Khione CoolCube. The better – and more environmentally friendly – alternative to Ice?
I think all cold water enthusiasts agree. The best way to experience your ‘Wim Hof moments’ is in nature, in a river, a lake, or in the sea when it is the just right temperature. Experiencing the effects of cold in a natural setting makes you feel just a bit more connected with mother earth. Unfortunately reality in modern times is that:
- We do not all live near lakes, rivers, seas or oceans.
- When we do, they are not always the right temperature.
This leaves us with a number of options:
Using Cold Tap water
The first option is to use tap water. Which -in some cases- can be cold enough to practice cold therapy. Research shows that tap water temperature in Europe ranges on average between 12 Celsius to a max of 25 Celsius. The actual temperature of course depends on the time of year, and the country. This is unfortunate because when most like to take their baths the coldest (in summer) the tap water is the warmest and cooling is still required for effective cold therapy.
Adding Ice
Adding ice to your bath seems like to most obvious and simple solution. And this indeed works very well, bus has some negative considerations too. When ice is created (by cooling water down) more energy has to be spent on cooling as the temperature approaches 0 Celsius. In order to create ice, the ice producer or fridge has to operate in this energy inefficient range. Additionally, ice has to be transported. Be it form the fridge or from a supplier, during transportation the ice is already absorbing heat, heat that cannot be absorbed from your bath or tub. Finally, adding ice does not give you the exact control of water temperature that alternatives do.
Using a Khione CoolCube
The third alternative is to use a purpose made water cooler like the Khione CoolCube. These devices cool the water down gradually without having to necessarily spend too much energy on cooling in the lower temperature ranges. Also the loss of cold experienced during transport is eliminated, increasing the efficiency compared to ice even more. Finally devices such as the CoolCube allow for precise control of the water temperature, allowing you to go a bit further (and colder) each time you take a dip!
Conclusion
Water temperature is key for practicing cold therapy. For some people a short shower under cold tap water is enough, others like to get into the water at lower temperatures and stay there for longer. In these cases additional refrigeration is needed. While adding ice to a bath has been the most common method for doing this, it is not the most efficient or environmentally friendly method. New technologies such as the Khione CoolCube allow for more precise temperature control, less overall energy usage and a lot more convenience.
Check out Khiones Products here.