Ice Baths: Why it's cool to get cold (plus 8 places to try)

Ice baths are popping up around the country, waiting for you to take the plunge

By Karen Fong - 3 Oct 2025

ice bath feature image — Credit: COMO Shambhala

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As I sat on the edge of the 2 degrees celcius pool at COMO Shambhala, I really wanted to chicken out and go back to my sweaty gym clothes. You could feel the cold air hovering above the water, which looked innocent enough, but I instinctively I knew better. “You’re going to feel like your body can’t do it,” said Jeremy, the trainer responsible for guiding guests through the spa's contrast therapy experience. “But you have to remember to push through the fear because it’s only in your head.” There wasn't anywhere else to go but in, so I did.

What I said when I lowered myself in is definitely not fit to print, but it was SO COLD. I felt my heart rate shoot up, I couldn't control my breathing and I had to close my eyes to find a happier place. But breathing is what will get you through the initial shock, so I worked on getting that under control, and then miraculously, everything else fell into place. I could feel my body calm down, enough to stay in the water for two minutes up to my chest. It really became a mind over matter exercise as I battled to maintain my breathing and my “cool”.

Recovering in the infrared sauna, I reflected on how the experience really gave me a high. I was psyched that I had managed to stay in the water at all, and I honestly felt physically better.

Kathy Gabriel, founder of Soma Haus, one of the first places in Singapore to offer ice bath treatments in 2017 said that ice baths have definitely grown in popularity over the last few years. “Previously, it was used to reduce inflammation and for very sports-related treatments. But Wim Hof (a Dutch athlete and motivational speaker known for withstanding low temperatures) definitely popularised it and made it easier for people to resonate with. When you connect it to a sort-of spirituality, more people can find [ice baths] accessible." She also credits the post-Covid desire to take better care of ourselves for its rise in popularity.

When it comes to trying out the ice baths, Kathy highlights the need to “respect the ice”. “When people do not respect the ice, it can create repercussions," she says. "Typically they end up with something like the flu the next day, or they have a severe headache. Your body is intelligent. It will basically kick you out by saying, ‘This is so painful. I can't deal with it.’ And if people listen to their bodies, there won't be any risks.” Peer pressure is perhaps one of the more dangerous elements of using ice baths. "The research shows that at two minutes, the benefits start to plateau. So you don't actually need to sit in there for five.”

At The Private Gym, owner Shoko Shizuki started offering ice baths in September 2023 when he found them to be beneficial for himself. “I found cold water immersion (CWI) to be beneficial for both my physical and mental health - mentally, an ice bath promotes the release of hormones like adrenaline, epinephrine, and noradrenaline (also known as norepinephrine) – this sets me in a calmer mood and helps me to focus better on work for the rest of the day. Physically, it aids recovery and gives me a good night's rest! ”

He notes that regulars have enjoyed incorporating it into their workouts, “It hastens recovery time by reducing inflammation faster than a resting body can, and I think this applies to most sports, but especially so for people who have more punishing schedules or want to to work out more often. Instead of taking two or three days to rest, they can go back sooner as they'll feel physically better.” He also notes there have been more enquiries as a result of the current heatwave. “The cooling effects do linger so the weather feels more bearable after an ice bath!”

Interested in giving an ice bath a try? Here are a few places in Singapore to give it a go:

COMO Shambhala Singapore

Credit: COMO Shambhala Singapore

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Packaged under their Health-Tech Therapies, Cold Therapy offered at their Orchard road flagship allows guests to submerse in their Brass Monkey(R) baths in ice or ice water at 0 to 10 degrees which has benefits ranging from weight loss to improved immunity. Combine this into Contrast Therapy with time in an infrared sauna, as alternating exposure can benefit hormonal responses and improve endurance and even confidence. Says a COMO Shambhala representative, “We encourage the seamless integration of recovery technologies like Contrast Therapy into personalised training and recovery plans, tailored to support individuals at any stage of their wellness journey, fostering continuous progress to meet their wellbeing goals.”

COMO SHAMBHALA, COMO Orchard, Level 4, 30 Bideford Road, Singapore 229922

The Plunge Club

Credit: The Plunge Club

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The Plunge Club is more than just a wellness space—it’s a community. Whether you’re looking to meet like-minded people, unwind with friends, or simply carve out some me-time after work or a tough workout, this spot on North Canal Road has you covered. Inside, you’ll find a traditional Finnish sauna, a recovery and listening lounge, guided breathwork sessions, and of course, two ice baths. One’s set at a milder 8°C for a more manageable dip, while the other plunges to 4°C for anyone ready to test their limits. Adding to the experience, The Plunge Club also hosts themed sessions, think R&B Soul Fridays, where you can recover and recharge to the smooth sounds of your favourite jams.

The Plunge Club, 38 North Canal Road, Level 3, Singapore 059294

Soma Haus

Credit: Soma Haus

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Located in Joo Chiat, this wellness enclave offers a range of different treatments including floatation therapy, saunas, lymphatic compression pants and ice baths. Their guided “Sweat & Freeze” programme allows you to work with an educator and breathwork facilitator to prepare you body and mind for your first dip, making it a safe and comfortable experience to boost your health and wellbeing.

Soma Haus, 108-110 Joo chiat Road, #01-01, Singapore 427401

The Private Gym

Credit: The Private Gym

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Offering one-on-one training sessions, this boutique gym has just one ice bath with a maximum use of two people at a time. It’s recommended post-workout and is a guided process with a trainer. “We typically walk first-timers through their first session, especially before they're fully submerged,” explains Shoko Shizuki. “It's important to guide them through the proper techniques of breathing so that their body can adapt better to the cold as it can be quite shocking. We also start off with 15 degrees - our regulars do 10, 6 or even 3 degrees! As a rule of thumb, temperature = number of minutes you should submerge in to get the most out of an ice bath (the most beneficial for your body). i.e. 15 degrees = 15 minutes of submersion. We also play music for meditation if this is what clients are after, for a complete mind and body relaxation session.”

The Private Gym, 129 Devonshire Rd, Singapore 239886

The Ice Bath Club

Credit: The Ice Bath Club

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Touted as Singapore’s first ice bath recovery club, this membership-based social club is combining luxurious shared spaces including ice baths, a magnesium salt hot bath, a social sauna and a cafe serving healthy treats (and coffee). Bookings aren’t necessary, as a member you can just walk in with your swimsuit and take a soak. Designed to combine the health aspects of the sauna with a social atmosphere, the idea is to transform one’s overall wellness.

The Ice Bath Club, 241 River Valley Road, Singapore 238298

Hyperactiv

Credit: Hyperactiv

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Located at the Wim Hof Method Singapore’s headquarters, Hyperactiv’s “Stress Playground” features ice bath experiences as part of their guided experience that starts with a talking circle to calm your nervous system, followed by breathwork to teach calmness prior to the ice bath portion (which is completely guided to ensure safety) and finished with exercise to warm the body up safely.

Hyperactiv at Wim Hof Method Singapore, 25 Pemimpin Place, Singapore 576022

Athletic Collective

Credit: Athletic Collective

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Located at Orchard Road’s Claymore Connect, Athletic Collective is a very sports performance-oriented gym where training modalities are focused on achieving sports-specific strengths and goals. Their ice bath and infrared sauna can take up to two people at a time and you can purchase a session or a set of sessions a long with treatments from sports massages to stretch therapy.

The Athletic Collective, 442 Orchard Rd, #03-01 Claymore Connect, Singapore 238879

Core Collective

Credit: Core Collective

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Available at their Dempsey and Anson Road locations, Core Collective’s Cold Water Therapy packages allow you to immerse yourself in the Yukon, a state-of-the-art ice bathtub made by Tundra. Their ice bath water temperature ranges from 3 to 9 degrees and each session is 15 minutes though you can cut it short if you don’t feel up to it.

Core Collective Dempsey, 27A, 30B/C Loewen Road, Singapore 248839, Core Collective Anson, Level 22, 79 Anson Road, Singapore 079906, https://www.corecollective.sg/

Trapeze Rec Club

Credit: Trapeze Rec Club

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Offering four floors of wellness modalities from martial arts, to yoga, to wellbeing and even therapy, the Trapeze Rec Club offers ice baths as part of their recovery services which also includes traditional sauna, infrared sauna and compression therapy. Together these work to enhance recovery and boost vitality. Their cold plunge is situated in a picturesque private suite along with the thermal sauna. Alternating between the two allows your body to flush out lactic acid and reduce soreness post-workout.

27 Tanjong Pagar Rd, Singapore 088450, https://trapezerec.club/

Ice Baths: Why it's cool to get cold (plus 8 places to try)

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COMO Shambhala Singapore

The Plunge Club

Soma Haus

The Private Gym

The Ice Bath Club

Hyperactiv

Athletic Collective

Core Collective

Trapeze Rec Club

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