Sat 10 Jul 2021 02.00 EDT
The ice bath found its modern pioneer in a man called Wim Hof. An inspiringly beardy gentleman with 1.9 million followers on Instagram, he proselytises cold exposure as part of a suite of self-improving exercises; yoga and mindfulness among them. But it’s the ice that he’s known for, because he’s just so rock-hard, and often nearly naked, in situations where you’d want not just regular clothes but also long johns and probably a big winter coat, too.
Martin Petrus, a breathwork coach and author of the Cold Exposure Guide, described to me how to dunk yourself into this enterprise. The problem with incredibly cold water is that every synapse of your sorry mind urges you not to enter, whatever the benefits. “The best way is to go very slowly, and progress only when you feel ready,” he says.