If you are new to cold water therapy and want to maximize the benefits of it safely, understanding the dos and don’ts after taking an ice bath, or getting in the cold plunge, can help ease the mind. A solid post-ice bath routine will not only ensure you warm up correctly, but can also help support overall physical and mental health.
After taking the plunge into an ice bath, avoid blasting your body with heat from a warm shower or hot room. Calmly get out, towel off with a dry towel, or dry naturally in the sun if it is warm out. You can do slow bodyweight exercises to get your blood flowing again. Sipping on a warm non-alcoholic drink can also help raise your core temperature comfortably.
In this article, we will take a good look at why it is best to warm up slowly, and look at the necessary precautions to help you figure out the best options for activities and post-care after an ice bath without minimizing the benefits.
Best Things to Do After an Ice Bath
While some post-ice bath tips may seem obvious, like drying off and warming up slowly, there are some valuable additions to make your after-dip routine as safe and effective as possible. Here are the best things you can do after an ice bath to ensure safety, enhance your healthcare routine, and start to make your cold therapy session more enjoyable.
Take it Slow
Getting out of an ice bath can be a shock in itself as you move out of the extreme cold. The biggest of cold water immersion is the cardiac strain (1) from the body’s reaction to the temperature change.
While the cold is an inevitable part of the process, it’s crucial not to panic and to take it slow as you warm back up. Rushing to get warm again can put unnecessary strain and you run the risk of slipping or falling.
Getting out of the cold water is an abrupt change, and your body needs time to acclimate after the extreme cold. Move steadily and calmly after climbing out of the icy water. If you took your ice bath outside in a cold environment, head inside to a warmer area as soon as possible.
Dry Off Thoroughly
As soon as you get out of the water, move somewhere without wind to towel down. One older study (2) showed that the body can lose heat 22 – 49% faster in wet clothing depending on the outside temperature. If is cold out, consider removing wet clothing and having a large towel or blanket to cover yourself with to protect you from additional chill.
Use clean, dry towels to pat yourself all over and really soak up the dripping water. Throw on comfy, loose layers like sweats, a hoodie, and socks to trap heat after drying. Tight clothes won’t let your blood flow easily.
You can warm up naturally in the sun if it is hot out. Following smart dry down and dressing habits keeps your core temp stable so you recover smoothly.
Slow Exercises
After an ice bath, light bodyweight exercises can help get your blood flowing and raise your core temperature back to normal. But take it slow and listen to your body and don’t jump into anything too intense until you’re warmed up.
Some dynamic movements should be done to warm up before stretching (3). Do arm swings across your chest and some torso twists to get the upper body moving. March in place or do bodyweight squats for the lower body. Shoulder rolls open up the shoulders and chest.
Light cardio like walking, marching, or jogging in place ramps up circulation. Simply go at an easy pace but stop if you feel dizzy or nauseous.
Stretch After You Are Warmed Up
Integrate some dynamic stretches once you’ve moved around some. Dynamic stretches involve controlled, flowing movements like leg swings, walking lunges, and arm circles. They prep muscles for deeper stretching without overexerting cold muscles.
Work your way up to more challenging bodyweight moves like pushups, planks, and air squats if you’re feeling up to it. But start with easier modifications like wall pushups and short planks.
The key is to slowly reintroduce movement and get muscles to generate warmth. Don’t force anything too hardcore until your body acclimates.
For more info on the best time to stretch, see our guide on stretching before or after an ice bath.
Drink Water
Your body is working while in the cold water and after getting out, your circulatory system works hard to rewarm your body. Drinking something hot like coffee or tea can help raise your core temperature and make you feel warm again.
While a hot drink may provide some initial rewarming, it’s critical to drink water, especially if you follow the bath with exercise. However, these beverages contain caffeine, which acts as a diuretic causing fluid loss.
Coconut water, a lightly salted snack, or an electrolyte sports drink can replenish lost minerals. Proper water intake supports circulation and speeds the recovery process after an ice bath.
Take Notes
Taking notes after an ice bath session can help you optimize and track your progress over time and help you be more fully in tune with what your body is telling you.
Here are some things you can keep track of via notes when you are warmed up:
- Water temperature: This will likely vary each session. Note the exact degrees if possible.
- Duration: Record how many minutes you were able to stay in the cold water.
- Perceived intensity: On a scale of 1-10, how challenging did the ice bath feel? This may help you track progress or make decisions on frequency or temperature.
- Physical sensations: Document any numbness, pain, or other overall feelings during and after.
- Warm-up activities: Note any light exercise, stretching, or movement you did post-bath.
- Subjective experience: Record your mental state, energy levels, mood, etc. before and after the ice bath.
- Recovery: Did you notice reduced muscle soreness or other benefits in the hours/days after?
- Goals: Do you want to increase the duration, or decrease the temperature?
Tracking all these details over multiple ice bath sessions can help you gauge optimal water temps, session duration, and other variables. You’ll have useful data to show your progress over time. See our How Long to Cold Plunge article for useful tips for more useful info.
Maintain Your Ice Bath or Cold Plunge
Properly cleaning and covering your ice bath or cold plunge setup after use is key to maintaining its safety and effectiveness over time. While a cold plunge with temperature control can help reduce bacteria growth to a degree, but still requires regular cleaning.
If your tub has a filtration system, it is best to drain and thoroughly clean it every few months, and remember to replace the filter according to the manufacturer’s time recommendation.
An ice bath tub is more prone to bacteria growth as the water temperature will get warmer between uses. If you do not desire to drain the water after each use, you should maintain the water with safe chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, Epsom salt, or a water stabilizer.
When it is time to clean the tub drain out any remaining water and use a mild non-toxic cleaner to scrub it inside and out to help prevent buildup algae, mold, and bacteria.
Rinse the tub, cover and close surface areas to remove traces of the old water or debris, and let the tub air dry before covering it again. Lastly don’t forget to clean any accessories like a thermometer or touchscreen on a cold plunge or chiller.
If you get in the habit of simple tub maintenance after each ice bath it will help you be ready for the next clean session and give you peace of mind. For more help with this, visit out our more in-depth guide, How to Keep Ice Bath Water Clean.
More Things You Can Do After An Ice Bath
Starting the day with an ice bath can be a great way to set a healthy tone for the day and get you jumpstarted. Now that you know what you should do to safely warm up and get the most out of an ice bath session, here are more ideas for things you can do to build a healthy routine and feel better afterward.
1. Meditation and Deep Breathing
An ice bath triggers the body’s stress response, raising heart rate, blood pressure, and inflammation. Practicing meditation and deep breathing during and after helps initiate the relaxation response, and has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety (4).
Find a comfortable seated position and close your eyes. Inhale slowly through your nose, feeling your belly expand with air. Exhale gently through pursed lips while mentally releasing tension. Continue this focused, diaphragmatic breathing for 2-5 minutes.
When your mind wanders, gently return your attention to your breath. Meditating with deep breathing allows your body to calibrate after the ice bath shock. It decreases cortisol, lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
Regular practice trains your mind-body connection, speeding up recovery time. The restorative effects enhance circulation and reduce inflammation after an ice bath.
2. Self Massage
After an intense ice bath or workout, self-massage is a great way to aid your body’s recovery. Using your own hands to apply pressure and knead your muscles helps flush out waste products that build up during exercise and reduce tension (5).
Gently massaging the areas you targeted in your workout, like your legs after a run or your back after rowing, can help prevent delayed onset muscle soreness. Increase blood flow to nourish muscle tissues and decrease inflammation. Self-massage techniques like effleurage and petrissage can provide relief from muscle tightness and pain.
Be sure to focus on major muscle groups like the quadriceps, hamstrings, and shoulders. Listen to your body and avoid massaging tender areas. Just 5-10 minutes of self-massage supports circulation, flexibility, and recovery after challenging therapies like ice baths.
3. Go For a Walk
Going for a short, easy walk is an excellent way to further boost circulation (6) after intense therapies like an ice bath or a workout afterwards. The low-impact activity gently gets your blood pumping and muscles working again following vasoconstriction from the cold.
Start by walking slowly for 5-10 minutes to give your body time to normalize core temperature and heart rate after being immersed in frigid water. Brisk walking will increase demand for oxygenated blood flow to the working muscles.
The moderate rise in heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration from an easy walk helps blood vessels naturally vasodilate, improving circulation. Plus, it gets you up and moving, which is beneficial for recovery.
4. Take a Contrast Shower
A contrast shower, also known as a hot/cold shower, involves alternating between hot and cold water. It can be a great activity following an ice bath to help further stimulate blood flow, promote recovery, and also get clean (7). However, it is best to wait 5-10 minutes first to get naturally warm before getting into hot water.
To take a contrast shower after an ice bath, start by spending 2-3 minutes under warm water. This will help bring your body temperature back up if you don’t yet feel there. Slowly increase the temperature as you start to warm up.
After 2-3 minutes under hot water, switch to at least 30 seconds of cold water. Make it as cold as you can tolerate. Repeat this cycle 2-3 times, ending on cold. The alternating hot and cold water will cause your blood vessels to constrict and dilate, which further promotes circulation.
Summary
Ice baths can be an effective wellness practice when done properly. To maximize benefits safely, it’s important to slowly warm up after intense cold water immersion.
Avoid sudden hot temperatures that shock your system. Instead, gradually rewarm with light movement, hydration, comfortable layers, and relaxation techniques.
Additionally, developing healthy habits alongside occasional ice bathing is ideal. Things like meditation, self-massage, gentle walks, and contrast showers all promote circulation. They aide the body’s natural stress response and recovery.
With the right precautions and care after ice bathing, they can be integrated into an overall healthy lifestyle. Tracking your body’s signals and responding appropriately will help make the practice safe and enjoyable.
References
- Ikäheimo T. M. (2018). Cardiovascular diseases, cold exposure and exercise. Temperature (Austin, Tex.), 5(2), 123–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/23328940.2017.1414014
- John F. Hall JR., Allen P. Kearney, Johannes W. Polte, and Stanley Quillette (1958, July 1) Body Cooling in Wet and Dry Clothing. https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1958.13.1.121
- Lapidos, R. (2019, December 13). I’m a professional stretcher and this is the one thing I’d never, ever do to muscles. Well+Good. https://www.wellandgood.com/stretching-cold-muscles/
- Tavoian, D., & Craighead, D. H. (2023). Deep breathing exercise at work: Potential applications and impact. Frontiers in physiology, 14, 1040091. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1040091
- When massage can help. Manchester Physio. (n.d.). https://www.manchesterphysio.co.uk/treatments/massage/when-massage-can-help/post-workout.php
- USA Vein Clinics. (2022, May 19). 9 ways to improve circulation & blood flow. https://www.usaveinclinics.com/blog/how-to-improve-circulation-a-complete-guide/
- Simon, M. (2016) Hydrotherapy contrast shower, National University Of Health Sciences. Available at: http://www.nuhs.edu/hydrotherapy-contrast-shower/
