How do you get started with ice bathing at home?

If you prefer to take a bath with your partner, friend or alone, a wood-fired bathtub is the best choice since it has fast heating and requires less water than a hot tub, you don't have to plan far in advance when to take a bath. Little effort and the joy of being spontaneous allows you to use it often. Our customers also highlight the minimal maintenance of bathtubs and durability as crucial factors in choosing between a wood-fired bathtub or the bigger hot tub. It should also be added that our customers value the design as well! And that makes us very happy.

Your body adapts to the cold, and over time most people notice they sleep deeper, recover faster and feel more alert in everyday life. Cold water activates the body's own processes. Blood circulation increases, inflammation is reduced and endorphins are released. It is no miracle cure, but there is a reason people have been bathing in cold water in the Nordics for hundreds of years.

Start quietly. Cold showers are a good beginning. Then short dips in cool water, perhaps 10 to 15 degrees, a minute or two. Lower the temperature a little at a time, week by week. Breathe calmly. Never bathe alone, and get out when your body tells you to. With a wood-fired bathtub like Bohemen you can heat the water first and then let it cool to the temperature that suits you. It gives you full control, at your own pace.

One to three minutes is plenty at first. Over time you might stay five, maybe ten. Longer than that rarely gives you more. Listen to your body. When you start shivering uncontrollably, it is time to get out. Afterwards, take it easy. Warm clothes, not a hot shower. Many people like to combine cold and warm, for example an ice bath followed by a hot soak in a Bohemen. The contrast is what makes the experience.

Most people aim for one to five degrees, but there is no magic number. If you are new to it, you can start at ten to fifteen degrees and work your way down. Research shows that the body responds already below fifteen degrees. The important thing is not reaching a certain temperature but challenging yourself just enough. With a Bohemen outdoor bathtub you control the temperature yourself. Heat it up, let it cool, and feel what works for you.

Winter is peak season. Many people bathe in lakes and the sea, or in their own outdoor bathtub at home. With Bohemen you have full control. Fill with cold tap water, or let the natural cold do the work. You can also heat the tub for a warm bath and then let it cool to ice bath temperature. That contrast between warm and cold, that is where the whole experience lives.

Stir in the water at regular intervals while heating the tub. Measure the temperature with a bath thermometer. Stop fire when you have reached about 36 degrees and keep the fire at a level that maintains the heat. If it gets too hot, you can close the air supply to the stove. A comfortable bathing temperature is about 40 degrees. It's a good idea to use the stick for Bohemen when stirring the tub.