La Jolla High School junior Jack Wilkinson didn’t want to work a typical 9-to-5 job over the summer. So he decided to become his own boss.
In April, the 17-year old officially launched Arctic Forge Ice Baths, a start-up cold plunge business. Cold plunging is a form of muscle recovery through cold-water submersion that has been popularized by athletes seeking to reduce inflammation and boost immunity.
Jack himself is a student-athlete, playing water polo for La Jolla High and practicing jiu-jitsu before his classes start. Last year, he tried cold-water submersion for the first time in a 70-gallon tub at his neighbor’s house. It was love at first plunge.
“When I hopped in, it was a really good experience,” Jack said. “I loved how I felt afterward. I was doing a lot of sports at the time, had water polo tryouts and was really sore. And I just felt instant recovery.”
In December, Jack and his family built their own cold plunge and started using it every day.
As Jack contemplated summer jobs to pursue, his mother, Christine, had a suggestion.
“This thing sells itself,’ she told Jack. “It’s a game-changer. You should start offering your services to go and make this your own.”
So Jack got to work on his own cold plunges, getting parts from a variety of suppliers and installing them for customers. His rate is $1,900, about a third the price of a premier cold plunge company.
He has sold five units so far and has several in the works. With each sale, he is tightening the product’s appearance and adding bonus items to sweeten the deal for customers, he said. The additions were inspired by “$100M Offers,” a book by Alex Hormozi that he listened to over the summer.
Along with the 100-gallon tub and chiller, Arctic Forge’s “bonuses” include two microfiber towels, extra hydrogen peroxide, a water absorbing mat, sandals, a scrubber, an additional UV light, a timer and a sand remover.
Jack currently is working on a second edition of his plunger with a three-stage filtration process, longer-lasting materials and a sleeker design.
Christine said Jack’s determination is a key reason for the business’s growth.
“He’s very interested in listening to podcasts and educating himself,” she said. “He gets his schoolwork, goes to his sports, and in his free time — if he’s not just eating because he burns so many calories — he’s always learning and educating himself on certain things. He has a very diligent personality.”
The cold plunge business has presented some challenges, particularly with installation times and assembling products for each plunger. But Jack said he’s hungry to expand the business and hopes to eventually offer options for shipping and self-assembly.
Christine said she has seen Jack grow in his confidence and problem-solving abilities.
“Being his mom, I’ve always tried to nurture him and help him,” she said. “But since he’s started his own business, I’m so excited for him [and] I want to help but he’s like ‘No, Mom, I’ll handle it,’ or ‘I’ve already handled it. I got this.’”
Jack had an opportunity to display his product at the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival on Sept. 28-29. More than 70 people tested the plunger over the two days.
The turnout also led to multiple sales — and a surprise addition to his family’s laundry load.
“We did not expect that was going to happen,” Jack said. “We had a changing tent, towels and swimsuits provided, and we had to just keep doing runs back home, washing and cleaning the towels.”
Christine said the event and the success of Jack’s display offer testament to a strong community.
“With this La Jolla community and the people who have reached out and connected him with clients and buyers and the farmers market, I feel grateful to live in this community and see how people want young people to be successful,” she said.
For more information about Arctic Forge, visit its Instagram page, @arcticforge_sd. ♦
