If you’ve been shopping for a new cold plunge tub, you may have noticed the overwhelming number of options available. You may also have noticed that many tubs and chillers look strikingly similar and often only differ in branding.
I’ve owned over a dozen different cold plunges at various price points, and I’ve made it a point to review cold plunges that are better than other products on the market in one way or another.
The Blast from ReGen Total Wellness is the most recent addition to our home spa, and it has several features that set it apart from any other plunge I’ve tested. In this article, I’ll share why you should consider the Blast if you’re serious about cold water immersion.
Here are my key takeaways after weeks of testing:
- With the push of a button, you can enable “high-flow mode,” which turns the plunge into an incredibly challenging whitewater experience that is sure to break your thermal barrier.
- The heavy-duty chiller, made in Japan, delivers impressive cooling and filtration performance, keeping the water temperature at a constant 36 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The combination of an extra-large sediment filter with large-diameter plumbing ensures consistently high water flow, reduced maintenance, and superb longevity of the pump and other components.
- The tub’s interior is significantly larger than any other plunge I’ve owned. That means you have plenty of space to fully submerge yourself, regardless of your height and weight.
- The stainless steel tub is built like a tank and weighs about 600 pounds, and consumes about 1kW (which can increase your electrical bill).
In summary, the Blast is an absolute beast that pushes the boundaries of cold water therapy. Even though it doesn’t make ice, the ridiculously powerful (but optional) high-flow mode tests even the most experienced cold plunger.
For reference, I consider sitting in 33 degree water with ice floating around me to be a walk in the park compared to the three degree warmer whitewater experience the Blast delivers.
Plus, the incredible filtration and sanitation performance — facilitated by a huge filter and a powerful ozone generator — means the Blast requires the least amount of maintenance of any plunge I‘ve tried.
Delivery, Unboxing and Setup
As mentioned above, the Blast weighs about 600 pounds and isn’t easy to maneuver. I chose the brand’s optional “white glove” delivery service (at a cost of $650) so that I wouldn’t have to recruit muscle to help move the tub to our backyard.
For reference, with standard delivery, the carrier will drop off the pallet with the Blast curbside only. It’s then up to you to move it to its final destination. That’s not a huge deal — I did it with the help of my brother and wife when we got our Sun Home Saunas Cold Plunge Pro — but it requires some planning, a heavy-duty cart and the necessary help.
When the delivery truck arrived with the Blast, it had been raining for a while, and our lawn was soaked. That prevented the two delivery guys from using the pallet jack, because doing so would have torn up the edge of our lawn. Fortunately, we had a heavy-duty cart that we were able to load the Blast onto.
We wheeled it down to our backyard, where the delivery team positioned the tub in our desired location. Then they cleaned up and collected all the packaging material, so we didn’t have to fill our trash cans.
Even with that weather-related complication, the entire delivery took less than 10 minutes.
After delivery, I removed all the accessories that came with the unit (including a skimmer, instruction manual and spare filter) from the tub, and filled it with water.
Once I had filled the tub with water from a non-toxic garden hose, I plugged the unit into a standard 120V 15A outdoor-rated outlet and set the temperature to 36° F using the control panel on the back.
I returned the next morning, ready for my first plunge in the Blast (see the video here).
Chiller Performance
Most companies on the market leverage chillers made in China with cheap parts, such as water pumps that break easily. In contrast, ReGen uses a commercial-grade 1 horsepower chiller made in Japan that will likely last much longer than any of my six Chinese-made chillers.
The heavy-duty chiller has no trouble holding the water temperature at 36 to 37° F (or higher if you choose).
What I like most about the chiller is how much water it moves, because a higher water flow often leads to better filtration and sanitation performance .
I’m used to plunging in freezing-cold water with ice floating around me. As a result, I wasn’t convinced that 36° F would be cold enough for me, considering how cold-adapted I’ve become over the years.
However, during my first plunge in the Blast, I was reminded that water movement significantly determines how we perceive cold temperatures. In other words, I barely managed to stay in the tub for two minutes with “high flow mode” enabled.
My arms and ears started tingling (I had never experienced that before), and I just wanted to escape the cold. Needless to say, my kids had a blast watching me struggle – something they hadn’t experienced before.
The good news is that you can make your experience in the Blast as comfortable or uncomfortable as you want by dialing in the desired water temperature and choosing whether to turn on high flow mode.
However, even in regular mode, the Blast moves an impressive amount of water, making it much more capable of disrupting your skin’s thermal barrier than tubs that don’t have a continuously running water pump.
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
One thing I particularly like about the Blast is the non-slip padding, which makes getting in and out of the tub easy (despite its depth) by reducing the risk of slipping. I also appreciate the slanted backrest, which makes it somewhat easier to relax.
Unlike most other cold plunge tubs on the market, the Blast’s chiller is housed within the main shell to reduce clutter and improve the visual appearance. The downside to this all-in-one approach is that the Blast requires slightly more floor space than some of the other tubs I have at our home spa.
On a side note, if you have an extra $2,000 and want to customize your Blast, you can order a custom vinyl wrap. That price includes the design and installation.
Filtration, Sanitation and Maintenance
Arguably, the Blast’s most impressive feature is its incredible filtration and sanitation performance, which is facilitated by an oversized water pump, wide-diameter plumbing, an extra-large 20-micron sediment filter and a UV-enabled ozone generator.
Most chillers struggle to maintain a high water flow rate and are unable to keep the water sparkling clean once their filter gets dirty. I’ve noticed that I have to replace the relatively small sediment filters in my other chillers every two weeks or so.
The Blast has an oversized filter several times the size of the regular filters used in most other chillers. Combined with an oversized water pump, it ensures a consistently high water flow rate.
Additionally, the Blast has a built-in ozone generator and UV lightbulb that kills pathogens such as bacteria and viruses (keeping the water sanitary without the need for chemical water treatment products).
It’s worth noting that the Blast’s built-in ozone generator is either more powerful or runs longer than the other plunges I own. I can tell because I can smell the ozone whenever I open the lid. That’s great because ozone is one of the most effective and non-toxic methods to sanitize cold water without the use of chemicals.
Price, Value and Discount Code
The Blast is a premium product, and it is priced accordingly. However, it’s attractively priced compared to some of the other premium plunges I’ve tested and owned.
As of this writing, the Blast retails for $8,590, which is several thousand less than comparable models from Sun Home Saunas and Morozko Forge — both of which make ice, but which don’t offer a high flow rate.
As a result, I’d argue that the Blast offers a more challenging cold plunge at a lower price point than the competition.
If you want to try the Blast, use code MICHAEL150 to get $150 off your purchase and free standard shipping.
Summary and Final Verdict
I consider myself an experienced cold plunger. I’ve plunged into the ocean above the Arctic Circle and into water with ice floating around me, and I’ve tested and owned over a dozen different ice bath setups. After years of plunging, I’ve gotten comfortable in still water – even at temperatures near freezing.
The Blast has made cold plunging challenging for me again. Getting into the Blast is like jumping into a river in winter; it’s colder than anything I’ve experienced before, and I love it.
The Blast is also built like a tank with durability in mind, and I expect it to last a long time. With most of the other chillers I own, I’ve had to replace water pumps and various components because the filter clogged up, and the low water flow caused components to burn out. I don’t see that happening with the Blast, and it significantly reduces the maintenance effort required.
The main downsides of the Blast are its weight (ReGen is working on a new model with an aluminum shell instead of stainless steel, which will reduce the weight by a few hundred pounds) and its power consumption. However, you can easily use a mechanical timer to turn the chiller off during peak hours and let it run overnight when electricity is cheaper in most areas of the country.
Michael Kummer is a healthy living enthusiast and CrossFit athlete whose goal is to help people achieve optimal health by bridging the gap between ancestral living and the demands of modern society.
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