29/08/2025
👨👩👧👧Recently my family spent an hour at one of the many new sauna spots that have popped up around Tassie. Sauna Boat Tasmania is situated on the water at Kettering Marina. It was such a great way for our little family to celebrate a birthday and spend some quality time together, and float home feeling relaxed and content.
Read on if you want to find out some of the science behind Hot & Cold Therapy.
Alternating between sauna (heat exposure) and cold plunge (cold water immersion)—has become increasingly popular for recovery, stress relief, and overall well-being.
Here’s a breakdown 👇
🔥 Sauna (Heat Therapy)
What happens in the body:
• Raises core body temperature and skin temperature.
• Increases heart rate and circulation (like light to moderate exercise).
• Induces sweating → supports detoxification of some compounds through skin.
• Triggers heat shock proteins → may help with cellular repair and resilience.
Benefits (supported by research):
• Cardiovascular health: regular sauna use is linked to reduced blood pressure, improved blood vessel function, and lower risk of heart disease.
• Muscle recovery & relaxation: improves blood flow to muscles, reduces soreness.
• Stress relief: stimulates endorphins, helps with relaxation.
• Longevity associations: large Finnish studies suggest frequent sauna use correlates with lower all-cause mortality.
❄️ Cold Plunge (Cold Water Immersion)
What happens in the body:
• Rapid constriction of blood vessels (vasoconstriction).
• Sudden increase in adrenaline, norepinephrine, and dopamine.
• Activates brown fat → can improve metabolism and thermoregulation.
• Reduces inflammation and muscle swelling.
Benefits (supported by research):
• Reduced muscle soreness: especially useful after intense exercise.
• Mood boost: cold exposure can elevate dopamine levels significantly.
• Immune support: some evidence of fewer colds and better immune resilience in regular cold water swimmers.
• Mental resilience: trains stress adaptation and tolerance.
🔄 Combining Sauna + Cold Plunge (Contrast Therapy)
The alternating cycle of heat and cold increases effects:
• Improved circulation: heat dilates blood vessels, cold constricts them → pumping effect supports vascular health.
• Enhanced recovery: reduces muscle soreness while promoting nutrient delivery to tissues.
• Stress resilience: trains the nervous system to adapt between sympathetic (alert) and parasympathetic (calm) states.
• Mood elevation: sauna induces relaxation, cold plunge creates exhilaration → together, they balance well-being.
• Traditional roots: practiced in Finland (sauna + icy lake), Russia (banya + cold plunge), and other cultures for centuries.
⚖️ Safety & Considerations
• Hydration: saunas cause heavy sweating → drink water and replenish electrolytes.
Duration:
• Sauna: typically 10–20 minutes per round.
• Cold plunge: 30 seconds to 3 minutes is common (longer can be risky).
• Sequence: many prefer heat → cold → rest, repeated 2–4 cycles.
• Contraindications: heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, pregnancy, or certain medical conditions may require caution—always check with a healthcare professional.
• Listen to your body: dizziness, numbness, or extreme discomfort are warning signs.
There are some great sauna businesses out there, give one of these other ones a try:
KUUMA • Nature Sauna (Margate Marina)- friends and I visited here in January and it was wonderful! The boat putters into the nearby bay and you spend 90 minutes in and out of the sauna and the Channel.
Floating Sauna Lake Derby (NE Tas)- amazing location right on the lake. Dip in and out of the frigid lake after being in a very hot (98°C) sauna. We booked the 5pm twilight one in September. The big picture window frames the lake from inside the sauna as the sun goes down. Just magic!
Elsewhere Sauna (Taroona Beach) https://www.elsewheresauna.com/taroonabookings
