If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you’re hot. In which case, as concepts go, this one will be music to your ears. Or rather balm for your sunburn.
The heatwave has created a need for cooling off that extends beyond a cold shower – and so the current trend for coldness in the world of wellness, beauty and exercise feels timely given that for years it’s been all about Bikram yoga, hot-cloth cleansing and saunas. But is this penchant for the cold more than a whim? Or is it simply the latest fad to be commodified by the wellness industry?
Extolling the virtues of being cold is actually nothing new. Cold bathing, ground-zero of the movement, dates back to Hippocrates, with the proposed benefits as murky as any plunge pool – cold showers purport to increase circulation, reduce stress, kickstart your immune system and release endorphins as well as cooling you down.
Leading the current charge is cryotherapy, which involves standing in your underwear in a chamber, chilled to a fresh -90C (-130F), and watching your arm hairs turn to frost. A product of sports science – after playing one of the longest matches at Wimbledon this year, Kevin Anderson said he was planning to sit in an ice bath to recover – there are now cryochambers all over the country with users who call themselves “chillseekers”. In winter, it feels brisk. In summer, it’s joyous. It is geared towards general health, arthritis pain, and sports recovery, but also has more holistic benefits “such as [fighting] jet lag, [aiding] sleep or boosting energy”, says Sarah Harding of 111Cryo, one of several clinics that offers the therapy. “We have absolutely noticed a spike since the heatwave,” she says. “People need to cool down.” Being cold, which was once normal – even during the UK summertime – has suddenly become a product, even a luxury.
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
