One of our customers described his old setup honestly: he sat in the sauna with ice packs held against him by a layer of paper towel. Sometimes the paper towel fell apart in the heat, and the ice ended up closer than he wanted.
Ice pack underwear exists to fix exactly that. It is a pair of briefs with a built-in pouch that holds a frozen insert beneath the testes, so the cold stays where you want it, with fabric between the insert and your skin, for the length of a sauna session.
"Now, I wear this underwear and comfortably hold the ice packs at a safe distance."
Jared W., verified customer, October 2026
Below is how it actually works, piece by piece. If you are still deciding whether cooling is worth it at all, start with how sauna heat affects sperm.
What is inside an ice pack underwear insert?
Despite the name, there is no actual ice. The insert is a sealed gel pack built to be frozen, used and refrozen. In SaunaArmor, each one has three parts:
The shell
A woven nylon outer layer that holds the gel and stands up to repeated freezing and handling.
The core
A water and silica based gel that you freeze for one to two hours before your session.
The safety spec
The inserts are BPA-free and non-toxic. Every pair of briefs comes with two of them.
The briefs themselves have a 100% cotton body, a cotton-elastane waistband and YKK zippers. The insert never touches bare skin: it sits inside a pouch, with cotton between the cold and you.
How ice pack underwear stays in place
The hard part of cooling in a sauna has never been the cold. It is keeping the cold in the right spot while you sit, lean back and shift between benches.
SaunaArmor uses a horizontal zip pouch. The insert is loose enough inside it to adjust so it sits beneath the testes when you are seated, and the pouch is snug enough that it does not slide away when you move. The zipper keeps it closed, so nothing drops on the bench when you stand up.
Fit matters here more than with normal underwear. The cotton has minimal stretch, so if you are between sizes or have larger legs, size up. A pair that is too loose lets the pouch hang low, and the cold ends up in the wrong place.
Check the size chart before you order.
How long does the cold last?
Straight answer: each insert is designed for one sauna session of about 30 minutes. That covers most sessions. It will not cover a marathon one.
We would rather say that plainly than oversell it. One verified reviewer put it simply: in future, he wants gel packs that last longer than 30 minutes. That is a fair request from someone who stays in for a long time.
A few things make the cold go further:
- Freeze it properly. One to two hours in the freezer, not ten minutes.
- Sit lower. The top bench is the hottest air in the room, and the insert works harder there.
- Rotate. Two inserts come with every pair, so one can refreeze while you use the other.
- Carry them cold. The insulated travel case keeps up to eight inserts frozen for up to four hours, which matters if your sauna is at the gym.
Is ice pack underwear safe?
Used as designed, yes. The basic rule for any cold pack is to keep fabric between the cold and your skin, and the pouch does that for you.
"The gel pack doesn't freeze your skin, just keeps things normal temperature."
Caleb R., verified customer
The usual common sense still applies. If the area goes numb or starts to hurt, take the insert out. If you have a condition that affects circulation or sensation, ask your doctor before using cold on sensitive areas.
If you are curious how this compares with a loose ice pack or a frozen towel, our guide on icing your balls in the sauna breaks down the DIY options and their risks.
Does ice pack underwear actually protect fertility?
Here is the honest version. Research links repeated sauna heat to temporarily lower sperm count and motility, and cooling during the session reduces heat at the source. Nobody has yet run a trial on ice pack underwear and sperm outcomes, so we treat it as a practical way to take heat off, not as a fertility treatment. Read what the research shows.
What to look for if you are comparing brands
- Where the pouch sits: beneath the testes or at the front.
- How it closes: a zip keeps the insert from sliding out.
- How many inserts come in the box: two means you can rotate.
- What the body is made of: cotton, or a synthetic blend.
- What the insert is made of: look for BPA-free, non-toxic and reusable.
We put SaunaArmor side by side with other cooling briefs in our comparison guide.
Swap the paper towel for a pouch. SaunaArmor briefs come with two reusable inserts and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Using ice pack underwear at the gym
Most of our customers sauna after training, which means the freezer is at home and the sauna is not. Pack two inserts in the travel case, wear the briefs under your towel, and zip one insert in just before you go into the hot room. Our guide to a sauna after a workout covers the rest of the routine, and what to wear in a sauna covers gym rules.
Ice pack underwear vs regular underwear with a pack tucked in
Plenty of men start by sliding a gel pack into their normal underwear. It is a reasonable test of whether cooling suits you, and it teaches you the problems fast. The pack shifts the moment you lean back. There is often nothing between the frozen surface and your skin. Sweat soaks the fabric, and the pack presses where it should not.
Ice pack underwear solves each of those with design rather than effort: a closed pouch, a fixed position beneath the testes and a cotton layer between you and the cold.
Who ice pack underwear is for, and who can skip it
It makes the most sense if you sauna several times a week, if you plan to have kids now or later, or if you use a gym sauna where holding an ice pack is not an option. If you only sauna a few times a year, you probably do not need it. A loose pack wrapped in a cloth will do the occasional job, as long as you keep it off bare skin.
Some men also use the briefs away from the sauna, for example to hold a cold pack in place during recovery after a vasectomy. If that is you, follow your urologist first, and read our guide on what to wear after a vasectomy.
Caring for the briefs and inserts
- Take the insert out before you wash the briefs, and follow the care label.
- Wipe the insert shell and let it dry before it goes back in the freezer.
- Store inserts flat in the freezer, so they freeze evenly.
- Stop using an insert if the shell is damaged or the gel leaks.
A little care keeps both the briefs and the inserts working for a long time, session after session. It takes about a minute after each sauna.
Quick questions
How long do I need to freeze the insert?
One to two hours. Put the used one straight back in the freezer after your session so the next one is always ready.
Can I reuse the inserts?
Yes. They are designed to be frozen, used and refrozen, and each pair of briefs includes two.
Does ice pack underwear work in an infrared sauna?
Yes, and the insert usually lasts longer, because infrared saunas run cooler air, roughly 43–57°C (110–135°F), than traditional saunas.
Can I wear them when I am not in the sauna?
Yes. They are cotton briefs first, and the pouch can stay empty. Some men use them to hold a cold pack in place in other situations, but check with a doctor if it is for a medical reason.
Keep reading
- How sauna heat affects sperm, and how to protect it
- Icing your balls in the sauna: does it work, and is it safe?
- Sauna after a workout: how to do it right
- Do sauna hats work?
Want the backstory? Read how Sauna Protocol started, or browse the full range.