Collection · 06 · Timber plunge tubs
A wooden plunge tub that holds 4 °C and looks like furniture
For private homes only: an oval or round tub in thermally modified ash or pale cedar, with a smooth white liner showing above the water, roomy enough for a large adult, and a chiller sized to the litres. It sits on a terrace like a piece of furniture and does the job of a pool without the building work.
Sections on this page
Tubs for homes, pools for businesses
We sell timber tubs only to private households. That is a rule, not a preference. A tub is used by people who know each other; a hotel, club or clinic needs surfaces that can be cleaned and disinfected between strangers, a plant that can be documented and a basin you can supervise. For those, the right answer is a built-in plunge pool.
Five sizes, and the chiller each one needs
The chiller follows the litres, not the looks. A tub of 250 litres can sit on a 1 HP unit; anything over 260 litres needs the next class up:
| Tub | Litres | Chiller | Tub alone | Tub and chiller |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compact, solo | 250 | 1 HP | €2,200–3,300 | €4,800–6,800 |
| Oval | 420 | 2 HP | €3,000–4,500 | €6,500–9,800 |
| Round, chest-deep | 520 | 2 HP | €2,600–3,700 | €6,100–9,000 |
| Double, for two | 800 | 4 HP | €5,300–7,900 | €11,000–16,300 |
| Set into masonry or stone | 1,000 | 4 HP | €6,400–11,000 | €12,100–19,400 |
Indicative ranges, installation basic, freight allowed for. The chiller is priced separately because it is sized separately.
Staves, liner and why there are no hoops
The outside is timber: staves of thermally modified ash or pale cedar, shaped into an oval or a round. The inside is a smooth white fibreglass liner that carries the water and shows above the waterline as a clean white rim, which is where the eye goes when you look at the tub. We do not wrap it in exposed metal bands. Hoops belong on barrels; they rust in salt air and make a plunge tub look like something that has been rolled out of a cellar.
The proportions are adult. Our oval and our round tub are drawn around a large man, not around a catalogue photograph: seat depth, shoulder room, a step you can use without a stool.
Weight, the floor and the first fill
Water is heavy. A full 520-litre tub carries 520 kg of water plus the tub itself, well over half a tonne; a 1,000-litre tub passes the tonne. On a ground-level terrace that is nothing. On a first-floor balcony or a roof, an engineer should sign it off. The first fill takes the water from the hose temperature to 4 °C: for 420 litres that is about 10 kWh of heat to remove, so plan on the chiller running through the night.
Which size for which household
- One adult, a small terrace: the compact 250-litre tub. It is the only tub that fits the smallest chiller, and it fits a balcony of two metres.
- Two people who take turns, or one tall one: the oval 420 litres or the round 520. The round is chest-deep and suits people who like to sit upright; the oval lets you lean back.
- A couple who want to share the cold: the double at 800 litres, with a 4 HP chiller. It is a garden feature rather than a balcony one.
- A terrace you are building from scratch: the 1,000-litre tub set into masonry or stone, flush with the floor on one side. It is closer to a pool than a tub, and the price shows it.
Finish and care
Thermally modified ash needs very little: a rinse, and an oil once a year if you want to keep the honey colour. Cedar turns silver faster. The liner wants a soft cloth and a mild cleaner, never an abrasive pad, and a cover whenever nobody is in. Near the sea, keep the fixings and the display post in marine-grade stainless, as everywhere else we build.
Where it lives, and how to keep it clean
On a sealed, level base with a drain nearby, in shade if you can: a tub in all-day Mediterranean sun works the chiller harder than one under a pergola. A cover keeps leaves, insects and sun off the water. Small tubs are drained and refilled regularly and filtered between times; how often depends on how many people use it, and we put the routine in the handover instructions, in plain words.
The tub and its chiller are priced as a pair in the price list; the kit builder picks the chiller class from the litres you choose.
Is it a hot tub?
No. It is a cold tub, held at 3–5 °C. The warm version is the heated timber tub, the same staves and liner with a heater; a warm pool beside a cold one is the hot and cold pool pair.
Can two people sit in it?
The double tub (800 litres) is made for two. The single tubs are made for one large adult.
Will the timber stay pale?
Thermally modified ash weathers to a silver-grey outdoors; oiled once a year it stays honey. Cedar goes silver faster. Both are fine; it is a matter of taste.
Why a white liner?
Because it keeps the water visibly clean, it is easy to wipe, and it looks calm against timber.
Alongside
The other ways to get cold
Ice bath tubs with their own chiller
A matte white tub on the patio, a chiller out of sight and no ice bags: the quickest way to cold water at home.
Read on
Cold plunge pools built into the terrace
Round or square, glass mosaic or tile, flush with the floor and held at 3–5 °C. The machinery stays out of sight.
Read on
Chillers sized by the litre
1, 2 and 4 HP classes sized by litres, with filtration and controls, drawn into a niche or plant room.
Read on