CalmMax XL Portable Oval Ice Bath Tub

I bought this ice bath for my husband. He absolutely loves it. It is big enough for him to sit in, instead of crouching in the old one that he had. Great product!

In late April, I was introduced to the Wim Hof Method & took my first ice bath at my community yoga studio – it was life changing! I’ve continued the WHM with cold showers & was toying with the idea of getting an ice bath. But then my husband & kiddos surprised me by getting this ice bath for me for Mother’s Day – & we used it for the first time on Mother’s Day (5/12/2024). I’m impressed with the quality, the design folding feature, & that it’s lightweight. Wim Hof encourages you to ice bathe in nature & you can definitely take this anywhere you want to go in the great outdoors!

I gave the ice bath four stars, because it could be improved if there was a way to secure the lining to the top bars; it stays in place over the bars but snaps &/or velcro would make it more secure.

While browsing through Amazon’s website, my daughter stumbled upon ice baths for athletes. As she read up on them, she thought how great it would be for her son, my grandson, Chad, a pitcher for both his high school and traveling team, to have one for icing his arm after a game or practice. She shared with me that she was contemplating getting one so together we browsed the many ice tubs found on Amazon. We choose the CalmMax Oval Ice Bath Tub (for athletes), for what better reasons than… it had an attractive design, was on sale, and attached was an additional $40 off coupon. While all of that is true, the real reason we chose this particular tub was the fact that it was oval and advertised to fit a 6’2” tall person while their legs were extended. Chad is 5’11”, so this tub will prevent the “knee in the face” position while using it.

The day the package arrived, my husband and I brought it over to my daughter’s house to surprise Chad. We emptied the box and then I started reading the directions. By the time I finished reading the directions, he was already half the way through assembly. Without a hiccup, or the directions, he erected the tub in about 10 minutes.

The tub comes partially assembled. Within the box are directions/users’ manual, 2 curved aluminum tubes, 4 PVC tubes, one nylon tub, one expandable drainpipe, patches, and a pillow. Everything was in great condition, no bends, cracks, dings, or tears. Assembly consisted of connecting a few pieces of tubing (the instructions call them rods), straightening out the nylon lining and folding the cover over the top tubing.

The four (4) step directions were on point, but my husband felt that Step 1 could be improved by calling for insertion of the PVC tubes into the side sleeves of the nylon lining before attempting to insert the curved metal tubes (rods) into the straight tubing. There were no recommendations or special notes for filling the tub, so using a garden hose, we began filling. At this point, all we did was watch the first couple of inches to fill to ensure the lining remained straight. We filled the tub about half-way, poured in about 4 bags of ice, and checked the water level to ensure it didn’t exceed two-thirds (2/3) of the way to the top, per the instructions. It was then ready to use.

Chad arrived home, saw the tub, and put up a big smile. He thanked us and quickly changed his clothes to hop in. Scaling the 24” walls to enter the tub was no problem for my long-legged grandson. Looking back, standing at 5”5’, I, myself, would have no problem getting in and out. Looking at him in this ice bath had me cringing at what it must feel like. Chad must have read my facial expression because he jokingly offered to give me his seat. I replied, “the only way I’m getting in that thing is if the water temperature magically raises to 100 degrees.” That’s when the lightbulb went off…

At the time we were building our house no one in our family took baths. We all showered, so we did not install bathtubs in our home. Now that I’m getting older, I’m rethinking my stance on showers only. I’ve become more desirous of a long, hot water soak after gardening or cleaning. My husband and I once toyed with the idea of purchasing a hot tub but elected against it, because we couldn’t justify the cost when factoring in the limited use it would receive. When I made the joke about the temperature raising to 100 degrees, the idea came to me that this thing would be a great “as needed” hot tub, without jets of course, that could conveniently be stored away when not in use.

On the drive home, I discussed the idea with my husband, and he was onboard as long as we could confirm that the tub could withstand hot water. A second reading of the user’s manual showed that the maximum temperature of heat the tub can withstand was 60 degrees Celsius or 140 degrees Fahrenheit, so that hurdle was cleared. Curious, I went to the Amazon website to see if it had anything to say about water temperature, and it did, clearly stating: “Ice Bath Tub can be used for both cold therapy and hot. Ice bath can withstand temperatures ranging from -86*F to 140*F.”

A couple of days later, my daughter called. During the conversation, she mentioned how much Chad loves the tub. I asked her if she intended to keep it erected since he would be using it regularly. She wasn’t sure but was leaning toward getting a few uses out of it before draining but was concerned that this would void the warranty because it calls for draining after each use to prevent deformation and shortening of the tub’s lifespan. There is nothing in the instruction manual about a warranty, however, if you scroll about 2/3rds of the way down the ad page on Amazon there is a hyperlink that states: Product Warranty: For warranty information about this product, please click here.” This brings you to two sentence that read: “Please contact the seller directly for warranty information for this product. You may also be able to find warranty information on the manufacturer’s website.” I ran a search of “CalmMax” on Google to find the website but came up empty. I’ve not tried again since. CalmMax does, in the owner’s manual, provide its email address for customers to use for any issues that may arise with the tub. I’m truly not concerned about the warranty as this unit has no mechanical parts, the nylon lining appears strong, and it would take misuse to bend the tubes. For the price I paid for the tub, I’m confident I’ll get my money’s worth before it has to be taken out of service, either by normal wear and tear or breakage.

My daughter also mentioned that when they awoke the morning after Chad’s first use there was still ice in the tub, which tells me that the five (5) layers of insulating materials are doing their job. She said that drainage was easy having only to turn the side valve. She said that she didn’t use the bottom drain, so I have nothing to report on it. I can only assume that the second drain’s purpose is to catch any water located below the level of the side valve. The plug is nice, but tilting the lining serves the same purpose.
Chad’s tub is set up outside on a cement slab, with garbage bags beneath it to prevent the cement from affecting the lining. The cement slab leads to a grassy area, so there was no need to bring out the extra drain hose provided. In my situation, my husband and I intend to use the product indoors, placing it inside our 4’ x 8’ shower enclosure when we want to use it. Consideration will have to be given to when to start the fill process, because we will be using our shower heads and not a gushing stream from a hose.
In summary: This “Hot/Cold Not Just for Athletes Tub (my name for it)” has an affordable price for most, is easy to erect, fits a person that is 6’ 2” or less, can be used with hot or cold water, easily drains, is lightweight, easy to clean (spray cleaner and towel), easily disassembles, is portable, and is compact for easy storage.

Recommendation: The only thing I’d suggest to CalmMax is to include a carry bag for travel purposes. I’d even give up the pillow as a tradeoff!

I’m 6ft and I fit inside with no issues. Easy setup as well.