Ridgecrest Field Guides™

Ridgecrest makes no health claims for any sauna lighting feature. The lighting in a sauna provides ambiance and lets you see the interior, and features like color-changing lighting, red light, or lit Himalayan salt panels can be chosen for appearance and preference. Sauna lighting is built to work at temperatures and humidity levels that would destroy ordinary household lighting, so use only the manufacturer’s replacement parts, and have any related electrical work done by a licensed electrician.

Health & Safety: Sauna heat places stress on the body and may not be appropriate for everyone. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before use if you have a medical condition, take medications that may affect your response to heat, or are pregnant. Always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions and warnings.

Some infrared sauna manufacturers also warn against use if you cannot feel normal heat-related pain, and against infrared heat on the skin within 24 hours of significant sun exposure.

Ridgecrest makes no health claims for sauna lighting, including color-changing lighting. The feature is LED lighting that lets you change the color and mood of the sauna, and choosing a color based on personal preference is entirely reasonable. You won’t find manufacturer charts linking colors to effects on the body on Ridgecrest’s website. If you are considering any light-based treatment for a health reason, speak with your physician. Sauna light fixtures are built to withstand heat and moisture that would damage household lighting, so use only the manufacturer’s replacement parts and have any electrical work done by a licensed electrician.

Health & Safety: Sauna heat places stress on the body and may not be appropriate for everyone. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before use if you have a medical condition, take medications that may affect your response to heat, or are pregnant. Always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions and warnings.

Some infrared sauna manufacturers also warn against use if you cannot feel normal heat-related pain, and against infrared heat on the skin within 24 hours of significant sun exposure.

Ridgecrest makes no health claims for sauna lighting features, including red light. Some saunas offer red as one of their lighting colors, but sauna manufacturers generally don’t publish the wavelength or light output that would allow a comparison with devices designed to deliver red light to a specific area of the body. If you are interested in a red light treatment for a health concern, speak with your physician about whether it is appropriate and what equipment would be involved.

Health & Safety: Sauna heat places stress on the body and may not be appropriate for everyone. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before use if you have a medical condition, take medications that may affect your response to heat, or are pregnant. Always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions and warnings.

Some infrared sauna manufacturers also warn against use if you cannot feel normal heat-related pain, and against infrared heat on the skin within 24 hours of significant sun exposure.

Cold water immersion (CWI) is the practice of partially or fully immersing the body in cold water for a limited period. It is often called cold plunging, and no universal temperature, duration, or immersion depth defines every session. Cold exposure places real stress on the body and can affect breathing, heart rate, and coordination.

Health & Safety: Cold water immersion places significant stress on the body and may not be appropriate for everyone. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before use if you have a medical condition, take medications that may affect your response to cold, or are pregnant. Never immerse alone, and always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions and warnings.

The term usually refers to alternating heat and cold exposure, such as a sauna session followed by a cold plunge, or hot-water and cold-water immersion. No single temperature, duration, ratio, number of rounds, or ending phase is right for everyone, and Ridgecrest does not pass on manufacturers’ health claims about the practice. Moving between heat and cold places extra stress on the body and can affect breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, and coordination, so never enter the cold water alone.

Health & Safety: Heat and cold exposure can place significant stress on the body and may not be appropriate for everyone. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before you begin if you have a medical condition, take medications that may affect your response to heat or cold, or are pregnant. Always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions and warnings for each product you use.

A cold plunge system combines a cold plunge tub with the equipment used to cool and manage its water. Depending on the model, it may include a chiller, pump, plumbing, filtration, disinfection features, controls, and a cover; not every system includes every component.

Health & Safety: Cold water immersion places significant stress on the body and may not be appropriate for everyone. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before use if you have a medical condition, take medications that may affect your response to cold, or are pregnant. Never immerse alone, and always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions and warnings.

Cold plunge tubs may use flexible PVC, molded plastic, stainless steel, wood, or combinations of these materials. The materials and construction affect rigidity, portability, appearance, maintenance, weather exposure, and price.

Health & Safety: Cold water immersion places significant stress on the body and may not be appropriate for everyone. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before use if you have a medical condition, take medications that may affect your response to cold, or are pregnant. Never immerse alone, and always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions and warnings.

Common types include:

• portable or inflatable tubs
• rigid stand-alone tubs
• barrel-style tubs
• mechanically cooled systems
• built-in or commercial recirculating units

These categories can overlap because material, shape, cooling method, and water management describe different parts of the same product.

Health & Safety: Cold water immersion places significant stress on the body and may not be appropriate for everyone. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before use if you have a medical condition, take medications that may affect your response to cold, or are pregnant. Never immerse alone, and always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions and warnings.

Cold plunges are not considered safe for children. Cold plunging can pose significant risks for children, including cold shock, breathing difficulties, hypothermia, and drowning. Current research does not establish a universally safe age, water temperature, or immersion duration for children. Children should never have unsupervised access to a filled cold plunge tub — drowning can occur quickly and silently, even in a relatively small volume of water — so keep the tub secured with the manufacturer's locking cover whenever it is not in use. Before considering cold water immersion for a child, consult a qualified pediatric healthcare provider and follow the cold plunge tub manufacturer's age restrictions, safety instructions, and contraindications.

There is no universally safe or optimal amount of time to stay in a cold plunge. Duration depends on water temperature, immersion depth, individual health, experience, and other circumstances. Follow the manufacturer’s warnings and instructions, avoid prolonged exposure, and exit the water right away if you notice dizziness, faintness, confusion, uncontrolled breathing, or unusual weakness — chest pain, collapse, loss of consciousness, severe breathing difficulty, or suspected hypothermia require immediate emergency assistance.

Health & Safety: Cold water immersion places significant stress on the body and may not be appropriate for everyone. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before use if you have a medical condition, take medications that may affect your response to cold, or are pregnant. Never immerse alone, and always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions and warnings.

Before installing a cold plunge tub, consider its location, filled weight, surface support, electrical requirements, water access, drainage, ventilation, and delivery access. Indoor and outdoor installations have different moisture and weather-protection needs. Always check the manufacturer’s installation instructions for your specific tub and chiller, and consult qualified professionals when electrical, plumbing, or structural work is required.

Prepare for cold plunge installation by choosing a suitable location, confirming the surface can support the filled tub, and arranging electrical service, water access, drainage, and equipment clearance. Measure the delivery route and complete any necessary site preparation before your tub arrives. Follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions and arrange qualified professional assistance when required.

Cold plunge tubs have different shapes to support different body positions, immersion depths, footprints, entry styles, capacities, construction methods, and design preferences. Upright barrels favor seated immersion in a compact space, while oval or rectangular tubs provide more room for the legs.

Health & Safety: Cold water immersion places significant stress on the body and may not be appropriate for everyone. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before use if you have a medical condition, take medications that may affect your response to cold, or are pregnant. Never immerse alone, and always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions and warnings.

Ridgecrest groups residential fire features into five core types — fire pits, fire tables, fire bowls, fire-and-water bowls, and torches — plus two adjacent categories, chimineas and fire columns/towers, that customers often compare against them. Each type differs mainly by form (open vs. enclosed), height and seating role, and whether water is combined with the flame.

Yes — fire-and-water features combine a gas burner with a separate water pump and delivery element (such as a scupper or spillway), and the two systems can run independently or together. Most fire-and-water products are purpose-built rather than added to an existing fire pit or table. Because these units are typically installed close to a pool, confirm with the manufacturer that the specific model carries special pool-adjacent electrical listing (often marketed as “SPC,” Swimming Pool Certified) before installing poolside — not every fire-and-water product qualifies.

A fire pit is an open, ring- or bowl-shaped fire feature with no surrounding vertical structure, radiating heat in all directions. It can burn wood or gas and be installed in-ground or above-ground.

A fire table is a fire feature built into a furniture-height surface with a wide surrounding ledge, so it doubles as a dining or entertaining surface in addition to providing flame and heat. Heat output is comparable to a fire pit despite the larger footprint. Larger fire tables can weigh 300–450+ lbs, so check your deck or patio's load-bearing capacity before choosing a larger model.

Fire tables come in three shape families — round, square, and rectangular/linear — generally sized by seating capacity: round tables commonly run about 20–60 in. in diameter (seating roughly 2 to 8+), while rectangular/linear tables commonly run 36–72 in. in length (seating roughly 4 to 8). Weight increases substantially with size — one manufacturer's 48–72 in. rectangular line ranges from roughly 308 to 462 lbs — so check your deck or patio's load-bearing capacity before choosing a larger table.

“Fire bowl” is actually used across the industry to describe three different products, so the honest answer depends on context: a small, portable decorative accent bowl; a fixed, architectural bowl mounted on a pool's edge or a column (sometimes with water); or a large, ground-set feature that is functionally a fire pit in a round bowl shape.

A fire & water bowl combines an open flame burning from its center with water cascading over the rim into a pool, pond, or catch basin below — typically installed poolside as a focal point, with the fire and water elements able to run together or independently. As with any fire-and-water feature, confirm pool-adjacent electrical listing (“SPC” or “listed for pool and spa use”) directly with the manufacturer before installing poolside.

A torch is a smaller-scale fire feature, portable or fixed, designed mainly for pathway lighting, landscape accenting, and pest deterrence rather than as a seating-centered gathering feature. Torches come in two structurally different families: liquid-fuel (portable, wick-lit) and gas (fixed burner, valve-controlled).

Most gas fire features run on either natural gas or liquid propane — the two dominant fuels. Wood-burning and bioethanol/gel options exist but are niche, with bioethanol/gel used mainly on small tabletop-scale features. The right choice comes down to a practical trade-off between installation cost, portability, permanence, and ongoing fuel cost.

Yes — a natural gas fire feature connects directly to a home's existing natural gas supply via a dedicated gas line, giving continuous, unlimited fuel with nothing to refill or exchange. It generally requires professional installation and, in most jurisdictions, a permit.

Yes — propane fire features run from a portable tank (commonly a 20 lb tank, often hidden inside the feature's base) or a larger fixed tank. This gives full portability and skips gas-line installation entirely, but tank size limits how long the feature can run before a refill or exchange is needed. Confirm the tank compartment has adequate ventilation per the manufacturer's instructions.

It depends on the fuel: natural gas features connect through a dedicated gas line run to a regulator and shutoff valve, while propane features connect to a tank through a hose and a QCC/POL or quick-connect fitting. Both fuel types share the same safety baseline — an accessible manual shutoff valve near the feature.

Fire features are lit using one of several ignition types, ranging from manually applying a match or lighter (match lit) to a fully automatic push-button spark or electronic system. Every gas ignition system includes some form of gas control, and most modern systems add a flame-sensing safety shutoff that cuts gas flow if the flame is not detected.

Match lit ignition is the simplest and most affordable ignition type: you manually light the burner with a long lighter or match after opening the gas valve. It has no automatic safety shutoff if the flame goes out, unlike the more advanced ignition types — so always visually confirm the flame is fully extinguished, not just that it looks out, and always turn off the gas valve manually.

Match lit with flame sense ignition still requires you to manually light the burner, but it adds a flame-sensing safety shutoff — typically a thermocouple — that automatically cuts gas flow if the flame goes out. It's the same safety technology used in fully automatic flame-sense systems, just paired with manual lighting instead of a spark igniter.

Plug-and-play ignition is an electronic, push-button ignition system powered by a standard household electrical outlet (110V/120V) rather than a battery. It's simple to use wherever a GFCI-protected outdoor outlet is available, but because it relies on outlet power, it won't ignite the feature during a power outage.

Flame sense with spark ignition is a fully automatic, push-button ignition system: a battery-powered spark igniter lights the burner, and the same flame-sensing safety shutoff used in match lit with flame sense systems automatically cuts gas flow if the flame goes out. No manual lighting is required. Have the grounding of the spark-ignition electrical component checked by a licensed installer as part of a safe installation.

Electronic ignition is the broadest ignition category — any fully automatic, push-button ignition system, whether it's battery-powered, outlet-powered (plug-and-play), or hardwired into a home's electrical system, sometimes with added remote or app control.

BTU (British Thermal Unit) is the standard measure of a fire feature's rated heat output — the amount of heat needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. It's a manufacturer-published specification, not an independently tested figure, so it's best used as a general guide to relative heat output rather than a guaranteed number.

GPM (Gallons Per Minute) measures how much water flows through a fire-and-water feature's scupper, spillway, or other water-delivery element. It determines both the visual and auditory effect — a thin, quiet sheet versus a heavier, louder flow — and the pump needed to drive it.

Fire feature bodies are most commonly built from one of six materials: GFRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete), powder-coated steel, stainless steel, hammered copper, cast aluminum, or cast stone/traditional concrete. Each trades off differently across durability, weathering resistance, maintenance, appearance, and cost — there's no single "best" material, only the best fit for your climate and priorities.

GFRC is a composite material — cement, alkali-resistant glass fibers, aggregates, and polymers — used to build lightweight, hollow-shell fire feature bodies. It's valued for its integral color (it won't peel or chip like a coating), design flexibility, and generally strong weathering performance, though some sources disclose that sustained high heat in windy conditions can cause normal, non-defect hairline cracking or discoloration near the burner.

Powder-coated steel fire features use carbon or mild steel finished with an electrostatically applied, oven-cured powder coating that protects the metal from corrosion while offering a wide range of color and texture options. It's a well-established, widely available process — but the coating's integrity is the single most important factor in how well the finish holds up over time.

Stainless steel fire features are commonly built from grade 304 (the baseline option) or grade 316/316L, which adds molybdenum for meaningfully better resistance to salt and chloride exposure — making it the better choice for coastal or pool-adjacent settings. "Marine grade" is a marketing term commonly applied to 316/316L, not a certified industry standard.

Hammered copper fire features are formed from copper sheet with a hand-applied dimpled texture, which develops a natural patina over time unless sealed. Exactly how quickly that patina develops is genuinely disputed across sources — anywhere from a few years to up to two decades — so treat any specific timeline as an estimate, not a guarantee.

Fire media is the decorative, heat-safe fill placed inside a gas fire feature's burner pan to conceal the burner and shape the flame's appearance. Lava rock and fire glass are the two most common options, alongside ceramic logs and fire balls/stones. The single most important safety rule across all fire media: never substitute ordinary river rock or untested decorative stone — trapped moisture can cause it to fracture or explode when heated.

Lava rock is porous natural volcanic rock — the cheapest fire media option, valued for its safety and affordability but not suitable for fire-and-water combination features. Fire glass is tempered glass — pricier, low-maintenance, and available in a wider range of colors and sizes. Sources disagree on which retains or radiates more heat, so don't assume one is definitively "better" for warmth.

A windguard is an accessory barrier — most commonly tempered glass — that surrounds a gas fire feature's burner to block wind from disturbing the flame, while also reducing soot and helping contain fire media. Windguards are for gas features only, not wood-burning, and are typically sold separately as an aftermarket accessory. Fit matters: some are sized to a universal formula, while others are proprietary to a specific manufacturer or model.

Before installing any gas fire feature, plan around six things: clearance from structures and combustibles, an acceptable placement surface, gas/electrical utility work, local permitting (which can involve multiple layers, including your HOA), wind/weather siting, and receiving-logistics for a heavy product. None of these has one universal number — each depends on your specific product, local code, and site.

Fire pit installation splits into two genuinely different projects depending on the type you're buying: an in-ground/built-in fire pit is essentially an excavation and masonry project, while an above-ground/pre-fabricated unit is primarily a surface, clearance, and weight question. Both still need the general site and clearance planning covered in our general installation readiness guidance.

Beyond the general fire feature installation basics, a fire table adds three considerations that matter most: whether your deck can actually support its weight, overhead clearance if it's going under a covered patio or pergola, and a heat-shield barrier if it's going on wood or composite decking. Larger fire tables can weigh 250-750+ lbs, so the weight question deserves real attention before you buy.

It depends on which of the three fire bowl types you're getting. A small portable accent bowl needs no installation beyond general placement and clearance. A large ground-set bowl installs like a fire pit. An architectural bowl mounted on pool coping or a column is a fixed, professionally-installed feature with its own mounting and gas-routing requirements — and, importantly, is engineered to sit right at the water's edge, not set back from it.

A fire & water bowl adds a pool-adjacent electrical safety layer on top of the mounting and gas considerations a fire-only architectural bowl already has, plus its own water-supply plumbing. Because of this, installation typically requires up to four different licensed trades — not one generalist installer. Sources disagree on the exact metal-bonding distance required near a pool, so rely on your licensed electrician's determination for your specific installation rather than a fixed number.

The single most important thing to check before buying a torch is base/mount compatibility: no torch head from one manufacturer fits a base or mount from another manufacturer, and even within the same brand, compatibility can be limited to specific models or model years. Beyond that, plan for clearance, footing method (if in-ground), and — for a permanent gas connection — professional installation.

Start with your site and how you want to use it, not with products: note where the sun, shade, wind and water go, list the activities you want the space for, and sketch where each one should sit before you shop. Before any digging, contact 811 so buried utility lines can be marked, and plan on licensed professionals and permits for any gas, electrical or plumbing work.

There is no single right size; base it on what you plan to put in the space. Add up each piece of furniture plus room to sit, pull out chairs and walk past, then add clear paths of at least 3 ft (about 4 ft on the main route from the house). As a rough guide, a table for four needs about 10 × 10 ft, and a sofa, two chairs and a coffee table about 10 × 12 ft.

An outdoor living zone is an area planned around one main activity, such as dining, cooking, lounging or play, much like a room indoors. Zones are defined by their floor (paving, a rug), walls (screens, planters, hedges) and ceiling (an umbrella, pergola or tree canopy), and work best when placed by how they connect, for example cooking near the kitchen door and the main seating area on the main route from the house.

Yes. Decide early whether you want products that need power, gas or water (such as grills, kitchens, heaters, spas, lighting or fountains), because those lines should be run, or at least roughed in, before patios and walls are built. Contact 811 before any digging, and use licensed professionals, usually with permits, for all gas, electrical and plumbing work.

Watch your space through the day and across seasons before placing anything: put areas you’ll use on summer afternoons where they get shade (or plan shade for them), and put cool-season areas where they catch low winter sun and are sheltered from the prevailing cold wind. Make sure patios and other hard surfaces slope away from the house so rainwater drains away from the foundation.

Plan the whole space first, then build in stages: drainage and underground lines, then paving, then structures and features, then furniture, adding spare conduit or capped lines now for anything you might add later. Before planning heavy additions, confirm the surface can carry them (a hot tub on a deck needs an engineer’s or builder’s approval) and that local limits on paved area and setbacks leave room to expand.

Seats that face each other or angle toward a shared table or focal point, set roughly 6–8 ft apart and no more than about 10 ft, make conversation easiest. Comfort matters too: shade in warm weather, shelter from wind, and some screening from noise and neighbors. A gentle water feature can make background traffic less noticeable, but plants mainly screen views rather than reduce noise. Seating around a fire feature must follow the product manual’s safety distances, not these comfort distances.

Start with the group you usually host, arrange seats to face each other around a focal point such as a table, fire feature or view, and keep paths around the group rather than through it. Allow about 24 in of table edge per diner and 3–4 ft behind chairs. Place the space near the house door, where sun and wind suit the times you gather; seating around a fire feature must follow the product manual’s safety distances.

Yes. Most outdoor spaces combine several zones, such as dining, lounging, cooking and a quiet corner, defined by paving or rugs, planters or screens, and overhead shade rather than walls. Keep active zones like cooking and entertaining apart from quiet ones, route paths between zones rather than through them, and follow each appliance’s clearance rules; grills and fire features have their own safety distances.

Know how you’ll use the space, how much room each piece needs (including space to sit, move and pass), what your site is like (sun, wind, privacy), and whether products need power, gas or water. Measure the delivery route, check permits and HOA rules, and plan licensed professionals for any gas, electrical or plumbing work; contact 811 before any digging.

Measure the whole space and each area you plan to furnish, then check each piece fits with room to use it: about 3 ft behind dining chairs (4 ft where people walk behind) and paths at least 3 ft wide. Also measure the delivery route, including gates, side yards, doors, steps and tight turns, and compare it with each product’s dimensions and diagonal depth.

Identify where power, gas and water are available and where existing lines run underground, then note which products you want now or later need them, such as grills, kitchens, heaters, spas, lighting and fountains. Contact 811 before digging; it doesn’t mark privately installed lines, so use a private locator for those. Gas, electrical and plumbing work needs licensed professionals and usually permits.

A product has to fit through every gate, side yard, doorway, step and turn between the truck and its spot, as well as fit the space itself. Measure the route and compare it with each product’s width, height and diagonal depth, leaving several inches to spare; check the delivery service level and weight, since heavy items need more people, clear access and sometimes equipment. Heavy items on a deck or other raised surface also need an engineer’s or builder’s confirmation that the structure can carry them.

Yes, plan the whole space first, even if you buy and build in stages. A whole-space plan shows how zones connect, where utilities and paths go, and what later additions will need, so the first purchase doesn’t block the next. Build in order (drainage and underground lines, then paving, then structures and features, then furniture), and rough in utilities now for anything you might add later.

Involve licensed trades for any utility work: an electrician for new outlets, hard-wired heaters, lighting or spa circuits; a gas professional for gas lines and gas appliances; a plumber for water and drains. Bring in a landscape architect, engineer or contractor for grading, drainage, retaining walls, raised decks and structures such as covers or pergolas. Involve them during planning, before paving, and check which permits apply.

There's no single date that works everywhere — watch conditions, not the calendar. Start paying attention as fall arrives, and act when your specific triggers (first frost, a hard freeze, snow, heavy rain, or high wind) actually show up where you live, or when your product's manufacturer instructions call for it.

Not necessarily. September is well within the active season for most of the country — what matters is your local weather triggers and how the space is still being used, not a fixed “Labor Day” or “September 1” rule. Always check your specific product's manufacturer instructions first — they override this general guidance.

It depends on the material, the cover or storage arrangement, and how exposed your site is — there's no single right answer for every piece. Many materials can reasonably stay outside if properly covered or protected; others do better in storage. Always check your specific product's manufacturer instructions first — they override this general guidance.

In most cases, yes — but the cover has to actually fit and breathe. A cover that's too tight, too loose, or non-breathable can do more harm than leaving furniture uncovered. Always check your specific product's manufacturer instructions first — they override this general guidance.

Because covering or storing something damp traps that moisture against the surface, which is one of the most common causes of mold, mildew, odor, and metal corrosion over winter — often a worse outcome than leaving the item uncovered.

Yes, if the cover is sealed, non-breathable, or put on before the furniture is fully dry. In those cases a cover can trap moisture against the surface and create worse mold or mildew conditions than leaving the piece uncovered. Always check your specific product's manufacturer instructions first — they override this general guidance.

Yes — different materials have different seasonal sensitivities, so there isn't one universal winter-care instruction that fits all of them equally well. Always check your specific product's manufacturer instructions first — they override this general guidance.

Yes — more exposed sites (rooftop decks, waterfront properties, hilltop locations) carry a higher risk of cover failure or furniture movement, which may make storage or extra securing a better choice than relying on a cover alone. Always check your specific product's manufacturer instructions first — they override this general guidance.

Yes. A covered patio reduces direct rain and snow exposure, but it doesn't eliminate temperature swings, wind-driven rain, or humidity — so “covered” shouldn't be treated as “no seasonal attention needed.” Always check your specific product's manufacturer instructions first — they override this general guidance.

A mild dish soap and water solution is a safe general-purpose default across most outdoor materials — wood, metal, synthetic weave, and molded plastic — but always check your product's manufacturer instructions for finish-specific guidance before using anything stronger.

You may see manufacturers and other sources describe potential health or wellness benefits associated with saunas. Ridgecrest provides research-based information to help you understand the topic, but we don’t make health or wellness benefit claims about the products we sell. What we can tell you is how a sauna heats you, what a session is actually like, and what to consider before buying one. For anything health-related, you should speak with your physician. If you have a cardiovascular condition, reduced heat sensitivity (including from alcohol or certain medications), or are pregnant, check with your doctor before using a sauna, and always follow the manufacturer's safety instructions for your specific model.

You may see manufacturers and other sources describe potential health or wellness benefits associated with cold plunges. Ridgecrest provides research-based information to help you understand the topic, but we don’t make health or wellness benefit claims about the products we sell. What we can tell you is what actually happens when you get in, what to expect the first few times, and why the first minute is the part to pay attention to. For anything health-related, you should speak with your physician. Never get in alone, and if you have a heart or breathing condition or are pregnant, check with your doctor first.

You may see marketing describe alternating hot and cold as more effective than either one alone. Ridgecrest provides research-based information to help you understand the topic, but we don’t make health or wellness benefit claims about the products we sell. On the other hand, many people enjoy alternating hot and cold, and enjoying an activity is a legitimate reason to continue with it. For anything health-related, you should speak with your physician. Alternating heat and cold can cause real blood-pressure swings, so never enter the cold plunge alone, and check with your doctor first if you have a heart or lung condition or are pregnant.

There’s no universally accepted definition of wellness. However, the most commonly referenced definition describes it as a pursuit rather than a state that you arrive at. When it's applied to heat and cold, wellness relates to the deliberate use of them in someone's daily life.

Think of it this way: wellness is about the act, not about the tools. Both saunas and cold plunges carry real safety considerations that vary by model — read the manufacturer's instructions before first use, and talk to a physician about any health-related questions.

Ridgecrest cannot answer that, and neither can any retailer. Whether a purchase qualifies as a Qualified Medical Expense is decided by your plan administrator and depends on your individual medical circumstances, not on the product itself. Please check with them, and with your physician, before assuming a purchase will be covered — if a purchase is later determined not to qualify, the amount becomes taxable income and account holders under 65 may also owe an additional 20% penalty, so it's worth confirming in advance rather than finding out afterward.

Almost certainly not. Health insurance generally does not cover home saunas or cold plunges, which are retail products rather than prescribed medical equipment — to our knowledge, no insurer covers them under that category. This is a separate question from whether the expense qualifies for a health savings account, which is a different test (see our FAQ on using a health savings account). If you've been formally diagnosed with a condition and your doctor has suggested heat or cold as part of managing it, raise it directly with your insurance carrier — coverage decisions belong to them and vary, so a single phone call will give you a definitive answer.