Feel Tingly? The Wonder of Cold Water

Reach the shower after everyone else, once the hot water’s run out? Lucky you!

Many cultures hail the benefits of bathing in cold water:

• In the Sikh religion, Ishnan (“ISH-nahn”) hydrotherapy is downright divine. Believed to open the capillaries and flush blood through the organs and glands, a coldwater soak at dawn is a cleansing process for both body and soul.

• Warriors of ancient Sparta thought warm baths were for wimps, opting for the reinvigoration brought on by a polar plunge.

• In Russian and Finnish bathing traditions, hot soaks and sauna steams are followed by dips in icy water, considered a purifying health ritual. (Then again, polar bears are native to Siberia.)

• In France, the prescription for a beautiful complexion is great care and a cold rinse after cleansing. Frenchwomen say it improves circulation, rushing oxygen to skin cells, while tightening pores.

If total immersion isn’t for you, alternate cold and warm water footbath.

So why else should you take the plunge? A few reasons rush to mind. First, cold water saves on heating, conserving energy and money. And tempering the body with cold water increases the rate of the metabolism, helping burn calories while purging the body of free radicals. Finally, bathing in cold water is believed to improve sleep and strengthen immunity.

So, the cure for the common cold might indeed be cold water.

If total immersion isn’t for you, try alternating cold and warm water footbaths. For Thymes products that bring wonders to any water, check out Thymes Bubble Baths, Bath Salts and Body Washes.