Not Drying Off After an Ice Bath: The Science & Guide

As a sports rehabilitation specialist and strength coach who reviews cold plunge products, I’ve watched the ice-bath trend move from elite locker rooms into home garages and backyards. One habit I still see debated is what to do in the first minutes after you get out. Many people instinctively grab a towel and rub down fast. I often recommend the opposite in specific situations: skip the towel and let the water evaporate off your skin for a short window. That strategy is not about bravado; it’s about physiology. When applied thoughtfully, not drying off can extend useful cooling, sharpen arousal, and in some cases amplify metabolic signals—while still respecting the trade‑offs for strength and muscle growth. This article explains the science, the real-world upsides and downsides, and how to use post-plunge air‑drying safely and intelligently.

What Actually Happens After You Leave the Tub

Cold‑water immersion is typically performed in water around 50–59°F for about 10–20 minutes, or shorter exposures for beginners. Cold reduces local tissue temperature and blood flow, and many athletes use it to dampen soreness and perceived fatigue from hard sessions. When you step out, your body begins to warm, circulation rebounds, and muscles relax—part of why you often feel looser after a plunge, as described by sports clinicians from Ohio State Health and IvyRehab.

In that transition from water to air, your skin is covered by a thin film of water. If you don’t towel off immediately, that water doesn’t just sit there. It evaporates. Evaporation requires heat, which is pulled from your skin, producing additional cooling. That extra cooling can be a feature, not a bug—especially in warm environments, or when you’re using cold exposure for alertness and stress regulation rather than for post‑lift recovery.

Evaporative Cooling 101

Evaporative cooling is the same principle that makes perspiration so effective. Water that evaporates from the skin carries away heat; the faster it evaporates, the more cooling you feel. Physiology researchers from The Physiological Society describe this as a phase change that removes significant heat from the surface, while safety professionals at GoSafe explain how airflow and low humidity speed evaporation and how humid air slows it because it’s already saturated. Meteorologists make the same point in everyday terms: a breeze over damp skin feels dramatically cooler because it accelerates evaporation.

Sun, wind, and dry air are the accelerator pedal. Humidity is the brake. In very dry air, water disappears quickly, producing strong cooling but over a shorter period. In humid air, evaporation is slower and can last longer, though it feels less dramatic per minute. That is why evaporative cooling vests stay effective for roughly an hour in dry conditions and for several hours in humid conditions; the skin’s water film behaves similarly, though on a smaller scale.

Why Air‑Drying After a Cold Plunge Can Help

Leaving the towel on the hook for a few minutes can create benefits that a quick rubdown short‑circuits. Those include thermal, metabolic, and neurochemical effects that many athletes and patients find valuable—especially when the session’s goal is readiness for heat, resilience, or mood regulation.

A longer tail of cooling in the heat

If you train or work in warm conditions, a short air‑dry window lets evaporation continue the job the bath started. You offload more heat without added hardware or time in the tub. Rush University clinicians note that evaporation, not dripping, is the core of human heat loss. Adding airflow, even walking outside or standing near a fan for a few minutes, can feel like turning the body’s “air conditioning” back on. This is particularly helpful after endurance training or events in hot conditions, when comfort and core temperature management between sessions matter more than raw hypertrophy signaling.

A nudge to thermogenesis and arousal

Cold exposure acutely raises adrenaline and noradrenaline, which many athletes harness for focus and energy. Stanford Lifestyle Medicine highlights reductions in negative affect and lower cortisol for hours after cold exposure, with consistent practice deepening the response. The Huberman Lab further emphasizes a practical rule of thumb sometimes called the Søeberg principle: end with cold and let the body reheat on its own. Allowing shivering and avoiding aggressive rewarming can heighten metabolic signaling. Air‑drying keeps the skin’s cold receptors engaged briefly and can extend the arousal window without more time in the tub or harsher temperatures.

Evidence for long‑term metabolic changes remains mixed. Reviews summarized by Mayo Clinic Press call overall effects modest and context‑dependent, and Harvard Health notes that some benefits, like stress reductions, emerge over repeated sessions rather than instantly. Still, Ohio State Health and GoodRx point out that cold exposure activates brown fat and increases calorie burn during rewarming. Air‑drying fits neatly into that picture by prolonging a safe, tolerable cold stimulus before the body warms itself.

Perceived recovery without more exposure time

Many athletes simply feel better when the post‑plunge cool sensation lingers for a few extra minutes. Clinicians at IvyRehab and the Mayo Clinic Health System report small to moderate reductions in soreness with cold‑water immersion, especially for quick turnarounds. Air‑drying can extend that surface coolness without adding minutes in the tub. While perceived recovery is not the same as tissue repair, it can be the difference between moving freely at the next practice and guarding stiff joints.

When Air‑Drying Can Backfire

The benefits of cold exposure are not one‑size‑fits‑all. A few scenarios call for restraint or a different strategy.

Strength and hypertrophy blocks

If you are chasing muscle growth or strength, post‑training cold can blunt adaptive signaling. Evidence summarized by Ohio State Health and Mayo Clinic Press indicates that frequent cold immersion near strength work can dampen long‑term gains. In those cases, push your plunge to a different day or at least several hours away from lifting. If you do plunge closer to training for mood or sleep reasons, towel off and rewarm promptly to shorten the cold signal rather than extending it with air‑drying.

Cold sensitivity, medical risks, and hypothermia

People with cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled hypertension, Raynaud’s phenomenon, peripheral neuropathy, or diabetes should consult a clinician before cold exposure. Healthline and Harvard Health Publishing both stress that cold shock and hypothermia are real risks. Extended evaporative cooling outdoors in cold weather makes those risks more likely. If you feel lightheaded, shivery to the point of clattering teeth, numb, or confused, rewarm quickly and safely.

Sleep timing

Cold exposure tends to raise core temperature afterward as the body reheats. The Huberman Lab advises using cold earlier in the day if you find it disrupts nighttime sleep. Air‑drying can intensify the initial cold dose; near bedtime, that may be counterproductive.

Air-drying dangers: mold on shirt in humid areas, stretched delicate fabrics, cracked leather.

How to Use Post‑Plunge Air‑Drying Intelligently

In practice, the approach is simple. Keep water temperatures in the 50–59°F range unless you are very experienced. Limit exposure to a sensible window for your goal and tolerance, then step out and skip the towel for a short period. In warm or dry conditions, two to five minutes of gentle movement in a breezy area is usually plenty to harvest the added evaporative cooling without pushing you toward a chill. In humid air, the cooling will feel milder per minute but may persist longer; use a fan to encourage evaporation if the goal is heat relief.

Rewarm gradually rather than rushing into a hot shower. Light walking, a warm beverage, and regular indoor air are enough for most healthy people. If you are using cold primarily for metabolic or arousal benefits, let your body do the rewarming work. If you used cold to bridge a tight competition schedule and you need to move on with your day, it is reasonable to towel off sooner and dress warmly once you feel refreshed.

For athletes prioritizing strength and hypertrophy, separate cold exposure from lifting by at least the better part of a day. When you do plunge, favor shorter exposures, towel off promptly, and avoid extending the cold signal with air‑drying. If endurance recovery or tournament performance is the priority, a short air‑dry window is a sensible tool to extend cooling without extra time in the tub.

Environment and fluid nuance

Evaporation thrives in dry, moving air and lags in humid, still air. Sunlight and wind increase the rate. GoSafe’s guidance for cooling garments maps cleanly onto skin: dry air accelerates evaporation and shortens duration, while humid air slows evaporation and lengthens the damp period. There is also an underappreciated twist about cold drinks. The Gatorade Sports Science Institute explains that cold or ice slurries can briefly reduce sweating by tricking abdominal thermoreceptors, which can reduce evaporative heat loss in dry, windy conditions. If your goal is to maximize evaporation from skin after a plunge, be cautious about relying on ice slurries for cooling in those exact conditions; they can help more in humid, still environments, where evaporative efficiency is already low.

Care and Buying Tips for Cold Plunge Setups

From a product reviewer’s lens, the best setup is the one you will use consistently and safely. A simple bathtub with ice works, provided you can measure water temperature and control session length. Dedicated plunge tanks are convenient and often include precise temperature control, but full‑feature systems can reach costs around $20,000 according to the Mayo Clinic Health System. Regardless of format, have a reliable thermometer, place the setup where footing is secure, and make sure a second person is nearby for early sessions or whenever you are pushing colder water. Avoid natural water with currents, such as rivers, to minimize entrapment risks. Keep warm clothing within reach if you need to rewarm quickly, but give yourself a short window to air‑dry if you are using that strategy for added cooling or metabolic signaling.

Ice bath care & buying tips: cold plunge tub, thermometer, and guide text.

Evidence Snapshot

The table below summarizes what reputable sources report and why it matters for post‑plunge air‑drying.

Topic	What reputable sources report	Relevance to air‑drying
Recovery and soreness	Clinicians at Ohio State Health, IvyRehab, and Mayo Clinic Health System describe modest reductions in soreness and perceived fatigue after cold‑water immersion, especially for quick turnarounds.	Allowing water to evaporate for a brief window can extend surface cooling without more time in the tub, helping comfort between sessions.
Strength and hypertrophy	Ohio State Health and Mayo Clinic Press note that frequent post‑training cold exposure can blunt muscle growth and strength gains.	Towel off and rewarm promptly when lifting is the priority, or schedule plunges away from strength sessions; avoid extending the cold signal with air‑drying.
Mood and stress	Stanford Lifestyle Medicine and Harvard Health highlight acute mood improvements, arousal, and lower cortisol after cold exposure, with consistency enhancing effects.	Not drying off briefly preserves a stronger cold stimulus and may extend the arousal window without increasing immersion time.
Thermoregulation physics	The Physiological Society, Scientific American, and GoSafe explain that evaporation removes heat; airflow and low humidity accelerate it, while humidity slows it.	Air‑drying leverages the most powerful heat‑loss pathway after a plunge; the effect scales with wind and dryness.
Safety	Healthline and Harvard Health emphasize cold shock, hypothermia, and specific risk groups; sports clinicians urge controlled, supervised use.	Use air‑drying conservatively in cold weather and avoid it if you feel unstable; rewarm quickly if uncomfortable or at risk.

Takeaway

Not drying off after an ice bath is a small, strategic choice that can deliver outsized benefits in the right context. Evaporation continues to remove heat, supports alertness, and can amplify the body’s own rewarming response. In warm environments and during tournament or endurance phases, that short air‑dry window can be an elegant, no‑equipment way to feel better without extra immersion time. When your primary goal is building muscle or strength, shorten the cold signal, rewarm sooner, and shift plunges away from lift days. Above all, apply cold exposure with the same precision you bring to programming: match the tool to the job, respect individual risk, and adjust to your environment.

FAQ

Should I towel off or air‑dry after a cold plunge?

Choose based on your goal and environment. If you want extended cooling, sharper alertness, or a longer metabolic signal, stand or walk gently for a few minutes and let the water evaporate before dressing. If your priority is strength or hypertrophy adaptations, or if it’s cold outside, towel off promptly and rewarm.

How long should I stay wet before rewarming?

A practical range is two to five minutes of light movement in warm or dry conditions. In humid air, use a fan if you want to encourage evaporation. If you feel overly cold, shorten the window and rewarm sooner.

Is air‑drying safe for everyone?

Cold exposure is generally safe for healthy people when done properly, but those with cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled hypertension, Raynaud’s phenomenon, diabetes, or neuropathy should talk with a clinician first. Always use a controlled setting and avoid natural water with currents.

Does air‑drying increase fat loss?

Cold exposure increases calorie burn during rewarming and activates brown fat, as noted by Ohio State Health and GoodRx, but Mayo Clinic Press emphasizes that long‑term metabolic changes in humans are uncertain. Air‑drying can extend the immediate cold signal, yet it should be viewed as a complement to training, nutrition, sleep, and stress management rather than a fat‑loss shortcut.

Should I do this after heavy lifting?

If strength or muscle growth is the priority, separate cold exposure from lifting by many hours or use it on rest days. If you do plunge after a lift, shorten the exposure, towel off, and rewarm to minimize interference with adaptation.

What temperatures and times are reasonable?

For most healthy adults, water around 50–59°F and brief exposures are sensible starting points. Beginners should err warmer and shorter. Increase cautiously while monitoring how you feel during the session and the rest of the day. If in doubt, consult a sports medicine specialist for a tailored plan.

Sources mentioned include The Physiological Society, Ohio State Health, IvyRehab, Mayo Clinic Health System, Mayo Clinic Press, Stanford Lifestyle Medicine, Harvard Health Publishing, Gatorade Sports Science Institute, Rush University System for Health, GoSafe, Healthline, UCLA Health, and the Huberman Lab.

References

About the author

Dr. Marcus Cole, DPT, CSCS

A Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). As our Head of Performance Science, he rigorously tests and reviews cold plunge technology through the lens of evidence-based recovery protocols.