As I dip my toes into my first ice bath, I’m shocked at how my body reacts. My muscles tense up and my heart rate goes sky-high. Everything burns. Yes, I’d seen it on Instagram and watched celebrities like David Beckham and Kim Kardashian shiver, clench and scream through freezing sessions, but the reality was more shocking than I’d expected. “Remember your breathing,” says Lisa Kricfalusi, a cold exposure therapist who is guiding me through my icy dip — so I take a deep breath through my nose, try to forget about my mind screaming for me to jump out of the bath, and instead delve a little deeper, submerging my shoulders and shocking my body even more.
I’m sitting in one of the world’s first smart ice baths, called Monk — pegged as the “Peloton of the recovery world”, it’s said to have a waiting list of 3,000 people. The smart elements include guided dips, the ability to track your data, and temperature control at the press of a button, it’s a huge step forward for cold-water therapy — but at £5,000 it’s not cheap, so is it worth the price tag?
If my ice-cold body had to decide at this very moment, it would be a hard no — it feels like I’ve been trapped outside during a particularly cold winter, in nothing but a bikini. Basically, my worst nightmare. Of course, cold water therapy or ice baths are nothing new. Wim Hof branded his method a few years ago, and everyone from wellness gurus to your next-door neighbour has been braving cold water and raving about the benefits ever since.
The research speaks for itself though; as well as an ability to bio-hack your metabolism, mental clarity and faster muscle recovery, cold water exposure can “help to improve sleep quality by reducing body temperature, reduce stress by triggering the release of endorphins, and even improve circulation by constricting blood vessels and then dilating them again,” explains Calum Sharma, head of exercise science at The Body Lab, where they offer cryotherapy at their gym in Kensington.
When the smart bath launches later this year, we’re likely to see social media awash with celebrities, athletes and influencers taking daily dips, but Laura Fullerton, CEO and founder of Monk, believes there is a bigger market for it: “Lockdown made people realise that they were in control of their own health.” Fullerton came across some pitfalls as she started practising the wellness trend. “I used to buy so many bags of ice for my bath, I even broke into Hampstead Heath ponds at night during lockdown, but it turns out it was a bad idea, as the water was contaminated, and I got sick.” It was a private Facebook group she joined, however, which made her realise how big the ice bath movement was. “People were learning how to transform chest freezers into ice baths, and I thought if there are this many people who are willing to get electrocuted, then surely there is something bigger here? This was one of the catalysts behind Monk.”
The sleek oval bath wouldn’t look out of place in a hotel suite or a top-notch members gym — and let’s face it, it’s way more Instagram-worthy than a paddling pool full of ice. Unfortunately, though, unlike my Peloton, whichever way I switch my furniture around it’s just not going to fit in my one-bed flat in Crystal Palace. Standing at nearly 3ft and 160 cm wide it’s not massive but unless you have a garden or a home gym it’s not going to be easy to find a home for it.
As Kricfalusi helps me through the last minute of my glacial experience with soothing positive affirmations — “I believe in you” and “You have the power within you to do this” — I’m ready to put her in my pocket and take her home. She’s just the encouragement you need when your pain threshold is met.
Happily, she’ll be the voice of the app, and that’s one of the draws — with most of us novices to cold water therapy, Monk offer a guided experience, from breathwork to an acclimatisation programme.
In theory it has many benefits — but could it be one of those healthy habits we start, with good intentions, only for it to end up gathering dust (and our guilt) in the garage, just a few months later? There is every possibility, but like exercise, Fullerton says consistency is key, with “11 minutes a week” the sweet spot.
I last four minutes and leave feeling alert (like I would after a couple of shots of espresso) and with the hope that its done damage control after last night’s wine — but unfortunately, not with the bank balance to purchase a smart ice bath, maybe I’ll have to settle with an old chest freezer, after all.
