Sauna + cold plunge questions, answered.

You book a time at the studio you want, then let yourself into your private suite at your start time. Close the door and it's yours: heat in the infrared sauna, a dip in the cold plunge, repeat as often as you like, then shower and head out. It's all self-guided, so you set the pace.

We suggest 55 for a first visit. It leaves time to settle in, try the heat and the cold a couple of times each, and shower without rushing. Choose 25 if you're fitting it into a lunch break, and save 85 for a slow day or a visit with a friend.

Not much. Wear a swimsuit or anything you're comfortable sweating in, bring a water bottle, and pack something easy to change into afterward. Towels are waiting in your suite.

Five to ten minutes before your start time is plenty. That covers parking and finding the CBR entrance inside Self Made Training Facility. Your booked time is your time in the suite, so being a little early means you get all of it.

Yes, it's simple. Sit in the sauna until you want a break, then step into the plunge for as long as feels okay, even ten seconds. Rest a minute, then go again if you feel like it. There's no wrong way to do it.

Then skip it, or start with just your hands and feet. The whole suite is yours for the booking, so a long sauna and a cool shower is a perfectly good session too.

In the suite with you. The door closes behind you, so your bag, keys and phone stay in your own room, and there's no locker room to share.

Yes, once: our liability waiver, which you accept online when you book. Anyone you bring along signs it too.

Going back and forth between heat and cold: a round in the sauna, a dip in the plunge, a short rest, then again. Our suites are built for it, with the infrared sauna and the cold plunge a few steps apart in the same private room.

A simple first round: 10 to 15 minutes in the sauna, 30 seconds to 2 minutes in the plunge, then a minute or two sitting and breathing. Repeat two or three times, and adjust any of it to how you feel.

Most people start warm, because stepping into the plunge already hot makes the cold easier to face. How you finish is up to you: end cold if you want to leave feeling crisp, or end warm if you'd rather leave cozy.

Two or three in 55 minutes, with time to shower. A 25-minute session fits one or two quick rounds, and 85 minutes gives you three unhurried rounds plus time to sit and do nothing.

A short pause helps. Sit for a minute or two after the plunge and let your breathing settle before heading back into the heat. On longer sessions, a few quiet minutes before your shower is a nice way to finish.

Research says it can be. A meta-analysis found that alternating hot and cold water eased muscle soreness and reduced strength loss after hard exercise, compared with simply resting (PLOS ONE, 2013 (opens in a new tab)). It performed about as well as other popular recovery methods, so the best routine is the one you enjoy enough to repeat.

There's an intriguing hint. In a randomized trial, people who ended their daily hot shower with cold water for 30 days took 29% fewer sick days from work, though they weren't ill for fewer days (PLOS ONE, 2016 (opens in a new tab)). Researchers are still working out why, but it's a nice bonus for a habit that already feels good.

Yes. Add a guest when you book and do your rounds together, or take turns in the plunge while the other person stays warm in the sauna.

There's no magic number. Once a week makes a good ritual, and some members come most days. Notice how you feel afterward and settle on a rhythm you'd happily keep.

Sessions, packs or a membership, at either studio. They choose what they want when they book, so you don't have to guess their schedule.

Yes. A pack is a set number of sessions at the length you pick (25, 55 or 85 minutes), from $149. It never renews, and they have 12 months to use it. A gift card is the better pick if you're not sure which length they'd like.

By email. Momence, our booking system, emails the gift card to the person you're giving it to and sends you a receipt.

No. Gift cards don't expire, so they can use it whenever suits them.