Feel the chill at these 13 spots to cold plunge in Philadelphia
From sleek wellness studios to outdoor tubs, here’s where you can take the (cold) plunge in the Philly area.
Humans have been immersing themselves in cold water baths to improve their health for centuries. Recent evidence suggests that a quick dip in cold water may boost circulation, improve your mood, and help with post-workout recovery. No wonder cold plunging has become one of the hottest new wellness trends, with dedicated spas opening to offer it to those who don’t want to slowly fill their bathtubs with ice cubes or wait until it’s time for an annual polar plunge outdoors.
The Philadelphia area has also gotten in on the cold plunge trend. Cold plunging is not a cure-all—and if you have a heart condition or other health concerns, you should check with your doctor first—but if you’re up for an ice bath, there are plenty of places in and around Philly where you can test the benefits of a cold plunge. Here are 13 spots in the city and suburbs where you can submerge yourself in freezing water, on purpose!
Philadelphia City
F45 Training–Manayunk
Known for its high-intensity interval workouts, F45 Training now offers recovery amenities, including cold plunges, at select locations. The F45 Training in Manayunk is the only Philadelphia location of the national gym brand to offer recovery services so that you can cool down and reduce muscle pain and inflammation after a hard workout. The “recovery trio,” as the gym calls it, includes a cold plunge, as well as red light therapy and an infrared sauna.
Formation Sauna and Wellness–Northern Liberties
Billing itself as the city’s first “traditional sauna,” Formation Sauna and Wellness blends the classic Nordic-style sauna experience with modern wellness services. Guests can book a private sauna session and then experience the cold plunge as a complimentary add-on—it’s not available as a separate service. Other sauna add-ons that you can enjoy for a fee include a “radiant glow” face treatment and an herbal foot soak. Formation also offers therapeutic massages, either standalone or as part of a package with a sauna session.
MVMNT–Queen Village and Graduate Hospital
You know you’ve encountered somewhere hip when vowels are missing. MVMNT calls itself Philly’s best “all-in-one” wellness studio, as it offers fitness as well as wellness spa services. You can take a pilates or kettlebell class and then treat yourself to some recovery time with MVMNT’s infrared sauna, red light therapy, and, of course, cold plunge. MVMNT operates at three locations in Philly, with full studios in Queen Village and Graduate Hospital, as well as a smaller space at Portres Sports Club in Northern Liberties. (The Portres location doesn’t have dedicated cold plunge spaces but may sometimes offer plunge pop-ups.)
Montgomery County
Chung Dam Spa & Fitness–Cheltenham
Chung Dam Spa & Fitness, the first and only Japanese/Korean-style bathhouse in Philly, lets you experience sauna rooms as well as multiple pools ranging in temperature, including a cold pool with a powerful waterfall. Visitors are separated by gender, though there is also a co-ed area. Chung Dam also offers an on-site gym, plus additional services like body scrubs and therapeutic massage. A day pass provides access to the facility, but spa services, like scrubs and massages, cost extra.
Nirvana Float–Collegeville
Best known for the saltwater float pods that give it its name, Nirvana Float also offers “Fire & Ice Therapy,” which combines sauna sessions with a cold plunge. The fire and ice room is available for private use for one to four guests, making it ideal for either a solo wellness retreat or a round of group recovery. The cold plunge is kept at 55 degrees Fahrenheit, but staff can lower the temperature to as low as 39 degrees if you prefer a chillier plunge.
Chester County
The Fox Den Wellness–Exton
Most cold plunge services in the Philly area can be found within indoor spas, but The Fox Den Wellness is an outdoor sauna and cold plunge experience surrounded by forest views at the historic Cross Gables Estate in Exton. The sauna and cold plunge tubs are set up among the trees, offering a serene spa session alongside a nature retreat. While you can book a traditional sauna and cold plunge session, you can also take advantage of Fox Den Wellness’ classes, retreats, and private wellness party bookings.
Surge Sauna & Cold Plunge–Downingtown
Surge Sauna & Cold Plunge is a small, locally owned wellness spa with saunas, cold plunge tubs, and red light therapy. Opened just this year, it’s already becoming a hub for the local wellness community. The open-concept space welcomes walk-in guests to the saunas and cold plunge tubs, and there’s even a coffee and tea bar to help you further unwind. Surge also regularly hosts community events like sound baths and yoga classes.
Delaware County
Springfield YMCA–Springfield
Because the Springfield YMCA inherited its facilities from the Healthplex Sports Club, the Springfield YMCA is one of the few YMCA health facilities in the state to offer a cold plunge pool! Note that only members of the Springfield Y—as well as any member of the Community YMCAs of Eastern Delaware County—have access to the cold plunge.
Bucks County
Revive Hive–Newtown
Revive Hive offers contrast therapy—wellness treatments with both hot and cold therapies—in private rooms where up to four guests can enjoy an infrared sauna, a cold plunge pool, and a vitamin C shower to help cool you down after a sweat session in the sauna. But if you’d rather not use the sauna, you can also just book a cold plunge by itself. Revive Hive’s contrast therapy services are just a portion of the cutting-edge wellness treatments the spa offers, including but not limited to cryotherapy chambers, red light therapy, and vibration therapy.
Recover Float Spa–Doylestown
Recover Cold Plunge Contrast Therapy Float Spa and Infrared Sauna, often called Recover Float Spa, is a Doylestown wellness center with large saltwater float rooms, private saunas, and a number of different plunge options, including cold plunges with circulating water and pressurized jets, as well as a new semi-vertical plunge. While you can plunge solo, the spa also offers packages for couples.
Southampton Spa–Southampton
Southampton Spa is the first and only Eastern European spa in the Philly area and is a local favorite for its variety of services: steam rooms, saunas, a Turkish bath, hot tubs, a swimming pool, and, of course, a cold plunge. Southampton Spa is home to an 8-foot by 8-foot cold pool where the water temperature is always between a chilly 47 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Daily admission includes access to the entire facility.
Companies with multiple locations throughout Greater Philly
SweatHouz–Bryn Mawr and Dresher, coming soon in Media and Philly’s Northern Liberties
SweatHouz is a national network of spas offering contrast therapy: a cold plunge and an infrared sauna. Ending with a “z” and often stylized as SWTHZ, it’s clear that this place is trendy.
A SweatHouz experience involves an hour in your own private suite with access to a cold plunge, infrared sauna, and a vitamin C shower. You’re meant to alternate between the sauna and the cold plunge, with the vitamin C shower available to cool you down after a sauna session. You can also customize your suite experience by choosing your own music or streaming entertainment.
There are currently SweatHouz locations in Bryn Mawr and Dresher, with new spas set to open soon in Media and Philly’s Northern Liberties neighborhood.
Ignite Sadhana–Pop-up events throughout the region
Ignite Sadhana offers workshops around the Philadelphia area (and retreats around the world!) that allow participants to explore the Wim Hof method. Developed by athlete Wim Hof, the practice focuses on controlled breathing, mindfulness, and exposure to cold temperatures. Other workshops and classes may also involve yoga, sauna time, and even firewalking. For our purposes, we’re interested in workshops that offer an opportunity to cold plunge, which will always be paired with other wellness practices, whether it’s breath work, yoga, or using a sauna. Upcoming workshops include four-hour Wim Hof method sessions in Philadelphia and Ambler that end with a cold plunge.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.
