller volumes and lower ongoing maintenance,” he said.
“For many people, a pool works as an entry point. Over time, those who commit to the practice transition to a dedicated setup because it better supports frequency, comfort and long-term use.”
Beyond geography and climate, industry experts pointed out other challenges homeowners are likely to face.
“Pools are saturated with chlorine and other chemicals that directly absorb into the bloodstream. The advantage of many cold plunges is that no chemicals are required for residential use,” said David Haddad, as the co-founder of Oregon-based BlueCube Wellness.
“Constant ozonation and filtration is enough to kill organic compounds without exposure to sanitizing chemicals.”
Most cold-plunge systems are monitored to stay between 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit—with experienced plungers often preferring lower temperatures.
While “the ultimate experience might be a glacial lake in Finland, unfortunately that’s a bit out of reach for most of us,” said Andreas Stelluti, co-founder at Texas-based Colderatti, whose vessels feature the world’s first chemical-free cold plunge technology, powered by a triple filtration system that removes 99% of impurities to provide a system with drinking-quality water.
“Having a cold plunge at home brings that experience to your backyard, making it very easy and accessible, so you have the ability to make it part of your lifestyle,” he added.
Stelluti noted that as spring arrives and clients’ home pools start to warm up again, they begin to miss the cool water.
“Many say ‘I really need this to be part of my lifestyle year-round’ and that desire for consistent, accessible cold immersion is what motivates them to invest in a dedicated cold plunge setup,” he explained.
“Unfortunately, you can’t use your pool as a year-round cold plunge during the summer. Especially not here in Texas.”
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Apple’s first foldable, the $1,999 iPhone Duo, combines an iPhone and iPad Mini experience—but its size, weight and price come with compromises.
4 min
As I watched a Netflix show on Apple’s first foldable, the iPhone Duo, I had two surprising thoughts.
The first: Maybe I don’t need my iPad Mini anymore.
The second: Uh oh, am I about to spend $1,999 on a phone?
I didn’t think folding phones were for me. I’ve been testing Android versions from Samsung and Google since 2019, and those early editions came with too much screen and too many compromises.
Fast forward seven years, and the technology has come a long way. Apple—in its very Apple way—has also come up with some hardware and software trickery to make up for some shortcomings of the basic design. My desire for a folding phone before today was zero. After today, it’s a lot more than zero.
I’m not ready to recommend the Duo, which ships on Oct. 23, just yet. Not until I am able to test it more fully, so be on the lookout for that review in a few weeks. But from what I experienced at Apple Park on Wednesday, I could actually picture myself using this new half-phone, half-tablet hybrid.
For months, I’ve been using Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8, a similarly squat, passport-shaped foldable that opens up to a larger screen. It’s impressively thin and can easily fit into the infuriatingly tiny pockets in women’s pants and dresses. Samsung did a lot of work to minimize the crease—the dip between the two halves of the big interior display—but it’s still clearly there.
When I held the iPhone Duo open, the crease was barely visible. As I slid my finger across the display, I could feel it, but it’s more subtle than Samsung’s. Most of the time, the screen looked as flat and smooth as the one on an iPad.
Apple employed both software and hardware techniques to camouflage the crease. The matte surface of the interior 7.6-inch screen minimizes reflections to hide it. (Samsung’s Fold 8 screen is shiny.)
And as you begin to open or close the iPhone Duo, the interface shifts the controls and content away from the center crease. If, say, you’re watching a video on the outer screen, you can open the Duo to switch to the bigger display within. A black fade marks the transition. You don’t see the video full screen until the phone is completely flat.
My second observation was that, when the Duo is closed, in phone mode, it was harder to use one-handed than I expected.
In the keynote trailer and press release, Apple touted how thin the Duo is. It’s marketed as the thinnest iPhone ever—when open.
But it’s actually thicker and heavier than most of its Android competitors. The Duo weighs 254 grams, and is 11.3 millimeters thick when closed. The Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 is just 201 grams, with a thickness of 9.7 millimeters. Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold is 239 grams and 10.1 millimeters.
Because the Duo is also wider than a standard iPhone, I found it quite a challenge to type.
I admit, I do have smaller-than-average hands. So I consulted my colleague Rolfe Winkler, who has a larger grip. He agreed the Duo feels big.
Apple rearranged the interface on the outer screen so it looks different than traditional iPhones. The dock and control center are off to the right to be more reachable. Committing to the Duo as your main device will require adjustments in your handling. You will have to learn a new way to use and type.
My most surprising takeaway? I feel a pull toward this device.
I always thought that combining an iPhone and an iPad would mean bigger compromises. The battery life is about the same as the 18 Pro (up to 24 hours of “regular use” on a single charge), though I’ll need to verify that in my real-world testing. And it’s also as durable, with the same IP68 dust- and water-resistance rating as the rest of the iPhone lineup.
There are trade-offs, for sure. Trying out the camera, I immediately missed the 8X zoom in my Pro model. The Duo has just 2X zoom, which wouldn’t cut it for the dozens of pictures I take of my kid every day.
But the dual screens unlock new photo functionality. You can see what your shot looks like from the outside screen. As someone who has tried tirelessly to self-direct a family photo—or a spouse—I am very eager to try this out more.
Foldables, I initially thought, were for classic mobile-warrior jet-setter types, who never sit at a desk and are always on calls. For that crowd, the Duo can run two apps side-by-side.
Me, I’m more of a bed binge-watcher and ebook reader. That’s what my beloved iPad Mini is for.
Watching videos on the Duo is a nice experience—nice enough that you forget the screen is 0.7 inches smaller than the iPad Mini’s. The main screen is also a 4:3 aspect ratio. Very similar, by the way, to the IMAX edition of the Odyssey.
Because I wasn’t able to snag a ticket to one of the sold-out screenings, I will be watching Christopher Nolan’s version of Homer’s epic on the Duo, just as the director intended. (Just kidding! Sort of.)
The Duo costs $800 more than an iPhone 18 Pro, and I’m not sure I want to spend that premium on a first-generation Apple device. But I’m not ruling out the idea that a Duo might one day be in my future. Stay tuned for my full review.
