There are a huge number of reasons to use an oak barrel ice bath for cold water immersion:
- Reduced muscle soreness.
- Faster recovery from physical training.
- Decreased inflammation, leading to stronger blood flow.
- Enhanced immune response.
- A reduction in anxiety and mental well-being.
But if you’re reading about which barrel to choose, you already know all of the above.
What you’re here to decide is which of the options will best suit you.
There are 2 main considerations for you – how big should my barrel ice bath be and how do I want it to look? There are 2 little bonus considerations but you’ll have to wait until the end to find out what they are…
What size barrel ice bath should I order?
The smallest ice bath that we offer is our 55-Gallon (250 Litre) Grade A and B Wine barrels.
Wine barrels are approximately 950mm tall (just over 3ft) and 680mm (27″) wide at their widest point, around the middle/belly of the barrel.
Here is a video of a 1900mm (6ft 3″) gentleman called James moving a wine barrel across our yard. He would just about fit in one of our 55-gallon wine barrel ice baths but would struggle to submerge his head and the tops of his shoulders:
The next smallest is our 55-gallon hogshead barrels.
They are a bit taller than the wine barrels but with a similar capacity (1020mm tall/3.4ft and 755mm/2.5ft diameter across the middle/belly). If you are under 6ft and around average build, this barrel will probably also be absolutely fine for you. Here is another video featuring our Marketing Manager Jon Howcroft raising money for the mental health charity The DPJ Foundation. In this video, Jon is around 85kg (13 stone 3 lbs) and 1803mm (5ft 11″).
As you can see, there is just enough room for some head dips.
If you are borderline 6ft tall, I would always side with caution and recommend the 70 Gallon Large Wine Barrel ice bath. There isn’t a huge price jump from the 55-gallon hogshead barrels and at 1050mm tall (3.4ft) and 790mm (2.6ft) across the middle, it is that little bit taller and more spacious inside.
Here is the aforementioned Marketing Manager (85kg/13 stone 3 lbs and 1803mm/5ft 11″) announcing a competition winner by hiding in a 70 Gallon barrel:
As you can see, plenty of room for activities.
If you’re a 1950mm (6ft 5″) and 114 kg (18 stone) second-row rugby player called Lloyd Ashley, an 1860mm (6ft 1″) and 116 kg (18.26 stone) Welsh international prop forward called Rob Evans or a generally bigger human being, you are going to want a 120 Gallon Barrel Ice Bath.
| Barrel Type | Barrel Height (mm) | Barrel Diameter (at belly/middle, mm) |
Barrel Diameter (at top, mm) |
Weight (kg) |
| 55-Gallon Wine Barrel | 890 | 720 | 600 | 60 |
| 55-Gallon Hogshead Barrel | 1020 | 755 | 550 | 70 |
| 70-Gallon Large Wine Barrel* | 1090 | 770 | 645 | 70 |
| 120-Gallon Dumpy Puncheon* | 1110 | 950 | 765 | 130 |
| 120-Gallon Tall Butt | 1320 | 920 | 675 | 130 |
Please note dimensions are approximate. *sizes vary greatly on these barrels, please check first if the size is critical e.g. for doorways.
Right, that solves that. You know exactly which size to get now right? Next consideration:
What style barrel ice bath should I order?
This should be a fair bit shorter.
We have wine barrels and whiskey barrels.
Wine barrels are much younger barrels. Vineyards will use them for 7 or 8 years before the flavour is gone from the oak and we happily take the barrels off their hands. The steel bands are also galvanised to prevent rust and corrosion.
Whiskey barrels can be used for 3 or 4 distils and can therefore be 20-25 years old before the distilleries are finished with them. They’re more rustic, weathered and a little bit rusty, but we think that all adds to the character.
The 70 Gallon Large Wine barrels are a hybrid. Originally used for wine, a distillery has then got a further use or two out of them. The bands are galvanised but that may have been chipped away so some rust is expected.
All barrels will smell of their alcoholic history. Some may have unique stamps from their vineyards or distilleries. Some whiskey barrels even have Jack Daniels and Jim Beam bourbon stamps.
Whiskey barrels will often have been charred inside to add a smokey flavour to the drink.
We can also paint the barrel black for you. The barrel will look a little bit smarter and we use a weatherproof barn paint so it is effective with both the metal and the wood. Here is a 55-gallon hogshead painted black and then without the paint:
Does My Barrel Ice Bath come with a Seat?
It can do. It is completely up to you. Being submerged in water will naturally take the weight off your legs so you may find it isn’t necessary. But the seat adds a layer of comfort and, especially for the larger barrels, acts as a step to make getting in and out a lot easier.
For 120-gallon barrels (dumpy or tall) we use 3 barrel stables to create a seat that is supported from underneath.
For all other barrels, we use a single stave, otherwise, there isn’t room for knees!
How Do I Get into my Ice Bath?
A stool, some steps or a hardy upside-down bucket will suffice. You may find that you can stretch your legs and hop into the smaller barrels without anything. Or we can supply a large tree stump which can elevate you enough to step in (see below). The choice is all yours, just be careful getting in and out, especially if you feel light-headed from the cold.
Do you still have questions? Our team are on hand and will get back to you within one working day. Get in touch.