Sharpen your mental focus, get a natural high and aid recovery with cold plunge therapy.
¹ What is an ice bath?
Cold water plunge therapy has been used over time in many cultures to aid in physical recovery and mental strengthening. Our commercial ice bath maintains temperatures between 5-11°C and utilises UV antibacterial light disinfection.
Requiring just 3 minutes of immersion to reap the many benefits of ice bath therapy, this can include relieving sore or aching muscles, reducing inflammation, increasing metabolism, aiding sleep, supporting the central nervous system and immune system as well as reducing stress by training the vagus nerve linked with managing the parasympathetic nervous system.
² How long are sessions?
All ice bath room bookings are 15 minutes in duration. Spend 0-3 minutes cold plunging with time after to shower and dress. Experienced users can plunge for longer, once staff are consulted. Importantly please note:
- Showering BEFORE your ice bath session is compulsory
- Utilise the towel and bath mat provided
- You can bring your own additional towels from home or hire extra towels from reception
- The ice bath session or 'plunging' part itself is 0-3 minutes
³ Contrast Therapy?
We do not currently offer 'in-and-out' contrast therapy. You will not be able to go between the ice bath and sauna during your session. However, we recommend booking your sauna first and then adding an ice bath at the end to achieve contrast therapy.
Benefits of Ice Baths
Speed Up Recovery
Cold immersion therapy supports recovery from exercise-induced muscle injury. It helps mitigate inflammation as well as delayed-onset muscle pain and is best achieved after some form of exercise.
Reduce Pain & Inflammation
Ice baths can reduce pain and inflammation. It's been said they can numb pain receptors that bring down inflammation work like a natural anaesthetic. A systematic review found that ice baths reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after exercise.
Improve overall mental health
Ice baths or any form of cold immersion (cold shower or dip in the ocean) on a regular basis, studies have shown 11 minutes per week, helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. It triggers the stress response or our 'fight or flight mode' that stimulates the nervous system. By lowering your shoulders into cold water, it turns on the vagus nerve and changes your mood and trains your body to adapt to stressful situations over time.
Give Natural Dopamine Hit
Ice baths are very brain friendly. They can reduce anxiety, improve mood, boost energy levels and immunity, and increase longevity based on studies that show that 250 percent increases in dopamine from only a few minutes in cold water, giving users that 'natural high'.
Get Better Sleep
Four out of five athletes say that using ice baths after training and exercise helped improve sleeping patterns. This may be as a result of lowering the stress response and by an increase in melatonin that follows, proving that calming effect.
Boost metabolism
Regular ice baths have been shown to bring about weight loss due to the mechanism relating to brown fat production. By exposing the body to cold temperatures, ice baths induce the opening and closing of blood vessels lowering your heart rate which then increases your metabolism that then burns fat.
Boost Your Immune System
Cold water plunging, can give your immune system a boost. Being immersed in cold water stimulates leukocytes (white blood cells) that help fight off nasties. It also causes the lymphatic system to contract, forcing fluid through the lymph nodes for a natural immune boost.
Improve Circulation
Cold water puts your body into “survival mode,” so it can maintain its core temperature. Also known as the 'dive effect'. This stimulates your body to increase blood flow circulation and according to Wim Hof helps cardiovascular circulation, which then benefits the heart, supports mental health, and offers a high level of energy.
¹ What do I bring to my session?
All participants must wear swimmers or bathers whilst in the ice bath. Please remember to bring to your session.
Nimbus will provide you with the following:
- Complimentary towel and bath mat
- Reading material to support your ice bath experience
- iPad to watch any tutorials/listen to music
- Hot tea to enjoy post ice bath
² Health Concerns?
If you have a pre-existing cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure, or type 1 and type 2 diabetes you need to be cautious when using ice baths. You must consult your practitioner or physician before using our facilities, as the decrease in core temperature and the immersion in ice constricts blood vessels and slows the flow of blood in the body.
³ What temperature is the ice bath?
We aim to keep the ice bath at - or as close as possible - to 5°C at all times. Sometimes the temperature may be slightly higher, but if it gets too warm (anything north of 11°C) our team will facilitate a break, so the bath can re-cool.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Head to our FAQs page if you want to learn more about our appointments, locations, pricing and more.