What Are The Benefits Of Cold Therapy In A Spa Pod Ice Bath?

When the weather is freezing cold in the middle of a particularly frosty winter, it can sometimes be difficult to see the benefits of cold therapy. 

The cold weather can cause muscles to stiffen, shivers cause muscle tension and this can, according to one preliminary review, potentially affect how much people can exercise without injury. In many respects, a warm-up is quite literal and very important.

However, whilst the temptation in cold weather is always to opt for a hot shower, there are several demonstrable benefits to cold water therapy, and a targeted session in an ice bath in one of our spa pods after exercising can help to improve recovery and boost overall performance.

The main reason for this is, rather ironically, the same reason why training in cold weather can increase the risk of injury and muscle fatigue. It is a matter of blood flow.

When training or engaging in cardiovascular exercises, the body heats up, the blood vessels expand and blood flow increases, which helps boost the flow of oxygen. However, this can also cause inflammation and pain to flare up.

Conversely, cooling down the body using cold therapy constricts the blood vessels and reduces blood flow. As anyone who has used an ice pack can attest, this helps to ease swelling and can boost recovery after difficult training sessions, with less soreness of the muscles later on.

This, alongside the effects of hydrotherapy as a whole on joints, can have benefits for people recovering from injury or attempting to prevent injuries alongside stretching and active recovery.

Because ice water can create a cold water shock, it is also somewhat invigorating, which can also improve circulation in combination with warming up after getting out of the ice bath.

According to a meta-analysis on cold water therapy, the sweet spot for maximising the benefits of cold therapy is between ten and 15 minutes depending on the person. Of course, it can take some time to build up to this – so aim for 30 seconds to a minute if you’re just starting out.