Short answer: the Polar is a 190-gallon rigid tub with a white cedar skirt, a choice of aluminum or HDPE interior, and a 5-year parts warranty for $3,444. It is a tub only. There is no chiller and no cover in the price.
How much ice does 190 gallons take?
Run the numbers before you fall for the photos. Cooling 190 gallons from 60°F to 50°F takes roughly 98 lbs of ice, before heat creeps back in from the air and your body. That is about five 20 lb bags for one session’s worth of cold.
You can fill it lower, which helps. But a tub this size is hard to keep cold with ice alone. If you plan to plunge several times a week, price a chiller at the same time as the tub. Our data doesn’t say whether the tub has chiller ports, so ask the dealer.
Will the surface hold it?
The tub is 71” x 33” x 25” tall, about 16 sq ft. The water alone weighs about 1,585 lbs when full (190 gal x 8.34). That is close to 100 lbs per sq ft from water, before the tub and you. Put it on a concrete slab or have a deck checked.
Aluminum or HDPE?
You choose the interior at order. Aluminum conducts heat quickly, so the wall feels colder against your skin and passes outside warmth to the water faster. HDPE is a tough plastic that insulates better. Cold Plunge Tub Materials compares them.
What does the warranty cover?
Five years on defects in materials and workmanship, for normal residential use. It is parts-only, so labor isn’t covered. The cedar skirt needs occasional care outdoors.
You get, you give up
You get angled sides for easier entry and a floor drain that takes a garden hose. You give up a cover, which is sold separately as a roll-up. I’d buy it: an uncovered tub collects leaves and warms up faster.
How it compares
The Ice Barrel 500 holds 94 gallons with R-16 insulation and a lid for $1,749.99. Bottom line: the Polar is for people who want to lie back in a large cedar tub. See the Cold Plunge Buying Guide.
