Cold Water Therapy with Jono James of Odin Ice Baths
Jono James was born with cystic fibrosis, with doctors telling his parents he had less than 10 years to live. That’s an alarming thing to hear, but Jono and his parents took it as a challenge. They explored several traditional options and supplemental therapies. Yet nothing stuck until they discovered cold water immersion.
Today, Jono is the CEO and founder of Odin Ice Baths, which designs and builds ice baths for people around the world. The company has sold hundreds of products and is on track for $4 million in revenue by the end of this year.
Jono spoke with Good People, Cool Things about cold water therapy, improvements he’s seen, and what’s surprised him about running a business.
What was your immediate reaction when you were told you had cystic fibrosis?
At first, I was scared, but I was also immediately determined to fight against the odds. The support of my parents made a huge difference — they invested so much time, especially my mum; she made her full-time job looking after me and finding alternative solutions.
How did you discover cold water therapy?
I got a sauna five years ago and just fell in love with it. I noticed that I cough less and my lungs felt better, considering I have a lung condition. That’s when I incorporated ice baths with the Wim Hof Method. When I was doing saunas and ice baths, whatever benefits I got from the sauna were multiplied by the ice bath.
From what I understand in science, the change in temperature leads to an improvement in health. And so if you're going from 20 degrees to 60, that's really good, but if you're going six from 60 degrees down to four degrees, that's even better. My mental health improved pretty dramatically, I just started feeling good. As soon as you get out, you feel like Superman and can take over the world.
What are some of the benefits of cold water therapy?
The mental health benefits are incredible — it helps reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. It regulates emotions and helps build discipline.
Cold water therapy reduces your response to stress, so when you do ice baths consistently (even just after a few times) you will notice that you are calmer in situations where you would normally feel stressed, anxious, or hyper-emotional.
Finally, it increases the production of adipose fat (brown fat). Brown fat, or brown adipose tissue, is a distinct type of fat that is activated in response to cold temperatures. Its primary role is to produce heat to help maintain body temperature, and it achieves that by burning calories.
Why did you decide to turn this discovery from treatment into a business?
I had invested in a beautiful sauna and didn’t want to have a cheap ice bath that I had to constantly refill with ice every time I wanted to use it. Determined to find a solution, I searched for a long time trying to find an ice bath that was beautiful, functional, and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't find a single ice bath that had an external cooling unit and met these other basic requirements.
Frustrated, I decided to design my own. I posted it to a DIY ice bath group not thinking it would get much traction and it ended up going viral. That’s when I knew I was onto something. Encouraged by the reaction it got, I decided to go all-in and launched Odin Ice Baths. The ice bath's functional design allows the water in it to get down to 0ºC, uses ozone filtration, has a built-in cooling system, and is made with the highest grade materials you can find.
What’s something that’s surprised you about running a business?
As a start-up, there are always going to be moments where you question if you’ve done the right thing because of the stressful moments. The sheer response and community we have built already have made this entire journey so far so enriching.
What’s next for you?
We just launched the Odin 2.0 and are currently speaking with some very influential celebrities and big names in the cold plunge community who want to work with us. We are also developing new products which we are very excited about.