About Contrast Therapy
Our Contrast Therapy Self-Serve Suite combines infrared sauna with a cold plunge. The infrared sauna dilates the blood vessels, increasing circulation. After warming your body in the infrared sauna, you then go directly into our cold plunge which causes all the blood vessels to constrict. Going back-and-forth between the two may help improve blood circulation throughout the body.
Contrast Therapy helps athletes heal from all types of soft tissue injuries, muscle spasms and pain in the upper and lower limbs. It also is used to speed up recovery after hard workouts. Contrast Therapy is known to lower stress and anxiety by increasing dopamine and improves sleep quality!
Contrast Therapy Cycle
New to this? Allow us to break it down for you:
Suggested Protocol
Start with the Infrared Sauna.
Start with a preheated infrared sauna, set at a comfortable temperature, usually around 100-170°F. (Start lower for beginners)
Begin your session with 12-14 minutes in the infrared sauna. Focus on relaxation, deep breathing, and gentle stretching.
Next, Cold Plunge: After exiting the sauna, proceed to the cold plunge pool, which should be around 50-60°F.
Submerge yourself in the cold plunge for 1-3minutes.
Exit the cold plunge if you start to feel extremely cold or uncomfortable.
Alternate between the infrared sauna and cold plunge for 2-3 cycles.
Start with shorter durations and gradually increase the time spent in both the sauna and cold plunge as you become more accustomed to the therapy.
How does the cold plunge complement my sauna session?
Contrast therapy, also called hot and cold therapy, involves immersing the body in extreme temperature changes in quick rotation. Contrast Therapy gives you all of the same benefits of the sauna and cold plunge individually, but it takes it a step farther when it comes to training your body to withstand the stress of the extreme temperatures. The physical and mental fortitude training that Contrast Therapy provides is thought to help with anxiety and depression. Additionally, if you deal with chronic pain or injuries, contrast therapy is a form of rehabilitation. It forces the body tissues to adapt to sudden change and gives your body a “workout” without the stress and movement of exercise, resulting in a reduction in swelling, better circulation, and an improvement in pain and soreness.
I’m Scared of the Cold Plunge!
Yes, it's cold! But there is truly nothing like it, and what scares us only makes us stronger.
