Cold Plunge
Meet the cold with open arms. Cold plunging is a steady practice of breath and focus designed to flush out inflammation and steady your mind. Step in, master the discomfort, and hit the ultimate reset button.
What is Cold Plunging?
Cold plunging, also known as cold water immersion, involves submerging yourself in icy water (40-45°F at Riffs) for a short period. It’s a powerful practice thats been used for centuries to promote recovery, lose weight, enhance focus, reset your dopamine system, and reduce inflamation. Here’s everything you need to know about its benefits and usage.
This may be just what you need.
Benefits of Cold Plunge
Reduce Inflamation
Cold exposure constricts blood vessels and flushes metabolic waste, helping calm the body's inflammatory response and support recovery after exertion.
Burn Fat
Cold exposure can aid in weight loss by boosting metabolism and activating brown adipose tissue — a metabolically active tissue that burns calories to generate body heat.
Mental Clarity
A plunge triggers a surge of norepinephrine and dopamine — a clean, sustained lift that sharpens focus and steadies mood for hours afterward.
Boost Immunity
Regular practitioners show higher counts of lymphocytes and monocytes — key immune cells — and report fewer sick days over time.
Speedy Recovery
Used by athletes for decades, cold immersion eases muscle soreness and shortens the gap between hard efforts — a reset for a body that works hard.
Resilience & Resolve
Learning to stay calm inside discomfort is a life skill. The nervous system you train in the plunge is the one you carry with you as you face the challenges of everyday life.
How to Plunge:
Take three deep breaths, in through the mouth, out through the nose
Enter the plunge in one fluid motion, lowering down on a big exhale to the depth of your choice
Long, slow breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Ask your body to relax, use your breath to guide you
After 1-3 minutes, you're done! Exit the plunge, take a few deep breaths and enjoy the benefits for the rest of the day
**Always rinse in the shower before a plunge**
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Tips and Tricks
For developing a cold plunge practice
Plunging is a practice, you will get better! Everyone's cold tolerance is different. If your first time only lasts a few seconds, that is okay you are still getting the benefits. Try to add a few seconds each time you plunge, and eventually you will get to 3 minutes.
1.
ALWAYS shower when moving from sauna to cold plunge. Moving from extreme heat to extreme cold too quickly can constrict the blood vessels and cause headaches. The shower buffers the extreme temperature change, and helps to keep our plunges clean for everyone's enjoyment.
2.
Keep your hands and neck out of the water until you feel ready for a bigger challenge. Even some experiences plungers don't submerge their hands, there isn't a major benefit to it and it can make the experience much more challenging.
3.
All you need is 11 minutes of cold exposure per week, split into 3-4 sessions, to maximize the benefits. Consistency is more beneficial than intensity, there is no need to plunge for more than 3 minutes at a time.
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