21 Jan What is the Point of a Plunge Pool?
A plunge or dipping pool is a small recreational pool designed for plunging, falling, or soaking instead of swimming laps. While they come in many shapes and sizes, plunge pools are generally around 4-8 feet deep and range from 8×8 feet up to 16×16 feet. So, what exactly is the point of having one of these petite pools in your backyard? Here’s an in-depth look at why plunge pools have become so popular.
Cooling Off
One of the main reasons people install plunge pools is to have a designated spot to plunge in and cool off during hot summer days. Unlike a full-sized swimming pool, which requires swimming laps to get refreshed, you can walk down a few steps and fully immerse in a plunge pool’s chilly waters in seconds. It’s an easy way to get instant heat relief without jumping into a vast body of water.
Plunge pools provide a refreshing oasis that allows you to cool your entire body in its small but deep waters. You can easily stand with your head above water or float with your whole body submerged. The plungie pool cost installed is a consideration for those looking to create their cold tub right in their backyard. These pools often incorporate bench seating, allowing you to sit in various depths for a nice cool down. It’s like having a personal cold tub right in your backyard!
Soothing Soaks
In addition to quick dips to cool off, many people use their plunge pools for leisurely soaking. In most models, the benches, ledges, and steps provide plenty of built-in seat options for relaxation and socializing. You and your family or friends can unwind after a long day by casually sitting and wading in the pleasantly cold waters.
With the proper lighting and landscaping around the pool, a soak in a plunge pool can be a soothing, spa-like experience. It’s an easy way to get hydrotherapy benefits at home. The weightlessness and calming nature of sitting in warm water up to your neck is similar to lounging in a hot tub – just with more relaxed and refreshing temperatures.
Compact Size
For many homeowners, a full-sized swimming pool isn’t feasible due to size constraints in their yards. This is where the compact nature of plunge pools makes them a practical backyard addition. With a small footprint, they can fit into narrow side yards or even be incorporated into an existing patio or deck.
A plunge pool is a sensible compromise if you want the joy of having a pool but don’t have the space for laps and games. While not made for swimming, their petite size provides ample room for wading, plunging, and soaking whenever you need a quick cooldown. For urban or suburban homes with limited outdoor space, they deliver the essence of a pool in a pint-sized package.
Easier Maintenance
Let’s face it – for all the fun that pools provide, keeping up with maintenance is a chore. Fortunately, plunge pools are far easier to care for than large inground pools. Their small volume of water requires much less chemicals and filtration. You’ll also spend far less time skimming leaves and debris off the surface.
Weekly maintenance tasks like testing chemicals, cleaning filters, and brushing the sides take just a fraction of the time compared to bigger pools. Their compact footprint also reduces the time spent vacuuming and netting out leaves. And when it comes time for opening and closing seasonal maintenance, the job gets done faster, too.
A plunge pool hits the sweet spot for busy homeowners looking for low-maintenance backyard fun. All the joys of having a pool with a side of simplicity!
Unique Design Options
When designing a plunge pool, creativity abounds. Unlike traditional kidney-shaped inground pools, which often follow a formulaic look, plunge pools can be customized into almost any shape imaginable. Round, square, oval, freeform – the options are endless. This allows homeowners to give their small pool space a unique identity.
With the plethora of building materials available today, like concrete, fiberglass composite, steel wall panels, and tile, plunge pools can take on exciting design elements. Curvy shapes, mosaics, infinity edges, and rockscaping are some ways they can be enhanced visually. LED lighting adds ambiance for nighttime plunging and soaking.
A uniquely shaped plunge pool becomes a true backyard centerpiece for homes with contemporary or eclectic architecture. Despite its small size, it provides an artistic water feature that makes an impression.
Heightened Hydrotherapy
While a large swimming pool is best for swimming laps and playing pool games, the compact plunging depth of a plunge pool offers its hydrotherapy benefits. The ability to submerge your entire body into colder waters has long been used in spa treatments to stimulate health and wellness.
The hydrostatic pressure and natural buoyancy from water immersion help relieve joint inflammation and ease back pain. It also boosts circulation and lymphatic drainage. The cooling temperatures reduce muscle fatigue and soreness while also giving your heart rate and metabolism a kickstart. And let’s not forget the mood boost and mental health perks of water therapy.
The plunge pool allows full-body immersion in even the smallest backyard footprints by maximizing depth over width. Just a few steps or stairs down, you can reap all the revitalizing perks of cold water therapy at home.
Entertainment Space
Don’t let their petite footprint fool you – plunge pools pack a lot of entertainment value. Their small size makes them ideal for installing swim jets, water features, and sound systems to amplify aquatic enjoyment.
Models with built-in hydrotherapy jets create a spa-like experience with massaging bubbles. Programmable LED lighting sets the mood for night swims. Some plunge pools even have waterfalls, fountains, or infinity edges that add visual drama. Integrated stereo systems mean you can jam out while chilling in the water.
For parties and get-togethers, a plunge pool becomes an interactive gathering spot that provides hours of amusement. The variety of enhancements available today turns them into small backyard playgrounds.
Private Personal Oasis
While large swimming pools are tailor-made for neighborhood gatherings and pool parties, one of the appeals of a plunge pool is privacy. Tucked into a small footprint and surrounded by decking, lush plants, or masonry walls, they create a secluded personal oasis.
For homeowners who prefer backyard tranquility over big community pool vibes, the intimacy of a plunge pool delivers. You can immerse privately in your aquatic niche rather than putting on a bathing suit show for the neighbors like some big pools necessitate. It’s your own little secluded water hole.
The ability to soak or plunge with just your family or a few close friends away from peering eyes makes plunge pools unique. They are more affordable and accessible to maintain than large pools, and they foster relaxation instead of self-consciousness about who might be watching from the sidelines.
Eye-Catching Focal Point
Plunge pools inherently draw the eye, acting as visual focal points in backyards and patios. Their shimmering blue waters stand out as aquatic accents that enhance the landscape.
A petite plunge pool does the trick for small spaces that look lackluster or incomplete without a water feature. The eye is immediately drawn to its gleaming surface and reflective light. At night, glowing LED lights amplify the allure. And plunge pools often incorporate nearby water effects like fountains that connect visually to the pool.
Centered on a patio or surrounded by stone decking and foliage, plunge pools pop visually and conceptually. Water has that captivating, cooling effect on the eyes and mind!
Wading for Toddlers
Parents know finding outdoor activities that toddlers and young children will enjoy safely is challenging. Plunge pools offer a great solution with built-in bench seating and gradual entry.
Little ones can splash around standing on the seats, with just a few stairs or a gentle slope to maneuver. While deeper than a kiddie pool, plunge pools allow pre-schoolers to get acclimated to being in the water while being able to touch and sit comfortably. And the smaller size helps parents keep a close watch.
For active toddlers who would otherwise require constant supervision around a standard swimming pool, a plunge pool lets them wade independently with reduced risks. It gets them engaged with water play in a controlled setting.
Pet Paddling
Dogs get hot, too! Along with family recreation, another point of plunge pools is providing pets with a designated watering hole. Especially for outdoor dog owners without a pond or lake nearby, a small pool gives canines a place to take a dip and cool their paws.
Shallow bench areas allow smaller dogs to climb in without full submersion. The compact size makes watching larger dogs who want to swim and fetch easy. A plunge pool offers a tidy outdoor rinsing solution for pet owners who don’t want soggy, muddied dogs traipsing through the house to reach the bathtub.
Giving pets their little pool lets them paddle around quietly without disturbing kids swimming or soaking. It’s a win-win for both two-legged and four-legged family members!
Year-Round Enjoy
One of the best aspects of plunge pools is their versatility for year-round water enjoyment. While large in-ground pools in many climates get closed up for a good chunk of the year when it’s too cold to swim comfortably, plunge pools extend aquatic fun into spring and fall.
Their small volume of water heats up rapidly when the sun is shining. Even on cooler 60-70-degree spring and autumn days, the water can get sufficiently warm for brief plunges and soaks. Whereas unheated big pools would be downright chilly during shoulder seasons, plunge pools let you double your time in the water.
For those willing to heat their plunge pool, they can become a delightful wintertime oasis. With the proper insulation and heating system, soaking in 100+ degree water amid snowy weather is an exotic thrill. And steamy temperatures are more accessible to attain and maintain in a small pool with less volume.
By providing a refreshing way to hydrate and move year-round, plunge pools unite all the seasons for homeowners. Why relegate water fun only to hot summer days when you can plunge 365 days a year?
Architectural Statement
For some homeowners, a plunge pool serves as a place to cool off and a chic architectural statement. With their shapely forms and shimmering blue waters, they create an undeniably glamorous aesthetic.
As accents to wooded yards or urban roof decks, artistically designed plunge pools elevate the visual environment. Water shapes add excitement. They instantly create an atmosphere, establishing a mood. Tranquility, tropical vibes, modern edge – a thoughtfully designed plunge pool reflects whatever you envision.
These miniature oases prove that backyard pools can be just as much about beauty and visual impact as recreation. A custom-shaped plunge pool hits the mark for spaces seeking a dash of showstopping whimsy.
Plunge on into all the possibilities! With more straightforward maintenance needs, ample design options, and full-body hydrotherapy benefits, the petite plunge pool creates big backyard vibes. Give yourself an aquatic area to soak stress away, trim heat waves, and add a mesmerizing focal point. You may find a plunge pool, the ideal water feature for your home and family to take the occasional deep dive.
Frequently Asked Questions
How deep are plunge pools typically?
Plunge pools are usually 4-8 feet deep for full-body immersion. Many have graduated depths with shallower benches and steps on one end.
What size are most residential plunge pools?
Backyard plunge pools range from 8×8 feet on the smaller end to 16×16 feet for the largest sizes. This provides enough room for 2-4 people to plunge, soak, or wade comfortably.
How much does a plunge pool cost compared to a regular pool?
Plunge pools cost $15,000-$50,000 installed. Inground lap pools start at $30,000 and go upwards of $100,000. The small footprint of a plunge pool saves significantly on digging, materials, and maintenance.
Do you need pumps and filters for a plunge pool?
Yes, plunge pools require filtration and pumps to circulate the water and keep it clear. However, the systems are smaller than big pools to match the decreased volume of water.
Can plunge pools be used in winter?
With proper insulation, heating, and cover systems, plunge pools can provide year-round enjoyment. The small water volume is more accessible to heat than large inground pools.
Should toddlers use plunge pools?
Plunge pools can be great for toddlers with supervision. Look for models with gradual entry, benches, and less than 5 feet maximum depth for wading safely. Always watch young children actively around any pool.
Conclusion
For homeowners seeking a private backyard oasis, plunge pools deliver relaxation and beauty in a small package. Compact footprint, artistic design options, ease of maintenance, and full-body relief from summer heat make them enticing additions. Whether you’re short on space, time, or budget, a plunge pool can be the perfect answer for installing water features without the work of bigger pools. Give your landscape inviting waters to soak in all year round by following these 7 steps on how to build a cement pool. Take the plunge into your very own aquatic niche and make a splash with a pool that offers enjoyment throughout every season.!