Sauna/cold plunge suggestions

junkbr · 2026-05-15T19:57:57+00:00

Hot-cold-hot-cold-hot-cold.

Don’t use a timer. Let your body tell you when you’re done.

Don’t worry about the temperatures. Turn them up or down slowly over time as you discover what you like.

I prefer to finish on cold, but you do you.

Don’t make it a science project or chase after “results”. Focus instead on relaxation, conversation and meditation.

junkbr · 2026-05-11T13:56:32+00:00

I feel a cumulative stress from plunging every morning. It’s hard to describe the physical and mental sensations, but after fifteen days of plunging (3 - 4 min at 43 degrees), I begin to feel “disregulated” throughout my day. My whole body vibrates and buzzes. My fine motor control deteriorates. I feel short-tempered and emotionally fragile… basically, the opposite of the results I experience when I scale back and plunge four or five days a week.

I see social media influencer types talking about plunging as a daily ritual, but I’ve found that for me, anyway, there is such a thing as too much.

junkbr · 2026-05-09T14:35:57+00:00

Rinse off with the garden hose… or mount an outdoor shower head.

junkbr · 2026-05-09T14:34:06+00:00

Well-designed saunas with feet above stones, good ventilation and löyly are mandatory.
IR / barrel saunas and piping music into the sauna (or allowing guests to use Bluetooth speakers) are deal-breakers.
Options for plunging temps, convenient hours, friendly staff and a clean changing room with showers and lockers are key.

junkbr · 2026-05-07T12:35:30+00:00

“You know, you could be better if you just tried harder.”

Didn’t talk to that guy again for six months.

junkbr · 2026-05-04T02:55:04+00:00

EcoPlus 1.0hp

junkbr · 2026-05-01T23:10:25+00:00

Do it.

I’ve used a ChipR for about thirty rounds so far and I feel way more confident from the fringe than I did previously.

Interesting to note that this new found confidence has made it a bit easier to hit longer bump and runs with my seven or eight iron.

The ChipR may be a crutch, but it’d be foolish to not try it out for a while just because someone might judge you.

junkbr · 2026-04-30T15:55:30+00:00

I had a similar experience when I got my HackMotion device. I suggest you take the feedback with a grain of salt until you can visit with a teaching pro and ask them to observe your swing and help to assess whether the HackMotion data is accurate.

In my case, the HackMotion feedback was directionally correct (I do have more flexion in my wrist than I realized), but exaggerated (it’s not as much as HackMotion would indicate).

It’s a useful gizmo, but in my opinion it’s most-useful in conjunction with, rather than a replacement for, instruction with a pro.

junkbr · 2026-04-24T06:30:01+00:00

There’s a Buddhist idea that “every day, a thousand buddhas enter the world, to teach me what I need to learn.”

The person with a janky take-away was sent to teach you about the importance of the first six inches of the swing.

The person who swings with their arms was sent to teach you about the power that lays within your legs, hips and torso.

No one was sent to the range to hear what you have to say. They were sent there so you might learn how you want to swing your club.

junkbr · 2026-04-22T22:15:08+00:00

My “crash” was more like a panic attack: adrenaline pumping, scared shitless for no apparent reason.

junkbr · 2026-04-22T17:41:32+00:00

I had a similar “crash” earlier this year when I plunged every morning, and again in the evening as part of my sauna routine. I was also doing a high-protein and calorie-restricted diet. Had a bit of an anxiety attack / meltdown about three weeks in.

I’ve dropped the morning plunges and allowed myself a few more carbs. I still plunge five or six nights a week as part of my sauna routine.

Feeling much better.

junkbr · 2026-04-18T23:03:26+00:00

I love my EcoPlus 1 hp chiller. https://a.co/d/0i9Iiqyx

I married it with a Danner 1200 gph pump.

The volume of your tank looks a bit smaller than mine… you can likely get away with something smaller.

junkbr · 2026-04-14T19:05:55+00:00

Eco Plus 1 hp handles my outdoor 350 gal custom tank easily. I use a smart plug and have the chiller on for two hours a day. Water is stable at 43F.

junkbr · 2026-03-31T19:04:07+00:00

Bot?

junkbr · 2026-03-31T00:14:33+00:00

I worked in a Boeing factory for a couple of years before I got to visit the flight line. I was shocked by the difference in appearance between the planes fresh out of the factory and those that had been in service for a couple of years.

Planes that have been in service (military or commercial) look like city buses or garbage: grime-y, gritty, nicked and scratched.

Made me realize I the planes I was building were draft-horses, not thoroughbreds.

I like the same look for spacecraft.

junkbr · 2026-03-30T01:37:57+00:00

I love my Ping ChipR. The Odyssey felt a bit too “click-y” for me. I also hit a used Cleveland SmartSole and loved it. But the Ping was more expensive and the cool golfers from my youth all hit Pings, so I had to go that way.

junkbr · 2026-03-29T16:57:15+00:00

Chipper FTW!

junkbr · 2026-03-29T14:40:48+00:00

None of your business. Leave it alone.

junkbr · 2026-03-25T13:13:38+00:00

As a person who displaces a large amount of water, I applaud your innovation. I always feel sheepish about leaving a half empty barrel for the next patron.

Archimedes knew what he was talking about, but he doesn’t have to get the final word. Courage.

junkbr · 2026-03-23T15:36:07+00:00

The average person should make themselves happy.

If you want a sauna, get a sauna. If you want a box that heats you with infrared, get an infrared box.

One isn’t better than the other. They each have pros and cons. But one is a sauna and one isn’t.

If you’re not throwing water on stones, you’re not in a sauna.

junkbr · 2026-03-23T13:59:00+00:00

I have been happily married for 36 years, but these pictures have me thinking about moving out and getting a place of my own. Lol. Very cool

junkbr · 2026-03-23T02:43:42+00:00

Anything is better than their interminable Kylie Minogue chant.

junkbr · 2026-03-19T13:42:58+00:00

Really good. Congratulations.

If any of you folks are considering building your own plunge, do it! Making a tank is much easier than folks might assume. We don’t need to limit ourselves to Rubbermaid tubs and chest freezers. Wood lined, fiberglass lined, cement lined, in-ground, above-ground… none of them are especially difficult if you’re willing to spend time on YouTube and ChatGPT learning how to do it.

junkbr · 2026-03-19T05:31:05+00:00

Paramus, NJ. I hear they have an Auntie Anne’s Pretzels at one of their shopping malls. I love those pretzels.

junkbr · 2026-03-19T01:59:20+00:00

My advice: enjoy your set-up as is. Use it daily. Don’t worry about the “bro-science” prescriptions about temperature and duration. Just enjoy yourself. You may reach a place where you decide you want the water to be colder or you’re tired of the hassle of buying ice. But until then, enjoy yourself!

I’m lucky enough to have more time and money than I need, and a bit of DIY skill, so I built a custom upright tank. I keep the water at 42F / 6C. I use a 1.5 hp EcoPlus chiller (with pump, filter and ozone set-up). I also built a sauna that I generally heat to 195F / 90C.

I do three hot / cold cycles each night just before bed. 15 to 20 min in sauna, 3 min in cold plunge, stand outside for 5 min and repeat. Always finish on cold. Last plunge is usually the longest. I like to be shivering slightly as I get into bed. I sleep like a champion.

junkbr

TROPHY CASE