Move Over Frozen Peas, There’s a New Ice Pack in Town
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I’m no stranger to using, let’s say, unconventional ice packs to soothe my sorest areas: I’ve tried frozen peas, a Ziploc bag of ice cubes, and even a soft wine-chiller sleeve in a pinch. But I’ve hated using all of those — they feel weird and uncomfortable on the skin, are too chunky to be moldable, and sometimes get squishy and gross as they melt. Recently, though, I came across these reusable ice packs from the San Francisco–based brand Chilltherapy, which just launched at the end of 2025. Its ice packs are made with a soft silicone shell and contain a vegan gel that’s designed to warm up gradually. I must admit, they looked pretty chic for ice packs, but I wanted to find out how well they actually worked.
I opted for the brand’sPerformance Bundle, which includes three packs — the small Ripple, the midsize Breaker, and the largest Swell. Each of the sizes felt easily moldable, so that I could smoothly wrap them around practically any pain point I’ve encountered, from bumpy ankles to flat low backs and pointy cheekbones. The biggest cold pack, called the Swell, molds around large areas like my calves or hip region and is easy to keep in place with a stretchable wrap or elastic bandage. The flexible and low-profile pack fills in around the unique shape of my joints, which allowed my entire knee area to feel like it was getting an even freeze. During the time I was trying these, I was able to test them on someone with a legit sports injury: my fiancé, Connor, who had a knee arthroscopy in May. At first Connor made fun of the appearance of the Chilltherapy packs, saying that they probably wouldn’t get cold enough; he now likes how simple they’ve been to use during his post-surgery healing. They didn’t rub or pull on his Steri-Strips and are much more lightweight than a plastic bag filled with ice cubes found in any athletic training room.
The medium Breaker is the one I’ve used the most because it fits well over smaller joints like my ankle or shoulder and lies nicely on the back of my neck; meanwhile, thesmallest oneworks for icing my under-eye bags or my temples and forehead when I have a tension headache. Another thing I love about them is that they’re double-sided: One side has a smooth surface for a more intense cold while the other has a wave pattern that delivers a duller (more comfortable) cold feeling. After about five minutes, I was ready to tap out using the smooth side, so then I flipped the pack to the wavy side until the cold numbness subsided. In general, you should really only apply a cold pack for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, and then take a 20- to 40-minute break. With that method, I can plop my Chilltherapy pack back into the freezer, and then it’s ready to go again when I am, zero thawing required.
At over $80 for three ice packs, these are obviously an investment compared to my two-buck bag of frozen veggies. But these hug my body, don’t irritate my skin, and overall they feel like they stay colder for longer. As a lifelong active person, I’ve always turned to cold therapy or icing when my muscles are overly sore. And it’s true that I might even enjoy icing morenowthanks to my Chilltherapy packs. In my eyes, the cost-per-usage equation checks out. As we speak, I’m placing an order for my mom who has a hip-replacement surgery scheduled on Friday.
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