6–7°C cold plunge · Included in every session
Ice Bath
The ice bath is the experience most first-timers are nervous about, and the one most people leave talking about. A few minutes in cold water at this temperature produces a response that’s hard to get any other way, clarity, calm, and a physical reset that tends to last well into the rest of the day.
Haven’s plunge pool is full-size, large enough to move in and share, maintained at a stable 6–7°C and available throughout your 90-minute session. It’s included in every Haven booking alongside the Finnish sauna, steam room, and mineral pool. No separate session and no upgrade required.
Why size matters in cold therapy
Most cold plunge setups you’ll encounter are single-person pods, roughly the size of a large wheelie bin. They work, but they have real limitations that a full-size pool doesn’t.
Small pool
- ✕ Temperature fluctuates as body heat raises the water
- ✕ One person at a time, no shared experience
- ✕ Cramped, no room to position or move
- ✕ Surface area limited to the lower body in most cases
Haven’s full-size pool
- ✓ Larger water volume holds temperature consistently
- ✓ Multiple people can plunge at the same time
- ✓ Room to submerge fully and move freely
- ✓ Full-body immersion for maximum effect
Temperature consistency matters more than most people realise. In a small pool, a single person’s body heat can raise the water temperature by several degrees within a few minutes, which reduces the stimulus the body is responding to. A larger water volume stays stable, so the effect is more reliable across the duration of your plunge.
Ready to take the plunge?
BOOK A SESSIONThe physiology, without the hype
Cold water immersion has a significant amount of research behind it, more than most wellness practices. Here’s what’s reasonably well established and what’s still being worked out.
Reduces inflammation
Cold constricts blood vessels, which reduces the inflammatory response in muscle tissue. This is why athletes have used ice baths after competition for decades. The evidence for reduced post-exercise soreness is solid and consistent.
Boosts circulation
The body responds to cold by shunting blood toward core organs. When you exit the water and warm up, vessels dilate and blood flows back to the periphery, delivering oxygen and clearing metabolic waste. The contrast between hot and cold amplifies this effect significantly.
Releases noradrenaline
Cold exposure triggers a rapid, substantial release of noradrenaline, a neurotransmitter involved in mood, focus, and alertness. Research by Dr Andrew Huberman and others has found increases of 200–300% from a single cold plunge. This is the chemical reason people step out feeling sharper and calmer simultaneously.
Builds stress tolerance
Entering cold water is uncomfortable, and staying in it requires deliberate control of your breathing and attention. Done regularly, this appears to transfer, people who cold plunge consistently often report handling everyday stress differently. The mechanism is likely related to training the nervous system to stay regulated under physiological stress.
Supports recovery and sleep
Used after heat therapy, the cold plunge accelerates the physical wind-down that precedes deep sleep. The drop in core body temperature after warming up and cooling down mimics the natural temperature fall the body uses to initiate sleep. Many people report noticeably better sleep on Haven session days.
Brown fat activation
Cold exposure activates brown adipose tissue, a type of fat that generates heat by burning energy rather than storing it. Regular cold immersion may increase brown fat mass over time, with potential benefits for metabolism and cold tolerance. The research here is newer and still developing, but the early evidence is interesting.
One note of nuance: if your primary goal is muscle hypertrophy, building muscle mass, some research suggests that cold immersion immediately after strength training may blunt the adaptation response. For recovery and general wellbeing, it’s consistently beneficial. For post-lifting use, the evidence is more mixed. A gap of several hours between training and cold plunge avoids the issue entirely.
New to Haven? Start with 3 sessions for $99.
GET THE INTRO OFFERFirst time in? Here’s what to expect
The entry is the hard part. Once you’re in and breathing slowly, it becomes manageable faster than most people expect. The key is not fighting the cold, just breathing through it.
Start with the cold, or move into it after heat
There’s no single right way to use the space, but we often recommend beginning with a calm, steady cold plunge before moving through the hot facilities. From there, use the cold between sauna, steam and the magnesium pool as a refreshing reset.
Enter slowly and deliberately
Don’t jump in. Give your body a moment to adjust, settle your breathing, and ease in with control. Shoulders under is the goal.
Control your breathing
The cold may make you want to gasp or breathe quickly at first. Slow, steady exhales help calm the nervous system and make it much easier to stay in.
Start with what feels manageable
For first-timers, 30–60 seconds is plenty. As you become more comfortable, you can build toward longer plunges across future sessions.
Rinse between each hot space
Between each hot space, rinse off in the shower before re-entering the pools. The cold plunge is a beautiful reset between sauna, steam and the magnesium mineral pool.
Finish cold before you leave
Finish with a short cold plunge and cold shower before leaving. This helps bring your body temperature back down so you leave Haven feeling refreshed, comfortable and calm.
Included in every session
The ice bath is included in
every Haven session
You don’t book the ice bath separately. It’s part of the Haven Wellness experience, along with the Finnish sauna, steam room and heated magnesium mineral pool. One session. All four facilities. 90 minutes.