Cold plunging more popular than ever, boasting health and wellness benefits

Many see a hot shower or warm soothing bath as a way to relax, but there are others who prefer a soaking near-freezing water.

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Cold plunge therapy is growing in popularity for its touted health benefits.

A morning soak is where Lucas Winstan finds peace before a busy day. But this type of bath may not be for everyone, as the water in the tub is minus 3 C.

"This forces you to slow down and you almost don’t feel the water – it’s euphoric," said Winstan. "The initial sensation is an overwhelming sensation of cold, but I find as long as I focus on my breathing, that sensation goes away quite quickly."

At Nobility Performance in Stittsville, owner Michael Anderson says in the two years since installing the cold plunge tub at his wellness centre, he has seen the trend take off.

"Every ten minutes it circulates the water and you have a clean new fresh tub. It's extremely cold and it's not for the faint of heart," said Anderson.

"We have a regular group of die-hards who are in here every single day."

A single-use plunge at Nobility Performance costs $20 and there are also monthly, unlimited use passes for $60.

For those looking for a plunge at home, Hot Tubs Ottawa sells an outdoor unit for $8000 and manager Ross Campbell says sales have been steady.

"The benefit of this particular one-person model we sell is that it has a cold plunge and hot tub feature," said Campbell.

For a few hundred dollars, you can purchase a livestock water trough and fill it with ice and water, or turn your taps to cold in your at-home bathroom tub.

Cold plunge therapy is touted for a host of potential health benefits, like decreasing inflammation, improving circulation and boosting metabolism, but some medical experts argue only professional athletes may benefit from any physical improvement.

“We do know that if you are an athlete, like a rugby player, a soccer player or football player, you’re running and getting hit there is bruising and lots of inflammation. In that case, yes, ice baths do help," said Stephen Cheung, a professor and senior research fellow in the Department of Kinesiology at Brock University.

"From an everyday individual, we’re not having that same amount of inflation and that's where I don’t think there are a lot of physiological benefits, however, I do certainly agree there is a lot of potential benefits for improving mood and arousal."

Jacob Mark is a firefighter and cold-exposure instructor, trained in the 'Wim-Hof method.'

"It’s a methodology created by a guy in the Netherlands, which is a very specific kind of breath work and mindset training to help people become happy, healthy and strong naturally," he said. “A cold plunge is one of the best ways to put yourself into an environment where you can learn to cope with the stress of your everyday life."

Mark has also seen demand swell for his outdoor plunge classes.

"We have groups all over the Ottawa area and it’s really become this sense of community, which is amazing," he says. "But it is serious, you are going into extreme cold water temperatures, so we always want to say build up gradually to train your body to mindfully build-up it’s tolerance to cold."

Michael Anderson says first-time plungers are given guidance to ensure safety comes first.

"For the majority of people, it’s usually under a minute the first time," he says.