Morning dip in a chest freezer—here’s how Annakaisa created a DIY ice bath for her summer cottage

Annakaisa, how did you get into cold-water swimming?

I moved to Katajanokka in Helsinki about five years ago, close to the sea. Winter swimming wasn’t that trendy yet, so I managed to get into a winter-swimming club. I dipped for a while, but then I stopped. When I later truly fell for cold-water swimming, the club had a waiting list of 300 people ahead of me.

How did you come up with the freezer plunge idea?

My social media feeds started showing ads for cold plunge tubs. They were basically just barrels filled with water and ice cubes. I got excited and told my husband I wanted one for the cottage. He thought buying one was silly and expensive and promised to build one himself. While looking for ideas, he noticed someone had turned a freezer into a plunge pool. That’s where the idea came from.

The freezer was found on sale. The interior was sealed with silicone to make it watertight and then painted.

A wooden carrying frame was built so the freezer could be hauled up to the cottage plot.

What kind of upkeep does the pool need?

The freezer is in use whenever the cottage’s summer water is on, roughly from April to October. We change the water about once a week. We use the same filters designed for children’s paddling pools, and we skim debris out with a net. At around 0 °C, the water stays remarkably clean. The freezer hasn’t noticeably increased our electricity consumption.

The cold plunge spot sits on the sauna cottage’s terrace. A pipe was added to the bottom of the pool to connect to the sauna’s drain.

A wooden frame around the exterior makes the pool look nicer. When open, the solid-wood lid rests against the sauna cottage wall.

How often do you take a dip?

At the cottage, I start each morning with a cold dip. I spend a few minutes in the pool, then enjoy my morning coffee on the sauna terrace. I’m already so accustomed to cold water that I could stay in longer, but you get the same health benefits from a quick plunge.

After the cold dip I feel calm, like I’ve conquered myself. It’s always a shock stepping into cold water, but my body feels warm as soon as I get out. An indescribably euphoric sense of wellbeing floods the body and mind, and that feeling of accomplishment comes every time. It’s addictive.

Keijo the boxer likes to keep watch when Annakaisa gets into the freezer. He might bark at his owner to get out of the water and won’t settle until they share their morning coffee on the terrace. Since she started cold-water swimming, Annakaisa has been sick less often. The hobby also does wonders for her mental wellbeing.