Ice Baths: A Case Study In Understanding Consumer Wellness Preferences

Noteworthy trends, like ice baths, help brands and businesses in the wellness industry understand consumer preference shifts. These trends provide a valuable opportunity to learn more about consumers' motivations and aspirations. What resonates with your audience? What look and feel should wellness brands emulate to appeal to their audience? What emotions should these brands seek to evoke? 

Would you willingly dip yourself into a 0-degree Celsius pool of ice water? Many embrace the chilling numbness of freezing ice baths, an indisputable wellness trend penetrating metropolitan cities. Ice baths are quickly becoming a part of everyone’s weekend routine. 

Ice baths, also known as ice plunges and cryotherapy, involve briefly submerging the body in icy water. This cold water immersion technique has been linked to numerous physical and mental health benefits, with renowned influencers like Wim Hof leading the pack. Celebrity and medical expert endorsements have given ice baths even more attention on social media.

Using ice baths as a case study, Naya Ratanapruksakul, a social listening insights expert, uncovers the reasons behind their popularity. Using YouScan, Naya extracts extensive online data to pinpoint key social media conversations. This enables Naya to translate insights into actionable implications for wellness businesses. In this analysis, Naya examines ice bath-related posts from various internet platforms. 

Who are ice bath fans? 

First things first, who talks about ice baths? Naya used YouScan’s Audience Insights tool to learn more about our wellness consumers.

In general, there is a predominant focus on the 25-34 age group. Males discuss ice baths more frequently, except in the 60+ age group, possibly due to the association of ice baths with male societal standards of sports and fitness.

What are ice bathers like?

Now that we know ice bathers tend to be in the 25-44 age range, let’s learn more about their personalities.

YouScan’s Audience Insights helped Naya find that discussions often portray ice bathers as “guide” figures. The "Interests" tab revealed their key interests and occupations, suggesting characteristics of coaches, knowledge givers, and professional trainers. 

Additionally, Naya noticed a more creative side to the ice bather profile, with 'artist' and 'content creator' emerging as top occupations.

What do they talk about?

Ice bathing as a form of celebration

Naya found that ice bathing often brings feelings of euphoria and is linked to religious rites. Using YouScan’s auto Trend Identification feature, Naya discovered that 'Epiphany Bathing' is a popular topic in ice bath conversations. 

To find out more about “Epiphany Bathing,” Naya asked Insights Copilot, YouScan’s social media listening assistant powered by ChatGPT, to give a summary. Insights Copilot revealed that Epiphany Bathing is a Christian religious rite, often done as a form of baptism. This is an instance where people are turning to ice baths as a thrilling wellness alternative to typical spa treatments. This practice adds excitement and fun beyond relaxation, creating a celebratory, spiritual, and euphoric experience. 

Celebration in personal growth

Beyond spirituality, people use ice bathing for personal growth by challenging their stamina, stepping outside their comfort zone, and finding comfort in discomfort. They want to stretch their limits and seek more challenges.

People brave the initial shock of the freezing cold as a display of mental toughness and resilience. Ice bathers celebrate their first plunge by sharing their facial expressions on social media. Submerging in icy water is no easy feat, so why not show everyone what they can do? 

A celebration that marks life’s milestones 

Beyond the exciting and personal growth aspects, we can’t overlook the social side of ice baths. They have become a community activity and a new way to meet people or gather with friends. Some take this socializing to a new level, using ice baths to celebrate important milestones like Father’s Day or a child's gender reveal.

What are the implications for brands and products in the wellness industry? 

Now that we understand who participates in ice baths and why, what can brands learn and emulate from this? 

A wellness activity with major sports association

Although ice baths are generally seen as a wellness trend, it's important to consider their overlap with sports and fitness. YouScan’s logo detection AI found that top brands like Nike, Adidas, and Puma — all athletic brands — are frequently mentioned. Therefore, wellness businesses, especially those offering or planning to offer ice baths, should incorporate fitness or sports associations in their branding.

Key takeaways 

Using ice baths as a case study for the wellness industry, Naya used YouScan’s Audience Insights to examine audience demographics and interests. Naya then employed the Auto Trend feature and Insights Copilot to explore the thrilling ritualistic manifestation. Lastly, YouScan’s logo detection confirmed the strong fitness associations of ice baths with the sports and athletic industry.

While the following insights focus on wellness businesses incorporating ice baths, others can also apply the insights to maximize their audience reach.

1. Focus on the 25-34 age group. It is not necessary to create gender-specific messaging since the gender split is fairly even.

2. Position wellness activities or products as a ritual inspired by the Epiphany Bathing trend.

3. Develop content narratives around celebration, excitement, and personal growth themes. These themes came from top ice bath-related discussion topics.

4. Adopt a tone of advice from an advisor or coach, communicating commercial events and activities as exciting opportunities to try something new.

5. Emphasize the role of community. Show wellness businesses, especially those incorporating ice baths, as promoting quality time with family and friends, highlighting how overcoming challenges together leads to success. 

6. Associate the adjacent wellness and fitness industries, as consumers closely link the two.