Senate exempts small cold-plunge baths from swimming-pool regulations with sanitation requirement

Senator Bramble sponsored first substitute Senate Bill 106, explaining the measure would exempt individual commercial-grade cold plunge therapy baths from Department of Health regulation that applies to swimming pools. On the floor he described the units as self-contained, limited to 80 gallons or less, and kept at 60 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.

During floor debate Bramble moved and senators adopted an amendment adding a requirement for continuous filtration and sanitation systems. Senator Kwan noted a typographical error in the draft and the sponsor said technical corrections would be handled by review staff.

Senators asked whether informal or improvised plunges (for example, horse troughs) would qualify. The sponsor said the exemption applies only to units meeting the bill’s technical criteria — under 80 gallons, with a chiller and continuous filtration/sanitation — and that improvised horse-trough plunges would not qualify.

After brief discussion and a few lighthearted remarks, the Senate recorded a favorable vote on the amended bill and ordered it for third reading; the clerk reported 26 yay votes, 0 nay votes, with three absent. The bill will proceed to the next legislative steps required for enactment.