'Celsius' Fire & Ice
Contrast Therapy
Life can be stressful, and finding healthy ways to better manage stress can be game changing. Many people have been discovering hot and cold contrast therapy, a practice where you challenge your body (and mind) to do something that it doesn’t normally do.The history of contrast therapy dates all the way back to ancient civilizations such as Greece and Rome, where hot and cold baths were used to treat various health conditions.
Join one of our small Certified Instructor led sessions.
Experience a Breath & Ice or Fire & Ice session in our traditional outdoor Finnish Sauna, Ice Barrels and dedicated wellness area to help you make small life changes and experience huge positive benefits to your mind, body and soul.
Sauna
It’s not easy to go willingly into a cold body of water right after being in a really hot space. But by doing so and combining a sauna with an ice bath is an effective way to improve circulation, reduce inflammation, speed up muscle recovery and elevate your mood. The heat from the sauna causes blood vessels to dilate, which improves blood flow and reduces inflammation.
Ice Bath
The cold from the ice bath causes blood vessels to constrict, which improves circulation and reduces muscle soreness. This contrast between hot and cold temperatures helps to improve overall recovery and reduce the risk of injury.Using a sauna is encouraged as both hot and cold work on similar pathways and Nordic cultures have done this for millennia. However, the evidence for maximising the metabolic benefits suggests starting in the hot and ending in the cold and then reheating naturally.
Looking for a quick mood boost? Contrast therapy can trigger a release of positive hormones. Regular practice can offer longterm benefits affecting mood and mental energy. Alternating between hot and cold exposure stimulates hormone behavior such as:
– The storage and release of norepinephrine, improving attention and focus.
– Increase in prolactin, which helps your brain function faster by enhancing myelination and repair of damaged neurons.
– Encourages growth of new brain cells, improving the ability to retain new info, and lessening certain types of depression and anxiety.
– An increase in dynorphin, which results in your body becoming more sensitive to the benefits of the release of endorphins.
Physical Benefits of Contrast Therapy
- Fights fatigue
– Improves circulation
– Strengthens immune system
– Improvement for endurance exercise
– Reduces pain
– Reduced inflammation
– Better sleep