Short answer: the Ice Barrel 400 is an upright rotomolded barrel that needs no electricity, fits users up to 6 feet, and carries a lifetime warranty, for $1,149.99. It weighs 55 lbs empty and goes through a standard doorway. You supply the ice.
Availability note (October 18, 2026): Ice Barrel’s own site now lists the Ice Barrel 300 and 500, not the 400, and Amazon’s old Ice Barrel 400 link now opens the Ice Barrel 300. The button goes to Ice Barrel’s site. If you want a current model, compare the Ice Barrel 300 and the Ice Barrel 500.
How much ice does it take?
The listed weights are 55 lbs empty and about 930 lbs filled. The difference is about 875 lbs of water, or roughly 105 gallons. Cooling that from 60°F to 50°F takes roughly 54 lbs of ice, before heat gain from the air and your body.
You sit upright in it, so your body displaces a good share of the volume. You don’t need to fill it to the brim. Mark your own fill line the first time, so you use the same amount of water and ice each session.
Where does it go?
It measures 42” tall and 31” x 31” across, under 7 sq ft of floor. That is small enough for a balcony or a garage corner. At about 930 lbs filled on a footprint that size, check the load rating on any balcony or raised deck.
At 42” tall, you need a step to climb in. Ice Barrel’s step stool is the matching accessory.
What do you give up without a chiller?
There is no power cord, so there is nothing to wire and nothing electrical to fail. You pay in ice and effort. In a hot climate the water warms between sessions, and the UV-resistant cover only slows that. If you plunge daily, add up a month of ice before deciding.
About the reviews
Ice Barrel lists 5,852+ customer reviews on its site but doesn’t display an overall star rating, so we don’t show one.
You get, you give up
You get a lifetime warranty and a tub you can move when empty. You give up fit for users over 6 feet.
How it compares
The Ice Barrel 500 costs $600 more, fits users up to 6 ft 9 in, and adds R-16 insulation, a seat, and chiller ports. It is one of three picks in our ice bath comparison.
