Remedy Place founder and functional medicine doc Jonathan Leary remembers a time when people weren’t quite so willing to freeze their tushes off in the name of wellness.
Circa 2019, just as he was opening his first “social self-care” emporium in West Hollywood while overseeing wellness pop-ups all over Los Angeles, plunking oneself down in a pint-sized portable tub of 39-degree H2O was still deemed pretty fringe. Not now.
“From Cannes Film Festival to the Kardashians’ backyard, what was once considered not normal has now become the staple of every major wellness event,” says Leary, who is up to four Remedy Place locations (Soho and Flatiron in New York, and a just-opened Boston outpost; from $50 for a single breathwork ice-bath class). “It’s been incredible to witness this shift.”
Social proof: #6MinuteClub, used by Remedy Place cold plunge fanatics, has garnered thousands of posts on Instagram and millions of views on TikTok.
What do cold plunge-crazed celebs like Hailey Bieber and Harry Styles, and mega-athletes like Naomi Osaka and Steph Curry, get from regularly risking frostbite? A laundry list of emotional and physical bennies, it turns out, from anxiety relief and mood-boosting to inflammation reduction and post-workout muscle recovery.
New York internist and longevity expert Amanda Kahn, who actively recommends cold plunging to her patients, shares that ice baths work their magic by triggering a prolonged response to the shock of cold temperatures. This includes the release of stress-modulating chemicals and the activation of the vagus nerve, which regulates the nervous system.
Still, cautions Kahn, the practice isn’t suitable for all. “People with certain heart conditions, uncontrolled blood pressure, Raynaud’s disease, asthma or seizure disorders should approach [cold plunging] with caution or avoid it altogether,” she says. “And in communal settings, hygiene and water quality are also important concerns, as cold temperatures don’t kill bacteria.”
While most of the hottest cold plunge spots in Manhattan and the boroughs are in fact built around community, the newest entry to the lineup — Saint, in Chelsea — is steeped in the idea of privacy. The 1,100-square-foot space features a mere quartet of cozy-chic combination sauna-ice bath chambers that can accommodate up to three people.
“Each of the four private sanctuaries has walnut-clad dressing areas, Nordic-cedar saunas, Brazilian-slate ice baths, rain showers and Italian-terrazzo floors,” says Saint co-founder Alex Feldman. “We’re calling them rooms, or just ‘personal space’ — the rarest thing you can find in NYC. Here, our days unfold between small, shared apartments and sprawling, crowded offices, and neither are a setting for the meditative, restorative power of true privacy.” (From $90 per visit.)
In contrast to Saint’s secluded plunge offerings, Othership sounds like a full-on rave, complete with its own punchy language. Guests at its Flatiron and Williamsburg locations are dubbed “Journeyers,” and during the combination sauna-ice bath group “Experiences,” they’re treated to “towel waving” by “Guides” (basically the manual wafting of essential oils and heat through the air), “vocal toning” (wherein participants are encouraged to hum, chant and “make resonant sounds”) and “self-massage” with gua shas to stimulate lymphatic drainage.
In the testimonials section of its website, Othership’s cold plunge enthusiasts share some pretty profound stories about how communing with icy water — albeit for just minutes at a time — has changed their lives. (From $64 for a drop-in session.)
Othership co-founder Harry Taylor isn’t surprised. Now that we’re past the Gwyneth-y “let’s chat with the ‘Iceman’ for a Goop Lab feature on Netflix” moment, real value has emerged.
“While the early wave of Wim Hof and celebrity interest helped introduce cold exposure to the mainstream, the conversation has shifted,” Taylor notes. “We now have a growing body of peer-reviewed research validating cold exposure as a tool for stress regulation, recovery and resilience. It’s no longer about personality or shock factor — though there definitely is a shock factor. People from all walks of life are integrating it into their routines because they feel tangible benefits.”
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