Saunas attract the most consistent use, sometimes leading to lines, while cold plunges are used in short, timed rotations. Hot tubs remain underused despite greater capacity. Media figures and boutique studios popularized saunas and cold plunges, creating cultural momentum that overshadows evolving scientific findings. Recent evidence questions common claims, noting saunas do not flush toxins and cold plunges can trigger inflammatory responses that may hinder muscle growth. Social performance, timing rituals, and fitness-culture prestige appear to sustain sauna and cold-plunge popularity even as scientific nuance emerges. Hot tubs retain potential as a restorative, social recovery option.
My gym's recovery fitness options include a sauna, a cold plunge and a hot tub. The sauna easily gets the most play. Sometimes there are so many people in there that hopefuls are forced to wait outside, shivering in their swimwear. The cold plunge is also really popular, but on a rotational basis. People tend to pop in for two minutes or so, often monitoring their process via a clock on the wall, as if performing a plank, then swap out.
Podcasters, celebrities and fledgling studios have certainly spread the good word on saunas and cold plunges over the last five years. They've done such a great job, I'd argue, that the actual science of these practices has ceased to matter. As multiple experts outlined for me in my exploration of "contrast therapy" last year, cycling between hot and cold probably isn't the home run that wellness influencers are promising.
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