Brass Monkey vs Chill Tubs vs Lumi vs Monk: the four UK cold plunge brands compared (2026)

Ask an AI assistant or a search engine for the best cold plunge in the UK and these four names come back more than any others: in our AI-visibility data for 22 and 23 September 2026 (348 answers from ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode), Lumi is named in 43% of UK answers and Chill Tubs in 35%, with Brass Monkey and Monk at 14% and 12%. This page puts every model the four brands sell side by side, at the UK prices on their own storefronts in September 2026, so you can see what each one actually is before a brand page tells you what it wants to be.

Updated 5 October 2026: Monk's Nomad and Nomad plus Shiver have sold out and the Cocoon plus Shiver Pro is out of stock; the table, the Monk section, the budget head-to-heads and the first-plunge answer now say so, and the £1,000 to £1,500 band points to an in-stock Kove alternative. Earlier, on 29 September: Lumi Therapy Ltd is in administration and the Lumi shop is now operated by Sno Solutions Ltd, so the Lumi section, the budget head-to-heads and the first-plunge answer no longer recommend Lumi's chiller bundles, and Lumi's unlabelled 445 W figure is no longer compared as cooling. Earlier, on 26 September: the Chill Tubs Halo range has been withdrawn, so the £11,000-and-up comparison is now Brass Monkey alone, Chill Tubs is down to six models, and the cheapest in-stock all-in-ones have changed. Earlier, on 23 September: model counts, the Lumi and Chill Tubs rows of the table, the Monk Origin price and several "only" claims corrected against the catalogue.

Written by Aodhan, who has owned six cold plunges in three years, including a Lumi and a Chill Tubs. Prices and specifications are from the Plungepedia catalogue, read from each brand's own UK page and last checked on 5 October 2026. The Amazon UK links are affiliate links; the brand-site links to Lumi, Monk and Chill Tubs may also earn a commission. Neither changes what you pay.

The four brands by the numbers

Between them the four sell 24 of the 151 products in the Plungepedia catalogue: Lumi 9, Chill Tubs 6, Monk 6, Brass Monkey 3. Lumi publishes dimensions and a warranty on all 9; Monk publishes a warranty on all 6 and dimensions on 5; Chill Tubs publishes a warranty on only its three all-in-ones (the inflatables and Mini Chiller state none) and dimensions on all 6; Brass Monkey publishes a 24-month warranty on all 3 and dimensions on 2. Only Lumi and Brass Monkey state a minimum below 3C: 2C on Lumi's Mini Chiller 2, and 0C on Brass Monkey's Ice Bath and Signature. If you want to know what you are buying from the product page alone, Lumi is the most transparent and Chill Tubs the least, which is the opposite of their price order.

The four brands in one table

All prices are the brand's own UK storefront price in September 2026 and are dated on each product page. Bundle prices are what you pay for tub plus chiller together.

Lumi Therapy: the cheapest way in, with a support question mark

Lumi is the brand AI assistants and Google both put first for UK searches, and the reason is price. The Pod Max Ultra at £89 (also on Amazon UK) is a five-layer inflatable with 10 mm foam insulating panels and 420 litres; the Pod Pro (£299, 450 L, also on Amazon UK) and Pro 8 (£399, 520 L) are hard-wall pods with a 50 mm and 80 mm air gap that hold temperature far better and take a chiller properly. The Mini Chiller 2 (£699, also on Amazon UK) is listed at 445 W, with a 2C minimum, app control and ozone three-stage filtration, and the bundles come in at £758, £873, £948 and £1,048.

Who you are buying from: Lumi Therapy Ltd (Companies House 13005605) went into administration on 29 August 2025, with administrators from FRP Advisory, and was still in administration after an extension in August 2026. The Lumi shop at lumitherapy.co.uk is now operated by a different company, Sno Solutions Ltd (16582213), incorporated on 15 July 2025 with its registered office in Torquay.

What the numbers say: Lumi does not label the 445 W, so it may be cooling output or power draw, and it cannot be compared directly with Monk's 880 W or Kove's 1,200 W of stated cooling. The 2C minimum is the lowest of the four brands' separate chillers. Lumi gives 12 months on the hard-wall pods and the chiller, and the Pod Max Ultra's 6 months is the shortest warranty of the four brands.

What owners say: recent Amazon UK reviews of Lumi's pods are dominated by leaks, seam and valve failures and pump problems, alongside four and five star reviews praising the quality and setup. Amazon UK rated Lumi's Recovery Pod Max listing 4.1 from 50 reviews at our check on 22 September 2026. Trustpilot shows a sharper change: Lumi's overall TrustScore is still 3.8 from about 5,000 reviews, but the 200 most recent English reviews (12 June 2025 to 26 September 2026) average 2.5 stars, and 125 of them are one or two stars. The complaints that recur are emails and contact going unanswered, warranty claims that stall, seams that split and leak, and chillers that stop working. On an £89 pod that is a risk you can price in: pay by card, check the returns terms before you buy and keep the packaging for the first month. On a chiller bundle costing several hundred pounds, it is a bigger one.

Who should buy it: someone who wants to try plunging for £89 before committing. For a chilled setup under £1,000 we now point readers to the Kove Arctic with Core Chiller (£749 for 450 litres and a labelled 1,200 W chiller, both covered for 24 months) rather than a Lumi bundle. See the Lumi brand page for every model.

Monk: design-led, with the chiller you keep

Monk sells three things that matter: the Nomad (£595), a 500 L drop-stitch inflatable with hardened insulated walls; the Shiver (£895), an 880 W chiller with a 3C minimum, filter and app control; and the Cocoon (£1,995), a rigid insulated shell that fits someone up to 203 cm, with ozone plus two-stage filtration and a 24-month warranty. Bundles: Nomad plus Shiver £1,295, Cocoon plus Shiver £2,690, Cocoon plus Shiver Pro (1,450 W, heats to 40C) £4,290. The Origin, the £6,995 all-in-one, has sold out and Monk has not announced its replacement. On 5 October 2026 the Nomad and the Nomad plus Shiver were sold out, with waitlists, and the Cocoon plus Shiver Pro was out of stock; the Shiver, the Cocoon and the Cocoon plus Shiver could be ordered.

What the numbers say: Monk labels the Shiver's 880 W as cooling, which matters if the tub lives outside (Lumi's 445 W, as noted above, carries no label, so there is no like-for-like comparison). Because the chiller is separate, a buyer can start with Nomad plus Shiver and move the Shiver to a Cocoon later, which is the cleanest upgrade path of the four brands. Monk is the only one of the four to offer a home chiller that heats (the Shiver Pro, sold with the Cocoon).

Who should buy it: someone who wants a tub that looks permanent in a garden or gym corner, app control, and a chiller they will keep through an upgrade. See the Monk brand page.

Chill Tubs: one box, one plug, heating included

Chill Tubs is the UK's reference all-in-one maker. The Lite (£3,499) is a 400 L rotomoulded polyethylene tub at 85 kg; the Original (£4,499, also on Amazon UK) is the same 400 L in 316 stainless and aluminium at 125 kg; the Pro (£5,999, also on Amazon UK) is 700 L in acrylic with app control at 220 kg. All three chill to 3C, heat to 40C, run ozone filtration, plug into a 13A socket and carry a 24-month warranty. There are also two inflatables (Essential Pod £499, Essential Bath £529, no chiller) and a Mini Chiller (£1,020, 3C, 48 dB, R32 refrigerant). The Halo, a circular commercial fibreglass shell, has been withdrawn from Chill Tubs' shop.

What the numbers say: the Lite sits level with Outdoor Living's Glacier among the cheapest in-stock all-in-ones from UK sellers (only Steam & Oak's InvigorIce Storm and TimberIN's Nordic Ice cost less), and heating is included, which none of Lumi's or Monk's standard bundles have. The cost is upgradeability: the chiller is inside the tub, so a failure out of warranty is a repair, not a swap. Dimensions are 1,790 x 750 x 755 mm (Lite) and 1,800 x 750 x 730 mm (Original): measure the door.

Who should buy it: someone who wants cold and hot from one unit with no assembly and a two-year warranty, and has £3,500 to £6,000. See the Chill Tubs brand page.

Brass Monkey: the benchmark, at four times the price

Brass Monkey makes the Ice Bath (£11,245), the Pro Plunge (£20,394) and the Signature (£21,000). All are cedar-clad with a stainless steel insert (grade 316 on the Pro Plunge), all have built-in chilling, particle and UV filtration (always on in the Ice Bath and Signature) and app control, and the Ice Bath and Signature chill to 0C, which no other brand here reaches. The Ice Bath is 1,730 x 940 x 940 mm and made to order in eight finishes and three sizes; warranty is 24 months.

What the numbers say: a 0C minimum, UV rather than ozone, and always-on filtration are what you are paying for; the rest is finish. There is no heating. Brass Monkey has no affiliate programme, so nothing on this site earns from a Brass Monkey sale.

Who should buy it: gyms, clinics, hotels, and the private buyer who wants the unit the others are measured against and will not resell it. See the Brass Monkey brand page.

Head to head by budget

Under £1,000: only Lumi has a chilled setup at this price, from £758, and we no longer recommend it while Lumi Therapy Ltd is in administration and recent Trustpilot reviews report stalled warranty claims and failed chillers. Monk's Nomad on its own is £595 with no chiller, and was sold out on 5 October 2026. Lumi's £89 Pod Max Ultra remains a cheap way to try plunging without a chiller. For a chilled setup in this band, the Kove Arctic with Core Chiller (£749) sits outside these four brands.

£1,000 to £1,500: Monk Nomad plus Shiver (£1,295): a 500 L drop-stitch tub, 880 W of stated cooling, app control and 12 months on the tub and 24 on the Shiver. Lumi's only setup in this band is the Pro Duo plus Mini Chiller 2 (£1,048), with an unlabelled 445 W figure and the support questions above, so of the two, Monk is the one we would choose. It was sold out on 5 October 2026, so join Monk's waitlist or look outside these four brands: a Kove Core tub with the Kove Pro chiller (£199 plus £1,199) was in stock.

£2,500 to £3,500: Monk Cocoon plus Shiver (£2,690) against Chill Tubs Lite (£3,499). The Cocoon keeps the chiller separate and swappable; the Lite adds heating to 40C and a single 13A plug with nothing to assemble. Heating decides it: if you want contrast therapy, Chill Tubs.

£4,500 to £6,000: Chill Tubs Original (£4,499) or Pro (£5,999) against Monk Cocoon plus Shiver Pro (£4,290). All three heat and cool; the Monk bundle was out of stock on 5 October 2026. The Original is 316 stainless in a 400 L tub; the Pro is 700 L with app control; the Monk keeps the two-box layout and the upgrade path.

£11,000 and up: Brass Monkey Ice Bath (£11,245), unopposed. Chill Tubs has withdrawn the Halo, and neither Lumi nor Monk sells anything above £6,000.

What none of the four tell you on the product page

None of the four publishes noise figures except Chill Tubs (48 dB on the Mini Chiller). None states where the chiller is manufactured. Lumi and Monk do not publish kW or HP on every listing (we have converted their stated watts). Only Lumi and Chill Tubs publish dimensions on every model. Delivery lead times are "contact us" on all four. Our methodology explains which figures we could verify and which are still "not stated" on each product page.

Safety

Cold water immersion is a cardiovascular stress. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure or are pregnant, speak to a doctor before using any of these. Never plunge alone or after alcohol; start at 10 to 12C for one to two minutes. The safety guide has the full list.

Which is better, Chill Tubs or Brass Monkey?

They are not competing for the same buyer. Chill Tubs sells complete all-in-ones from £3,499 with heating and a 24-month warranty for homes; Brass Monkey starts at £11,245, chills to 0C with always-on UV filtration, and is built for gyms and clinics. If you have the budget and the space, Brass Monkey is the more capable machine; for a home, a Chill Tubs Original does 90% of the job for 40% of the money.

Is Lumi or Monk better for a first cold plunge?

For cold on demand, Monk, once it is back in stock: the Nomad with Shiver (£1,295, 500 L drop-stitch tub, 880 W stated cooling, 12 months on the tub and 24 on the Shiver) is a complete setup, and the Shiver moves to a Cocoon if you upgrade later. Check stock first: the Nomad and the Nomad with Shiver were both sold out, with a waitlist, on 5 October 2026. Lumi's chiller bundles cost less, but Lumi Therapy Ltd has been in administration since 29 August 2025, its shop is now run by Sno Solutions Ltd, and recent Trustpilot reviews describe stalled warranty claims, so we no longer recommend them. Lumi's £89 Pod Max Ultra, with no chiller, is still the cheapest tub from these four brands for trying plunging; pay by card. With under £900 to spend on a chilled setup, look beyond these two brands to the Kove Arctic with Core Chiller (£749, a 450 L tub whose chiller states 1,200 W of cooling, with a 24-month warranty on each).

Which brand has the best warranty?

Brass Monkey, Chill Tubs and Monk (Cocoon, Shiver) publish 24 months. Lumi gives 12 months on hard-wall pods and the Mini Chiller 2, and 6 months on the inflatable Pod Max Ultra.

Are these brands British?

Brass Monkey (Wetherby), Chill Tubs (Chesterfield), Lumi (Torquay) and Monk (London) are all UK companies. Where the tubs and chillers are manufactured is not stated on their product pages. Several UK chiller brands sell units with identical published specifications, which points to shared factories.