Ever heard of an ice bath?

Courtney Cox was interviewed by Glamour Magazine a while back, and she said,

I thought I would never do a cold plunge. I thought I would hate it, but I love it so much..... I feel great for hours afterwards. So as much as you dread getting in, you know that you’re going to feel so good.

According to health.com, an ice bath is a "type of cold water therapy" said to help reduce muscular pain and improve mood. However, the same article also notes that "current research is limited."

So, if you're interested, you may want to do a little research yourself. But if you want to take the plunge, there are at least three places in the Granite State that offer ice baths you can try.

Get Your Ice Bath on at KBP in Concord

Ice baths are one of the services offered at KBP.  They say that ice baths will do all kinds of things to improve your health, like:

  • Reduce inflammation
  • Ease sore muscles
  • Boost Energy
  • Elevate your mood
  • Increase blood flow and reduce chronic pain

FLOTE in Hampton Offers a Combo of Ice and Heat

FLOTE does offer ice baths, but they have something called "Contrast Therapy" where you go from being freezing in an ice bath to a sauna, where you warm up your body.  This process of going from one extreme temperature to another is meant to pump blood throughout your body and get rid of toxins in your body.

Humble Warrior Power Yoga in Bedford, Exeter, and Manchester

With three locations in New Hampshire, Humble Warrior Power Yoga offers "Contrast Therapy," much like FLOTE in Hampton, and makes the same claims of this kind of therapy.

According to their website:

Benefits include:

1. Faster Recovery and Less Inflammation.
2. Improved Mental Health and Stress Reduction.
3. Boosted Immune System.
4. Heightened Alertness and Improved Energy Levels.
5. Enhanced Resilience and Mental Toughness.

UNH Study Says Ice Baths Don't Do a Thing

Back in 2013, there was a study done at the University of New Hampshire about ice baths.  It's a dated study, however, the process is the same without the immediate heat after from what you would get at the above spas.

The lead researcher of the study said:

It doesn't help you feel better and it doesn't help you perform better......  Ice baths are very popular as a treatment, but the research is really mixed as to whether they're beneficial. They're miserable. If it doesn't work, you don't want to waste your time.

I would try it despite the UNH study.  I'm all about anything that makes me potentially mentally stronger.

Would you try an ice bath?

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