Fire & Ice
Our signature thermal cycling experience. Alternate between sauna and ice bath to trigger a hormetic stress response - boosting circulation, reducing inflammation, and flooding your system with feel-good neurochemicals.
30–75 min
Sessions
60–80°C
Sauna
0–12°C
Ice Bath
Guided & Self-Guided
Options
Why Cycle?
More than the sum of its parts
Sauna on its own is profoundly beneficial. So is cold immersion. But the research on contrast therapy - alternating between them - is consistently stronger than either alone for recovery, circulation, and neurochemical effect. Here's why the combination matters.
Additive, not just individual
Each practice has its own benefits - but combined, they produce a circulatory pump action (vasodilate in heat, vasoconstrict in cold) that flushes tissues far more effectively than either alone. The research on contrast therapy is stronger than either modality in isolation for recovery and vascular health.
Hormetic stress training
Controlled alternating thermal stress trains your nervous system to respond to intensity without reactivity. Regular practice measurably raises heart-rate variability, improves stress tolerance, and builds the kind of resilience that transfers into everyday life and performance.
Neurochemistry reset
Cold immersion produces the largest sustained dopamine release you can achieve without pharmaceuticals (250-530% elevation for 2-3 hours). Heat amplifies beta-endorphins and dynorphins. Cycling between the two creates a profound mood and focus reset that many members describe as the best part of their week.
Complete circulatory workout
Alternating vasoconstriction and vasodilation is a form of training for your blood vessels. Over weeks, endothelial function improves, arterial stiffness reduces, and blood pressure often drops - all independently associated with longevity and cardiovascular health.
The Two Practices
Want to go deeper on one side?
If you're new to thermal practices or want to understand one modality in depth, explore our individual practice pages:
Infrared Sauna
Deep-penetrating infrared heat. Detoxification, cardiovascular conditioning, and heat-shock protein induction. The science of heat, standalone.
Explore SaunaIce Bath
Cold water immersion at 0-12°C. Dopamine surge, inflammation reduction, mental resilience training. Everything you need to know about the plunge.
Explore Ice BathSession Types
Blast
30 min
A self-guided thermal cycle. Jump between sauna and ice bath at your own pace - perfect for fitting thermal cycling into a busy schedule.
Free Flow & Guided
75 min
Extended sessions with time to complete multiple contrast rounds. Choose self-guided Free Flow or a facilitator-led Guided session with structured breathwork and coaching.
Wellness Experience
Various
Fire & Ice forms the heart of the full Wellness Experience - thermal cycling combined with other recovery modalities for a comprehensive session.
The Practice
What a Fire & Ice session looks like
Sauna
Start in the infrared or Finnish sauna for 10-15 minutes - long enough to warm through, sweat lightly, and allow blood vessels to fully dilate. Focus on slow nasal breathing.
Cold plunge
Move directly to the ice bath (0-12°C) for 1-3 minutes. Lower in deliberately. Your facilitator coaches you through the initial shock response. Exhale slowly as you submerge.
Rest
Exit the cold, towel off, and rest for 2-3 minutes before repeating. This quiet transition period is where much of the parasympathetic rebound happens - don't skip it.
Repeat 2-3 rounds
A full Fire & Ice session typically completes 2-3 cycles. End on cold if you want the alertness effect, end on heat if you're heading straight to bed.
Our Facilities
Three saunas across two locations, paired with ice baths at 0-12°C.
Infrared Sauna
Brook Place
Deep-penetrating infrared heat for tissue warming and gentle thermal loading.
Finnish Sauna - 80°C
Kelham Urban Spa
Traditional high-heat Finnish sauna for intense vasodilation and full sweat response.
Infrared Sauna - 60°C
Kelham Urban Spa
Full-spectrum infrared at a gentler temperature, ideal for longer sessions and recovery-focused thermal work.
The Science of Contrast
250%
Dopamine increase
Cold exposure triggers a sustained dopamine release lasting 2-3 hours (Šrámek et al., 2000, European Journal of Applied Physiology).
↓ 40%
Inflammation markers
Contrast therapy significantly reduces C-reactive protein and IL-6 levels (Bleakley et al., 2012, Cochrane).
Faster
Muscle recovery
Accelerates muscle recovery and reduces DOMS compared to passive rest (Hausswirth et al., 2014, JSCR).
↓ 50%
Cardiovascular mortality
Regular sauna use associated with 50% reduction in fatal CV disease (Laukkanen et al., 2015, JAMA Internal Medicine).
Experience Fire & Ice
Choose a 30-minute self-guided Blast session or a 75-minute Guided or Free Flow session. Available from the schedule.