Is Cold Plunging Actually Good For You?

I want to tell you about this thing I started doing last year, which is way more fun than it sounds. First you sit in a furnace-hot sauna until your face is burning and you’re completely soaked in sweat and think you might pass out. Then, you quickly rinse yourself off, and jump into a pool of ice-cold water, sitting there until the blood vessels in your extremities feel like they’re constricting to the point of twisting themselves into knots. You wait for 30 seconds or 60 seconds or up to two minutes if you can make it that long. It’s so painful. You think your limbs might fall off. You force yourself to breathe slowly to try to quell your body’s desire to escape.

Then you slowly climb out of the water, dry yourself off and feel absolutely incredible.

I know I’m slightly overselling this. I also cannot stress enough that I’m not the kind of person to subscribe to any kind of thinking that suggests this specific activity or that particular health product is key to improving my life. But cold water therapy feels good to me, and unlike any number of the things I do—or am supposed to do—for my well-being, that alone is good enough of a reason. But are there other benefits? Here’s a breakdown of what the science says.

What is cold water plunging?

At its simplest, cold water plunging (or ice bathing, cold water immersion or any number of other names it goes by) involves bathing in very cold water for a specific period of time; sometimes, but not always, preceded by a sauna session to raise your body temperature beforehand.

The past few years have seen a boom in North American adoption of cold water plunging, from outdoor ice-plunge groups to a spate of new sauna-spas specifically dedicated to plunging. Proponents claim that regular practice can boost mood, reduce inflammation and improve metabolism and the immune system (more on what the science says about this later).

In truth, people the world over have bathed in cold water therapeutically for thousands of years. Hippocrates recommended bathing in cold water as a treatment for energy depletion in his 400 BCE work, On Airs, Waters and Places, while eastern European banyas, Finnish avanto swimming, Turkish hammams and Japanese mizuburo all involve some version of a cold water bath.

What has changed is North American culture’s approach to health, suggests Aleya Velshi, co-founder and head of revenue at Alter, a sauna and ice-bath studio that opened up in Toronto in 2023. “Post-pandemic, there are more folks looking to try new experiences that make them feel better—physically and mentally—and allow them to be a part of a community.”

Taking inspiration from sauna traditions in Japan, Finland, Turkey and Russia, Velshi and three friends decided to open Alter as a way to provide a culturally informed experience to the cold-plunge curious. Facilitators brief visitors on the different aspects of the sauna’s construction and operation that have been pulled from the founders’ travels and research, from Alter's unique ventilation system to how the steam is made. “Paying homage to the roots of these time-tested rituals helps people realize this isn’t a trendy practice, it’s an enduring one.” 

What are the health benefits of cold plunging?

While Stephen Cheung, a professor of kinesiology at Brock University in St. Catharines, has been researching the effects of extreme conditions of physical performance and temperature regulation for more than a decade, he’s received more inquiries about cold water bathing in the past year than at any other time in his career.

“I think it’s part and parcel of the idea that there’s this one magic bullet that’s going to improve our health and wellness,” he says, stressing that while there are enough scientific studies to suggest physiological benefits to cold water bathing, it isn’t a cure-all. 

Here’s what the studies do confirm: prolonged cold-water exposure can make you feel good mentally, even if the physical sensation is unpleasant at first. “When you jump into cold water your skin temp drops rapidly and that causes your sympathetic nervous system to really kick in and go into overdrive,” says Cheung, referring to our fight-or-flight response. “The other thing that happens is that your brain is flooded with dopamine, the feel-good chemical, and endorphins and natural body painkillers. That’s where the mental health benefits of cold baths are true and proven.” 

Claims about improved metabolism or reduced inflammation are a little more complicated. As Cheung points out, many of the studies that look at these effects tend to focus on professional athletes who are working with higher baseline levels of inflammation (think a rugby player with frequent injuries) or people in extreme survival situations in which other metabolic factors would be at play. “The research on this situation of an everyday individual just going into a cold bath for three to five minutes is much less available.” On an anecdotal level, I’ve noticed improved circulation in my hands and feet, and a lingering calm feeling on days I do a plunge. 

Is cold plunging safe?

If you’re pregnant, have high blood pressure, heart health issues or haven’t been medically cleared for exercise, you should definitely check with your doctor before taking the plunge. Additionally, if you’re taking a plunge outdoors in a body of water, absolutely do not do it alone. “You just don’t know how your body will react on a day-to-day basis,” says Cheung. Otherwise, there’s little to no ill effects from a daily practice. 

Can I do it at home?

While cold-plunging with others is undeniably fun—I’ve returned to Alter multiple times, plus a couple of local banyas and hammams since—these visits can get expensive (Alter charges $45 a session).

If you want to plunge at home, you can buy a cold plunge tub on Amazon, starting at around $140. But if you live near a public body of water, chances are there’s a local cold-plunge group you can join for little to no cost. And if not? The easiest, cheapest DIY version is a three-to-five minute cold shower, says Cheung. “It’s just a matter of how cold you want to feel.” Bring on the chill! 

June 17, 2024 update: This post has been updated with the correct publication date of On Airs, Waters and Places. Chatelaine regrets this error.