The Romans were onto something with their communal bath houses. There were warm baths and steam rooms, but they also included pools filled with cold water to reinvigorate the bather and awaken the senses. 

It might have only taken us a few thousand years, but we’re slowly catching on. These days you can bathe like a Roman at numerous locations across our region; and alongside warm baths and steam rooms, there are also cold plunge pools, which you can enjoy as a standalone treatment or alongside a massage, facial, and infrared sauna. “Cold plunging is ridiculously popular—probably the most popular of all the pools and treatments we have,” says Gaby Valencia, owner of Cloud 9 Float + Spa (cloud9floatspa.net). You might be wondering why anyone would want to submerge their body in icy cold water, but the benefits—both physical and mental—are well-documented.

HEALTH BENEFITS

It’s commonplace for athletes—elite and recreational—to partake in cold therapy after competing or being active.  Sitting in an ice bath or cold plunge pool helps revive muscles and reduce inflammation and swelling. Exposure to the cold leads to increased blood flow to the muscles and this starts work straightaway, helping to repair tissue damage and injuries. Think about how you might apply an ice pack to a bump or bruise—this is just the same but on a larger scale. “When I feel swollen or inflamed, I feel immediately better if I cold plunge,” Samantha Easterly, vice president of operations at California Sun (californiasun.com), recounts a client telling her. 

Cold therapy can also help with fat burning by kick-starting your metabolism and boosting immunity by regulating the balance between the free radicals (the bad guys) and antioxidants (the good guys).  

The cold doesn’t just help the body though; it also helps the mind. “It takes the edge off a stressful day, lightens your mood, and relaxes your body—[all] things that help people sleep better. Sustained time in the cold plunge is especially meditative since it takes concentration to stay in,” explains Cori Martinez, owner of Asha Urban Baths (ashaurbanbaths.com). 

You may feel a rush of adrenaline when you first enter the cold water, as your mind feels nervous or excited about what you’re doing, and that’s perfectly normal. However, as you feel an adrenaline surge, your stress hormone levels will lower and, ta da (!), your endorphins—which heighten your feeling of well-being and make you feel good—are activated.

 “We have a lot of [athletic] clients coming in to use the cold water to help with injuries and muscle recovery. MMA fighters use our sauna, cold pool, and floatation tank to help their mind and body and prepare for their next fight,” explains Valencia. 

Ryan Jantzen from El Dorado Hills takes a cold plunge.

NATURE CALLS

Ryan Jantzen from El Dorado Hills has been cold plunging in Lake Natoma pretty much every day since the new year. He’s used to open water swimming but decided to try cold plunging for its health benefits and for the challenge it presents.  

We discuss the “plunge” element, which, he explains, is incorrect terminology. Plunging suggests a quick “in and out” of the water, but ideally you want to be submerged up to the neck for between three and six minutes. We talk temperatures, too: experts recommend 55 degrees or below for “real” cold water therapy. 

“I would say that if it’s a challenge for you then that’s good enough,” Jantzen says. “Recently it was hailing and cold, and I really had to force myself to get out of the car and step into the water. The feeling I had at the end though was so positive and more of a rush than normal, because the conditions were harsher.” 

Jantzen sees cold water plunging as a commitment to himself, and so he aims to show up daily for that. Mentally, he believes he has much greater clarity and even started a Facebook page called “Wisdom From the Water,” in which he posts life-affirming questions and thoughts while in the lake.

Kimberley Macdonald of Orangevale cold plunges at Folsom’s Black Miners Bar several times a week and sees it as a critical part of her overcoming trauma. “It puts to rest the part of my mind that says, ‘I hate cold…,’ ‘I could never,’ and revives it with ‘I’ve endured way worse,’ and ‘I can do it.’ I heard a saying once that was ‘leave it in the water,’ and I remember that every time I walk out of the water. It’s absolutely rejuvenating.” 

GETTING STARTED

If you would like to bathe like a Roman and try cold-water immersion, there are several ways.  

• Visit one of the region’s numerous spas—Cloud 9, Asha Urban Baths, Capitol Float, and California Sun.

• Invest in a plunge pool in your own backyard—Jantzen has one that his fiancée uses.

• Go al fresco and follow Jantzen’s and Macdonald’s leads. Lake Natoma will remain cool throughout the summer, as its water comes from the bottom of Folsom Lake; and there’s always Lake Tahoe. 

• For a more secluded and private introduction to cold therapy, try taking a cold shower like Folsom resident Davor Miksic. He used to cold swim but now feels a similar rush under the showerhead! 

Everyone I speak to who cold plunges, loves it. It might seem intimidating, but the benefits I hear are overwhelmingly positive. One of my favorites was from Rebecca Schneider, float facilitator at Capitol Floats in Auburn. She cold plunges herself and told me that in the morning, “It’s better than a cup of coffee. You get the focus but without the jitters and the crash later.”  

by Caroline Kings
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