Immersing the entire body in a large tub of near-freezing water is not everyone’s go-to favorite thing to do. Nonetheless, ice bath therapy has received a lot of attention from celebrities, athletes, trainers, and health influencers for its reported benefits. What are the secrets and benefits of this frigid therapy? Our content writer, Vinnie, will tell you all about them by recapping his latest fire & ice therapy session.
What Is Ice Bath Therapy?
If you’re familiar with Wim Hof, a.k.a. The Ice Man, the philosophy of soaking in cold water is to put the body into a fight or flight state. With the rush of endorphins and adrenaline, the natural instinct is to stress and jump out of the water. Remaining in the ice bath not only helps the body adapt to stress, but it also works to improve circulation, enhance immune function, and reduce inflammation.
On my most recent adventure, I went to Remedy Place in West Hollywood, California. The entire facility is one of the most tranquil places I’ve ever been to, especially on The Adventures of V-Man. The entire facility houses various healing modalities. From hyperbaric oxygen therapy pods and infrared saunas to massages and ice baths, Remedy Place has it all. I opted to experience the one-two punch combo therapy that is fire and ice. This combo immerses the body in ice cold water for three to six minutes, followed by a 45-minute infrared sauna session.
Arriving At Remedy Place
Am I allowed to say that everyone in this facility was beautiful? Entering this building was like wandering into a place where beautiful people congregate. Sorry, but I’m allowed to admire, right? Anyways, that says nothing about the facility. Remedy Place is chic, modern, dimly lit and intended for healing the body. The knowledgeable and friendly staff member, James, gave me a tour of the facility before showing me to the ice bath station.
Typically, for the fire and ice therapy combo, a person starts with the ice bath therapy and then transitions to the infrared sauna. It’s possible to reverse the order, but James did not recommend that for my first go around. One doesn’t just change and enter the ice bath, though. The mind is not ready for that shock. For this reason, the person engaging in the therapy goes through an 11-minute breath work session.
The Ice Bath Therapy
I mentioned Wim Hof earlier in the article. The breath work is similar to that of Wim Hof’s teachings, in that the goal is to oxygenate and alkalize the body. During this breathing, which essentially a form of guided meditation, you essentially prepare the body for the cold. The idea behind it is so that the mind can take over and make it so the body can handle the cold. I sat near the ice bath and practiced the breathing exercise.
Before I knew it, it was time to submerge in the ice water. In the video, the water doesn’t look cold, but the tub of water remains at a cool 39º F by an electric cooling system. There is no ice in the water, but trust me when I tell you that it’s brisk. James, my ice bath coach, queued up a song that I wanted to listen to for motivation. And then I plunged in, leaving all but my head submerged in the water. My first instinct was to get out immediately because it was freezing. James encouraged me to recall that breathing to help calm my mind and just sit still in water.
At one point, my forearms started to cramp a little, so I lifted them out of the water. James noticed that I started shaking after a while, so he suggested that I exit the water. I made it five and half minutes out of the maximum six-minute time limit. No big deal. I felt like I was ready to run through a wall after emerging from the cold. I was energized, hyped, and felt rejuvenated.
Infrared Sauna Therapy
It was a very interesting transition to transfer from such an electrifying state to an immediate state of relaxation. The intense cold was lively and exhilarating and the sauna brought me down several levels. It was the fanciest sauna that I ever sat in. There was bluetooth capability! So I started up a podcast and relaxed in the space.
One of the greatest things about the infrared sauna is that you can stay in there for a while without experiencing any feelings of discomfort. I didn’t feel like my breathing suffered from the heat or anything like that. The infrared sauna uses infrared light to heat the space, and this light can benefit the cells in the body more easily than a traditional sauna. Infrared saunas use infrared light to optimize the body’s ability to relax and promote detoxification. It’s not oppressive or uncomfortable; rather, the infrared sauna experience is restorative, especially after an ice bath session. I could have gone to sleep in there. That’s how relaxing I felt during that therapy.
I felt like a new man after leaving Remedy Place and encourage people to check out the facility if they live in Los Angeles, CA. They have memberships, but all of the therapies are available for individual purchase. Please check them out and see how the other healing modalities can assist you in achieving the healthiest body possible. We are only on this planet for a limited time, so treat the body well and help it recover whenever possible.
