Cryotherapy vs cold plunge: evidence, safety and cost

Last verified November 2, 2026. Every grade, regulatory statement and price on this page links to the source we checked. Where we couldn't confirm something, we say so.

We have not tested cryotherapy chambers or plunge tubs ourselves; the evidence comes from the reviews and trials cited below.

The short answer

Cold-water immersion has far more evidence than whole-body cryotherapy. A meta-analysis of 52 studies found cold water improved soreness, perceived recovery and power 24 hours after high-intensity exercise¹. The Cochrane review of whole-body cryotherapy found only 4 small, high-risk-of-bias trials and called the evidence "very low" quality². FDA has not cleared or approved any whole-body cryotherapy device for any medical condition³. A cryotherapy session is quicker and drier; a plunge is cheaper per use if you go often. If you lift for muscle size, neither belongs straight after your strength sessions⁴.

Regulatory status

Option	FDA status	What it tells you
Whole-body cryotherapy chambers	FDA says it has not cleared or approved any WBC device for medical treatment of any specific condition, and found "very little evidence about its safety or effectiveness"3.	Claims about recovery, arthritis, depression, migraines or weight loss have not been reviewed by FDA.
Cold plunge tubs and ice baths	Sold as wellness products, not as medical devices.	FDA has not reviewed them for recovery either. Electrical safety listing, chiller reliability and warranty are the practical checks.

FDA's 2016 consumer warning named the claims it had seen: Alzheimer's, migraines, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, weight loss, circulation and post-workout recovery³.

How they differ

	Whole-body cryotherapy	Cold plunge
Medium	Very cold, dry air (or nitrogen vapour in partial-body cabins)	Water
Typical temperature	About −110 °C (−166 °F) or colder5	About 10 to 15 °C in the trials67
Typical time	2 to 3 minutes5	5 to 15 minutes in the trials6
Head	Out of the cold in partial-body cabins; exposed in walk-in chambers8	Usually out of the water
Where	Studio or clinic	Home tub, gym, or a bath with ice
Number of trials for recovery	Few: 4 in the Cochrane review2, plus 1 head-to-head trial with cold water16	Many: 52 in one meta-analysis1

"Whole-body cryotherapy" covers two kinds of machine. In walk-in chambers the whole body, head included, is in cold air. In single-person cabins, the head stays out and the body is cooled with vaporised liquid nitrogen. Safety researchers say these partial-body cabins are often wrongly called whole-body cryotherapy, and that many of the safety concerns come from them⁸.

Evidence head to head

Grades: A consistent randomized trials or meta-analyses. B supported by meta-analyses or randomized trials that are small or varied. C few or mixed trials, or very low-certainty evidence. D no good evidence. X a signal it works against you.

Outcome	Cryotherapy	Cold plunge	What the evidence says
Muscle soreness	C	B	Cryotherapy: soreness was lower than after rest at 1 hour, but at 24, 48 and 72 hours the confidence intervals included no difference (or a benefit for rest); 4 trials, 64 mostly young male participants, all high risk of bias2. Cold water: lower soreness after high-intensity exercise (standardized difference −0.89)1.
Feeling recovered	C	B	Cryotherapy: in one 9-person trial, well-being was better at 24 hours but tiredness was no different; compared with far-infrared therapy, another 9-person trial found less tiredness but no difference in well-being2. The one head-to-head trial favoured cold water (see below)16. Cold water: better perceived recovery after high-intensity exercise (standardized difference 0.66)1.
Next-day power and strength	D	B	Cold water improved power at 24 hours after both eccentric and high-intensity exercise, but not strength1. The Cochrane review had no performance data strong enough to grade for cryotherapy2.
Muscle growth after lifting	D (untested)	X	Cold water right after strength training reduced muscle growth in a meta-analysis of 8 studies4 and a 12-week trial9. We found no long-term trials of cryotherapy after lifting.
Wellbeing and stress	D	C	Cold water: lower stress for about 12 hours and small, short-lived quality-of-life gains in a 2025 meta-analysis of 11 studies; sleep data were from men only7.
Women and elite athletes	D	C	The Cochrane review found no cryotherapy evidence at all in women or elite athletes2.

The one direct comparison. In a randomized crossover trial, 10 active men did a hamstring-damaging eccentric session and then either 10 minutes in 10 °C water or 3 minutes of whole-body cryotherapy at −110 °C. Cold water came out moderately ahead: better jump recovery at 72 hours, less soreness at 48 hours and better perceived recovery at 24 hours. Other measures, including strength and creatine kinase, showed trivial or small differences, and every confidence interval included no difference¹⁶. It is one small trial, so it supports the grades above rather than settling the question.

In the largest recovery meta-analysis, both cold water and cryotherapy were among the techniques linked to less soreness, and cold exposure was one of the two most effective methods for reducing inflammation markers¹⁰. That analysis grouped many methods together; it doesn't show cryotherapy beating water.

Safety

Cryotherapy

• Asphyxiation. FDA lists it as a potential hazard, especially with liquid nitrogen. Nitrogen vapour can lower oxygen in a closed room and cause loss of consciousness³.
• A death. In October 2015, a 24-year-old spa worker in Nevada was found in a cryotherapy chamber. She is thought to have used it alone after the business closed. The coroner ruled the death asphyxia: nitrogen had cut oxygen in the chamber from about 21% to as low as 5%¹¹.
• Frostbite, burns and eye injury from the extreme cold are also on FDA's list³.
• Reported injuries. An FDA adverse event report describes a 47-year-old man who developed cold panniculitis (inflammation of the fat under the skin) after eight sessions in two weeks. It cleared up within weeks of stopping¹².
• How common? A 2023 scoping review by an international research group found 16 adverse events across 5 case reports and 2 trials. It concluded the risks are acceptable when existing recommendations and contraindications are followed⁸.

Practical checks: never use a chamber alone, keep skin dry, cover hands and feet as the studio instructs, and leave at once if you feel dizzy or short of breath.

Cold plunge

• Cold shock. Gasping, fast breathing, a spike in blood pressure and sometimes abnormal heart rhythms in the first 30 seconds, peaking in water around 10 to 15 °C¹³.
• Who should check with a doctor: high blood pressure, heart rhythm problems, structural or coronary heart disease, a family history of sudden cardiac death, Raynaud's, cold urticaria, cold-induced asthma, or medicines that affect heart rhythm¹³.
• Rules: get in slowly, keep your face out, don't go alone, use a timer, no alcohol, and warm up gradually afterwards¹³.

Cost per session vs owning a tub

Studio prices vary a lot by city. An industry article gives $25 to $50 for a 3-minute session⁵, and a 2022 price roundup gives $20 to $80 for a single session, with memberships of $150 to $250 a month¹⁴. A studio directory lists a $99-a-month unlimited membership in San Diego¹⁵. We could not open any studio's own price page, so treat these as rough, dated ranges.

A chilled plunge tub costs more up front. The Ice Barrel 500 + Chiller was $5,749.98 on icebarrel.com on November 2, 2026. A tub without a chiller, a bath with bagged ice or a cold shower costs far less; see our cold plunge picks for checked prices.

If cryotherapy costs	Sessions to match a $5,749.98 chilled tub	At 3 sessions a week
$25 per session	230	About 18 months
$50 per session	115	About 9 months
$80 per session	72	About 6 months
$99 a month, unlimited	58 months of membership	About 4.8 years

Price checked November 2, 2026 (Ice Barrel only). The tub figures leave out electricity, water treatment and repairs. The studio figures leave out travel time.

Why only one tub here: this page compares methods, not products. Our cold plunge roundup covers tubs from Plunge, Ice Barrel, Morozko Forge and others, and our reviews of the Ice Barrel, Plunge, Morozko Forge and Odin Plunge have more detail.

Which to choose

• For soreness and next-day performance after hard conditioning or competition: cold water. It has the evidence¹.
• If you lift to build muscle: neither right after lifting. The growth penalty is shown for cold water⁴; cryotherapy hasn't been tested long term, so the safe assumption is to treat it the same way.
• If you hate getting wet or have 5 minutes: cryotherapy is quicker, but you're paying for convenience, not better evidence.
• If you'll use it 3 or more times a week for over a year: owning a tub usually costs less per use than studio sessions.
• If you want to combine heat and cold: see our contrast therapy guide.

Myths

• "Colder air means a stronger effect." Air at −110 °C for 3 minutes and water at 10 °C for 10 minutes are different exposures, and the water has the trials¹².
• "Cryotherapy is FDA approved." FDA has not cleared or approved any WBC device for any medical condition³.
• "Cryotherapy burns fat." Weight loss is on FDA's list of unreviewed claims³.
• "A studio session is safer than a tub because staff are there." Both are safer with someone present. The 2015 death happened when a worker used a chamber alone after hours.

FAQ

Is cryotherapy better than an ice bath?

No evidence says so. Cold-water immersion has many more trials and clearer benefits¹².

Is whole-body cryotherapy FDA approved?

No. FDA says it has not cleared or approved any WBC device for any specific medical condition³.

How cold is a cryotherapy chamber?

Around −110 °C (−166 °F) or colder, for about 2 to 3 minutes⁵.

How much does cryotherapy cost?

Roughly $20 to $80 per session, less with packages or memberships¹⁴⁵. Prices vary by city.

Is cryotherapy safe?

A 2023 safety review judged the risks acceptable when precautions are followed⁸, but asphyxiation, frostbite and burns have been reported, and one US worker died in a nitrogen chamber in 2015³¹¹. Never use a chamber alone.

Should I do cryotherapy after lifting?

If you want muscle growth, it's safer not to. Cold water after lifting reduced growth⁴, and cryotherapy hasn't been tested long term.

See also: recovery tools ranked by evidence.

References

Journal details were checked on the publisher page, a university repository or a database abstract on November 1 to 2, 2026. FDA's own consumer update page did not load for us, so we cite a full reprint of it.

1. Moore E, Fuller JT, Buckley JD, et al. Impact of cold-water immersion compared with passive recovery following a single bout of strenuous exercise on athletic performance in physically active participants: a systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression. Sports Medicine, 2022;52(7):1667-1688. doi:10.1007/s40279-022-01644-9 Source
2. Costello JT, Baker PRA, Minett GM, Bieuzen F, Stewart IB, Bleakley C. Whole-body cryotherapy (extreme cold air exposure) for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2015, Issue 9. CD010789.pub2 Source
3. US Food and Drug Administration. Whole body cryotherapy (WBC): a "cool" trend that lacks evidence, poses risks. Consumer update, 5 July 2016 (read via the Drugs.com reprint; FDA's own page did not load for us). Source
4. Piñero A, Burke R, Augustin F, et al. Throwing cold water on muscle growth: a systematic review with meta-analysis of the effects of post-exercise cold water immersion on resistance training-induced hypertrophy. European Journal of Sport Science, 2024;24(2):177-189. doi:10.1002/ejsc.12074 Source
5. Club Solutions Magazine. Cryotherapy as a new revenue model and member retention. February 2021 (industry article; gives $25 to $50 per 3-minute session). Source
6. Versey NG, Halson SL, Dawson BT. Water immersion recovery for athletes: effect on exercise performance and practical recommendations. Sports Medicine, 2013;43(11):1101-1130. doi:10.1007/s40279-013-0063-8 Source
7. Cain T, Brinsley J, Bennett H, Nelson M, Maher C, Singh B. Effects of cold-water immersion on health and wellbeing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS One, 2025. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0317615 Source
8. Legrand FD, Dugué B, Costello J, et al. Evaluating safety risks of whole-body cryotherapy/cryostimulation (WBC): a scoping review from an international consortium. European Journal of Medical Research, 2023;28. doi:10.1186/s40001-023-01385-z Source
9. Roberts LA, Raastad T, Markworth JF, et al. Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training. Journal of Physiology, 2015;593(18):4285-4301. doi:10.1113/JP270570 Source
10. Dupuy O, Douzi W, Theurot D, Bosquet L, Dugué B. An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques to reduce markers of muscle damage, soreness, fatigue, and inflammation: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 2018;9:403. doi:10.3389/fphys.2018.00403 Source
11. NBC News. Nevada spa worker suffocated in cryochamber, coroner rules. November 2015. Source
12. FDA MAUDE adverse event report 7251080: whole body cryotherapy, cold panniculitis after eight sessions (event 18 September 2017, reported 6 February 2018). Source
13. Tipton M, Massey H, Mayhew A, Morgan P. Cold water therapies: minimising risks. University of Portsmouth Extreme Environments Laboratory (author manuscript). Source
14. HowMuchIsIt.org. How much does cryotherapy cost? Undated price roundup (copyright 2022), with named studio examples. Source
15. Atly. Best affordable cryotherapy (US studio directory; lists a $99 per month unlimited membership at Real Deal Wellness, San Diego). Checked 2 November 2026. Source
16. Abaïdia AE, Lamblin J, Delecroix B, et al. Recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage: cold-water immersion versus whole-body cryotherapy. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2017;12(3):402-409. PMID 27396361. 10 physically active men, randomized crossover (details from the abstract). Source