Why is cold plunge so popular?

Are you a raving fan of the cold water therapy? Or have you been wondering why so many people are adding cold plunge to their wellness routines? To be fair, it’s not entirely new, as cold and ice have been used for therapeutic, health and sporting recovery purposes for centuries. More recently, cold water immersion seems to be enjoying a resurgence. You may have noticed it popping up in the news and social feeds, with everyone from celebrities to your neighbor trying it, and loving it. The practice of cold plunging has attracted a huge following in recent years, and those who’ve given cold water immersion a try — whether in a lake, the ocean, or an ice bath in their backyard — often describe powerful, even transformative effects on their state of mind and sense of wellbeing.

When RITUAL Nordic Spa opened in downtown Victoria in early 2022, it was the first urban Nordic spa in BC, and the first Nordic Spa built on Vancouver Island. With a  reimagined hot/cold/relax circuit for a modern sauna experience, RITUAL lead Victoria to join a growing number of North American cities seeing a wave of interest in innovative wellness options and a new style of modern, urban, co-ed, sauna-focused Nordic spas, banyas and bathhouses. 

Inspired by the classic sauna tradition of Finland, RITUAL is an urban oasis featuring an indoor cold plunge pool (9°c), four saunas including traditional Finnish and Infrared saunas (up to 90°C), steam room (45°C), a warm Himalayan salt lounge, Nordic bucket shower, and outdoor patios. In the spirit of the shifting landscape of the spa retreat, you will also find other enhanced wellness offerings such as massage, generous lounge and outdoor space, and a café bar area featuring non-alcoholic artisanal beverages, local craft beer and fresh après-spa snacks. 

And we have been embraced! All kinds of people are showing up and loving the hot/cold circuit! In addition to our optimal location ( RITUAL shares the ground floor of 989 Johnson Street with the Forge Gym, the perfect workout pairing or work day respite), the appeal of the Nordic hot / cold circuit was quick to catch on with a wide range of folks. 

The vision comes to Founder and CEO Marci Hotsenpiller, who grew up with sauna culture as part of her DNA. “My first sauna experience was at age three at my Finnish Grandmother’s Muskoka cottage in Ontario, and I’ve been obsessed with the experience ever since,” said Hotsenpiller. “Growing up in a ski racing family, we spent winters training on the glaciers of Austria and Switzerland with our post-ski recovery taking place in the thermal baths followed by a cold plunge. RITUAL fulfills my dream of bringing all the amazing benefits of the hot sauna, cold plunge, and massage under one roof in my hometown of Victoria…. with the opportunity for a cold beverage afterward.”