Same machine; the size and the kit are what change
We will be straight from the first sentence so nobody feels sold to twice: every chiller we make can be set between 3 and 40 degrees, including the base units on the ice bath chiller page. What this package changes is how we size the unit and what ships with it. Somebody who only ever plunges loads the machine in one direction. Somebody who takes a tub down to 4 in the morning and up to 38 in the evening loads it twice in a day, and a unit that is adequate for one job struggles with two.
So for daily two-way use we specify one step above what a cold-only calculation asks for, include a 40 mm closed-cell lid, and insulate the hose in both directions. Against a cold-only package that is Rp 8 to 13 million more depending on size, and most of that figure is the larger unit rather than added hardware.
Contrast therapy without a sauna cabin
The usual way to run contrast is to build a sauna cabin beside the plunge. It works well and we build them — the sauna and ice bath package starts at Rp 135 million and wants 8 to 18 square metres of deck. But not every house has eight square metres to give up, and not everybody wants 90-degree air.
The alternative is wet-to-wet: one tub taken to 38 or 40 degrees, eight to ten minutes in it, and then the same unit bringing it back down; or two smaller tubs side by side each holding its own programme. The first saves space and costs planning; the second is immediate and costs a second unit. The table below is there so you can weigh it yourself rather than take our word for it.
| Arrangement | Space needed | Wait between ends | Capital cost |
|---|
| One tub, one unit, alternating | 1 tub | 4-5 hours to turn around | Rp 56-118 million |
| Two small tubs, two units | 2 tubs side by side | none | Rp 175-230 million |
| Sauna cabin plus plunge | 8-18 m² of deck | none | Rp 135-290 million |
A warm tub in the highlands, where this makes most sense
In Lembang, Batu, Berastagi and Bedugul the mains water arrives at 18 to 20 degrees and the night air falls to 15 to 17. Those are the cheapest towns in Indonesia to run a cold plunge: the holding load on 400 litres is 363 to 390 watts, a 1 HP unit is enough, and the bill is Rp 146,000 to 158,000 a month. What people in those towns also want, and often cannot get, is the opposite — a warm tub on a cold night.
That is where one two-way unit earns its price. A separate electric water heater for 400 litres means a 6 kW element and a supply upgrade; this unit moves heat rather than making it and draws 1,850 watts at the 2 HP size. City-by-city figures are on the locations map if you want to check yours before deciding.
Holding load, 400 L in the highlands363-390 W
Size for 400 L, cold only, highlands1 HP
Size we specify for daily two-way use2 HP
Warming 5 to 38 °C, 400 L15 kWh heat / 5 kWh electricity
Cooling 38 back to 5 °C, 400 L18 kWh heat / 12 kWh electricity
Draw at 2 HP1,850 W
Warm setpoint most people use37-39 °C
How long the turnaround takes, and what it costs
Lifting 400 litres from 5 to 38 degrees means putting 15.3 kWh of heat into the water. A 2 HP unit working as a heat pump does that in about five hours and spends roughly 5 kWh of electricity doing it, something like Rp 7,000 — the rest is heat moved out of the air rather than bought from the grid.
The other direction costs more, and it is worth saying so plainly. Taking 400 litres from 38 back down to 5 means removing about 18 kWh of heat including what leaks in along the way, and at the cold end the machine gives up most of its output: 2.6 kW real against 5.6 kW nominal. That is roughly 12 kWh of electricity, about Rp 18,000, two and a half times the cost of warming it. Heating water is cheap; chilling it is not. Since each direction takes about five hours, almost every client settles into one direction a day rather than swinging both ways in an evening.
On warm use the lid stops being an accessory and becomes a condition. An open 400-litre tub at 38 degrees loses heat more than three times as fast as the same tub with a lid, most of it by evaporation. The 40 mm closed-cell lid we include closes that gap, and it is also what makes the five-hour figure above honest.
When you do not need this packageIf you plunge daily and only occasionally fancy warm water, do not buy this — the base chiller already has the 3 to 40 degree range and will do it, just more slowly. If what you actually want is dry 90-degree air and steam on hot stones, this is not a substitute at all: a 38-degree soak is a different experience, and selling it to you as a sauna would disappoint you on day one. And if your goal is recovery after training, ask a doctor or physiotherapist which order suits you. We sell machines, not protocols.
Price and what is included
The two-way package runs Rp 56-118 million depending on size, including the closed-cell lid, insulated hose to six metres, the voltage protector, installation and the on-site cold test in Java and Bali, plus a warm test at handover. If the tub already exists we measure it and calculate its load first. Everything sits beside the other packages on the pricing page, and the base size comes from the chiller calculator.
Is this a heat pump or a chiller?
Both, in one cabinet. Below room temperature it moves heat out of the water and above it moves heat in. What changes is the direction of heat transfer, not the machine, which is why one unit can do two jobs without the electric heating element that makes warm tubs expensive to run.
Can it be fitted to a cold plunge we already own?
Yes, provided the tub is insulated and the lid genuinely seals. An uninsulated tub performs badly in both directions: cold leaks in while you hold 4 degrees and heat leaks out while you hold 38. We measure your tub first and will say plainly if adding external insulation makes more sense than buying a bigger unit.
How long is it safe to sit in water at 38 degrees?
Our clients typically soak 8 to 15 minutes at 38 or 39. We give no medical advice and promise no health outcome; if you have a heart condition, blood pressure problems or you are pregnant, ask a doctor before using the warm end.
Does ozone still work in warm water?
It still works, but ozone dissolves less readily as water warms, so the effect is weaker. For a tub used warm often and by more than two people a day we add UV sterilisation; pricing is under ice bath accessories.
If I only want warm water occasionally, what does that cost?
Nothing extra, because the base chiller is already a 3 to 40 degree machine. What you give up is time: a unit sized for the cold job will take eight to ten hours to bring 400 litres to 38 degrees rather than five. For occasional use that is not a problem.
