This review looks at one of the best value entry ice baths right now, the Lumi Recovery Pod Max. Ice baths are extremely popular right now and are being used by everyone. It’s not just elite athletes, but regular people including casual gym-goers, and those looking to push their mental boundaries.

Part of the reason for the growing popularity, is due to the mental and health benefits that cold water therapy can bring.

Leading the market in providing high value and good quality ice baths is Lumi Therapy. They started back in 2020 and have since sold thousands of ice baths at competitive prices.

From only £75, you can purchase their entry level Lumi Recovery Pod, currently down from £125 and holding a hefty 320 litre capacity. Lumi Therapy is only one of many companies that are offering ice baths at great prices, which is ideal for the interested consumer who likes looking at different options. Those that are interested and have researched would have noticed Lumi Therapy from their extensive marketing across social media.

There are multiple types of ice baths available within Lumi Therapy’s range. The cheapest being £75, and the most expensive models being £975, for the PRO ice bath and barrel.

The product being reviewed is the Lumi Recovery Pod Max, which is currently £125, down from £175. The main selling points of the Pod Max are:

• 420 litres capacity
• 5x layers of Thermo insulation

Extras included in the Pod Max are:

• Lumi all weather cover
• Lumi thermo lid
• Lumi dry bag
  • Used for storage or carrying everything in one
• Lumi thermometer
• Beginners cold water therapy guide

Customer Service & Delivery

Many of the websites I visited when I was looking to purchase an ice bath were stating long lead times. So I was relieved to see that Lumi Therapy could deliver their products in only 2 days… or so I thought.

It turns out they were selling products without having any stock and were eagerly awaiting numerous deliveries from their supplier. I wouldn’t have had a problem with this if it was made transparent at the point of ordering, but it wasn’t. I had to reach out multiple times the following week to get an idea of delivery dates. Turns out I wasn’t the only one in this situation as there were many frustrated customers.

Based off the lack of communication and delays which weren’t transparent and were consistently pushed back, I don’t think I’d order from them again. To be fair to Lumi, the supplier delivery delays were out of their control. They must have been dealing with hundreds of unfulfilled orders from disappointed customers which they didn’t have the necessary customer support and staff for.

Unfortunately for them, their Trustpilot is absolutely plastered with negative reviews stating the same things. It would have made more sense for them to mark the product as sold out and only commit to selling products that they can actually deliver within stated timeframes, or have absolute transparency on their back orders from the point of ordering. Sadly, now their reputation has suffered greatly and I don’t think there will be a lot of repeat or new customer base.

To summarise my delivery experience, I ordered the product on 29th March. Received an e-mail on 13th April stating there are delays and I’ve been given a free upgrade from the Pod to Pod Max (props to Lumi for the free upgrade). Dispatch e-mail was received on 16th May. Item arrived on 18th May. That’s 7 weeks in total, after being quoted initially on the website a 2 day turnaround with express delivery.

The positives

I believe Lumi truly do care about their products and their business. Perhaps it is just not run that efficiently or effectively to deal with the demand they are facing. The biggest positive is the quality of the products. I received the full order neatly packed in a cardboard box, inside was everything I expected as part of the Pod Max package.

Inside the delivery was a hand pump to inflate the rings at the top of the ice bath and also the ring in the thermo lid. Within 15 minutes, I had everything set-up. The process was very simple, you just need to insert the support legs (the right way!) into the ice bath, and inflate. It was then just a matter of moving the ice bath in the ideal spot and start filling her up.

Filling the ice bath is extremely easy, simply plug the bottom drain hole. Make sure the other drain hole where the drain hose goes into, is closed. And then turn on your garden hose and fill away.

Using the Lumi Recovery Pod Max

Using the ice bath is very simple. To keep the water cold I fill large bottles with water and freeze them, I tend to put about 10 litres worth in about 15 minutes before getting in.

After using the ice bath practically daily for the last 3 weeks, I feel the quality of the product is extremely good, especially considering the low entry price point when you compare against similar products.

I can comfortably sit in the ice bath and submerge up until the neckline, and I am 5ft11. For those that are much taller it may be a bit of a squeeze to submerge to the neck, and may be worth looking at an alternative with greater capacity.

The product seems pretty resilient and I would be surprised if this product didn’t last at least a couple of years. Supplied the product is a few repair patches in case the inflatable parts tear, which is very handy.

After consistently using the cold plunge I have noticed increased energy and focus throughout the day, decreased muscle soreness from physical activity and improved sleep.

The ice bath offers a safe way to learn to control the breath during stressful situations, to aid this further I’ve also been using the Wim Hof breathing method. All of these benefits have been extremely helpful in managing my stress and helping me perform better day to day.

Do you have any trouble dealing with mid day fatigue and lack of energy? Let me know how you deal with this in the comments.