In the crowded wellness space, few brands have carved out a niche as distinctive and as literally chilling as Plunge. Known for their sleek, accessible cold plunge tubs and saunas, Plunge has quickly become synonymous with performance recovery, mental resilience and longevity practices.
But behind the viral videos and Shark Tank appearance is a compelling founder story. I sat down with Ryan Duey, co-founder and CEO of Plunge, to learn how a pandemic side project turned into a category-defining wellness brand. From the science of cold exposure to the surprising way families are using their plunges, we dug deep into what makes this brand tick.
What follows is a condensed Q&A from our conversation:
For the uninitiated, what is Plunge, and what are the benefits and science behind cold exposure?
At its core, cold plunging affects people differently depending on their goals—whether it's nervous system regulation, immune support or inflammation reduction. But one thing that shows up consistently? Mental health. People often come for recovery, but quickly realize it's the impact on mood, energy and mindset that keeps them coming back. Cold water triggers a powerful mental shift that’s universal.
Take me back to the 'aha' moment that led to the creation of Plunge. Was there a specific experience that convinced you that this was more than just a niche wellness trend?
Like many, I discovered cold therapy through Wim Hof and his Vice documentary. Years later, after getting sick multiple times in a year, a health coach recommended I try cold water therapy. The results were incredible. At the same time, my now co-founder Mike was building his own plunge setups. During COVID, with our brick-and-mortar float centers shut down, we saw an opportunity. We started building plunges in a garage in Northern California. Our plan was to sell 20 units locally. Then we bought the domain thecoldplunge.com and suddenly, we were getting calls from across the country. That was the moment we realized we had something much bigger.
What's been the most surprising customer use case or feedback story you've experienced over the last five or six years?
The family rituals. We never expected cold plunging and saunas to become family bonding moments, but people write us saying it's how they spend Sundays now. Parents plunging with their kids, couples building routines together—it’s powerful. The cold brings people together in ways we didn’t anticipate.
What's been the biggest unlock for you when it comes to customer acquisition?
Shark Tank was a big moment—we still see 3-4% of traffic coming from reruns. Early on, we focused on influencer partnerships. We figured if we could get 20 people talking about us, it would feel like we were everywhere. That strategy helped. Now, we’re leaning into performance marketing and growing our B2B arm. Our Commercial Max tub is showing up in gyms, hotels and recovery centers—introducing new people to the product every day. We think of it like the Peloton-SoulCycle effect: try it in a studio, then bring it home.
Looking forward, what macro trends in wellness, longevity, and human performance are you watching closely, and does that equate to any evolutions or changes you see in the business?
The convergence of AI and personalized health data is huge. Longevity testing, wearables, biomarker tracking—all of that is evolving fast. We see an opportunity to integrate Plunge into that world. For example, how do your HRV or inflammatory markers change over time with regular cold exposure? We’d love to help users track that. It's also about education—helping people realize that it’s not about suffering in freezing water, but about finding the right temp and duration for your body.
For someone like myself who would love to try Plunge, what's the most surprising thing they might expect when they purchase and start using a plunge?
How much you start craving it. It becomes a form of medicine. It becomes a daily ritual. Just like you'll want your coffee, you're going to want your cold plunge. It starts out, and you hear about it, thinking, 'Why would I ever do that? It's so hard!'. But then you start to incorporate it into your life, find the right temperature and process for you. Outside of my bed when I travel, the cold plunge is the thing I miss the most. I'd say that's a surprise for people starting out who are intrigued by cold plunging.
Is there anything else you'd like to share about Plunge, whether your vision for the future of the company or beyond?
We aspire to be more than just a cold plunge company. We launched our saunas last year, and it's been super well-received; we're really proud of the product. Right now, we're just in the traditional high-heat sauna space. We have multiple product areas and a strong engineering development team. So, be on the lookout for new things coming. We want to make these hard experiences as simple as possible, taking out the barriers and making sure you can just go do the hard thing.
Learn More About Plunge
What started as a DIY project in a garage has become a movement. Plunge isn't just selling hardware - it's helping people reconnect with their bodies, their routines and even their families. In a world filled with flashy wellness fads, Plunge is rooted in something primal, real and refreshingly cold.
To explore Plunge's products and learn more about the benefits of cold plunging and sauna therapy, visit their page on Workup: Plunge on Workup.
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