Artisan Backyard Therapy at a Reasonable Price: Redwood Outdoors Alaskan Cold Plunge Tub Review

I didn’t know a cold plunge could look — or smell — so divine. The Redwood Outdoors Alaskan Cold Plunge Tub is a work of art that arrived smelling like the pine tree gods had planted a blessing in my backyard.

I first started dabbling in cold plunging in my backyard: the San Miguel River in Telluride followed by the Slate River in Crested Butte. Headwaters are very cold!

While I don’t consider myself a diehard plunger, I utilize cold plunging to reduce inflammation and to boost recovery. Having a cold plunge next to the hot tub makes that process more streamlined, and the Alaskan Cold Plunge is as aesthetic as it is functional.

In short: The Redwood Outdoors Alaskan Cold Plunge Tub ($2,499) is an artisan barrel that includes a two-tier set of wooden steps, which can be stored upside-down on the internal single-person bench when the tub is drained. The lid’s broad wooden handles are easy to grab. Upon arrival, the 250-pound tub was surprisingly easy to lift (with two strong adults) and place onto a prearranged foundation (I used stepping stones).

It was smooth to set up dry in less than 30 minutes. Recently, Redwood launched a premium version of the Alaskan Cold Plunge that has a fully integrated Deluxe Dual Heater + Chiller system with a manual digital control panel ($6,999) or Wi-Fi-enabled digital control panel ($7,999). fancy!

Materials: High-End Spruce & Insulation

This artisanal tub is made from Thermowood, a spruce treated with steam and heat to increase its tenacity and lifespan. In a kiln, the temperatures reach up to 230 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 96 hours. This chemical-free process allows the wood to live outdoors and avoid rot.

Side effects? A soaker with a lovely aroma and hue of red cedar. So far, so good — I’ll report back after the tub hibernates outside in snow for 6 months. 

Inside, the smooth white plastic liner is made with a reflective insulation that sits between the fiberglass and thermowood exterior. External temperature is the biggest variable that influences the water’s heat loss or gain, so that piece will widely vary based on the weather where you live.

That interior face seems super durable, and I appreciated the light color, so that I could more easily detect any muck our feet brought in that needed to be filtered out. 

Space & Interior Bench

The tub’s seat easily fits one person; while it could potentially fit two lean adults, I found sitting in water 40-50 degrees challenging enough without another body!

Also, while the seat can double as an internal step, I have this barrel cornered against a wall with the drainpipe facing out, so that’s not possible. Nonetheless, lowering myself into the tub and reaching over to step on the bench didn’t feel like a hassle. 

Field Testing & Cold Plunge Chiller

For cooling the water, I threw four 6-pound bags of ice inside the tub, which effectively and rapidly dropped the temperature. I really appreciated upgrading to the Cold Plunge Chiller to pull down water temps instead of using cubes. It goes down to 37 degrees Fahrenheit (and can operate in as low as 35 degrees Fahrenheit).

Despite being 50 pounds, a cooling machine is pretty helpful: During an ice session that included four rounds of 3-minute increments with two adults, the water temp rose 2 degrees.

A word of caution: I spent hours troubleshooting why the chiller would not start. We’d already connected the chiller via three hoses and filled the tub, which sprayed everywhere when we tried to disconnect it.

To our relief, a customer service call had us running in 20 minutes! During transit, an internal wire had become unplugged, so we unscrewed the exterior grate and reconnected the cables. 

How to Winterize

To fully protect the tub, I opted to winterize the setup: Simply open the drainpipe and let gravity do the work before wiping the interior clean and dry. Otherwise, you could operate a Cold Plunge Dual Chiller Heater or a stock tank heater in the tub — 24/7 — once the temps reach 32 degrees.

But you can’t use an extension cord for the connection, and the outlet needs to be GFCI-protected. And the Deluxe chiller-heater cannot run below 5 degrees or be continuously exposed to rain or snow. So, you’d want that winter setup in a garage. Regardless, heating a cold plunge to prevent it from freezing could be a serious spike to the utility bill. 

Critiques

One challenge with the Alaskan Cold Plunge design — well, for winter dwellers — is that water inside the tub cannot freeze: The expansion could crack the liner.

During shoulder seasons in the high-altitude Rocky Mountains, I threaded the needle and took the tub through a month of freezing overnight temps that dropped to 10-20 degrees F for a couple of hours each night. To my surprise, the water inside the tub hovered around 40-50 degrees each morning despite that dip, which I tracked with the Floating Thermometer ($29). 

Also, this cold plunge only comes with a 1-year limited warranty, so be sure to take good care of it. The wood has been pretreated with Wood Wax Oil, which helps protect it against water, mold, and damp conditions. That stain and seal can be reapplied every couple of years.

The interior can be washed with soapy water a few times a year. For long-term storage, the interior should be wiped dry to avoid mold. (That’s a drawback: Mold could potentially grow if left unaddressed.)

Conclusion

Overall, this outdoor cold plunge tub is a work of art for your backyard and a recovery tool all in one. This is an aesthetic, lower-cost, functional option for folks who prefer a semi-permanent installation versus a more mobile pool. The design is clean, functional, simple, easy to use, and nature-inspired.

Comparable cold plunge pools cost a similar amount or more — like the Dynamic Barrel Cold Plunge that’s worth $3,099, which is made of cedar and has a built-in seat. The Dynamic Cold Therapy Barrel Plunge from Plunge Warehouse costs more, too: $3,300.

Another wood-steel tub costs $2,995, from Eu4ric, which offers heating and cooling capabilities. Something like the plastic Ice Barrel 400 ($1,499) is ultradurable and lightweight (50 pounds dry), making it easy to relocate.

The tub’s wood is designed for and resistant to the elements. As someone with very limited yard space, this tub was a perfect addition next to the hot tub. And while it’s not a singular piece of plastic, this wood tub was fairly straightforward to assemble.

The only tradeoff with the product I tested is that the Chiller (a separate purchase) was a bit challenging for me to operate due to a product error. This tub lineup has expanded to include a model with an integrated chiller — but it has a larger footprint, so it might not be one that I’d personally invest in.

As long as you don’t mind adding a bag of ice or purchasing a separate chiller machine, this is an excellent option that’s more economic. Ultimately, this Redwood tub is a compact masterpiece that rounds out a daily health routine with award-worthy design.