How ice baths can help you conquer stress and find inner peace

Once a tool for athletes, cold therapy is now a wellness trend, promising benefits like reduced inflammation, improved sleep and stress relief

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Breath of Life Ice Bath clients take the plunge. Photo: Handout

Karen Chiang

Published: 4:15pm, 5 Dec 2024Updated: 5:43pm, 17 Dec 2024

My skin felt like it was on fire. My brain was empty. There was only a primal, overwhelming urge to escape. I tried to count the seconds as they passed, but a minute felt like an hour. Nobody said torture was on the cards when I signed up for my first ice bath in Chiang Mai’s July heat. Surely the promised benefits of improved well-being would come with the ice-bath experience?

Evidence of cold therapy used as a medical treatment can be found in Egyptian papyrus dating as far back as 3,500BC. But, the practice of ice baths gained popularity in the 2000s, particularly in athletic training, as a tool to enhance recovery and optimise performance. Today, ice baths, also known as cold plunges, are being increasingly offered in spas, resorts and wellness retreats.

According to a study published in the journal Biology in 2023, short-term effects of cold-water immersion include feeling more active, alert, attentive and inspired. By constricting blood vessels and reducing blood flow, cold exposure also helps decrease inflammation and muscle soreness – similar to how we would ice an injury to prevent swelling. Other studies in cold stimulation have shown improvement in sleep quality, and activation of the vagus nerve, which regulates the nervous system, thus training your body to relax during stress.

Breath of Life Ice Bath founder Keiko Takahashi with an ice bath client. Photo: Handout

I was first introduced to ice baths at Suan Sati, a yoga retreat in rural Chiang Mai, Thailand, when I completed my yoga teacher training. After being divided into groups of four, we mentally prepared for the immersion with cups of hot water and tea, and got into our bathing suits. We were told to stay for five minutes, the less movement the better. I barely lasted three.

During my second ice-bath experience, in Bali, Indonesia, I learned that deep breathing is a key component of the process. This time, I worked with Keiko Takahashi, the founder of Hong Kong-based Breath of Life Ice Bath and a certified breathwork practitioner. Takahashi developed the Breath of Life Cold Meditation method after overcoming a particularly challenging period in her life.

“I learned about my body and trauma,” says Takahashi. “I studied polyvagal theory, hormesis and the Japanese misogi ritual, and how the cold cannot only reset the nervous system but also build resilience and release stress held within the body.”

Inside a beautiful Bali villa, Takahashi led a small group of us through a guided ice bath meditation. After filling the standing tub with bags full of ice, we started with a grounding meditation in the balmy sun. We practised the breathing pattern we were to use inside the bath, and took a few quiet moments to observe our emotions and bodies.