opposite effect. “When you're immersed in cold water, it really does take away the pain of arthritis— because arthritis is really inflammation." McAlpine encourages people to try other therapies along with the ice baths. He notes that the name of the business, Fire and Ice, is also the name of a contrast therapy they offer. There are three rooms that have both an infrared sauna for two people as well as a cold plunge. Guests get in the sauna first and then take the cold plunge—and go back and forth. “Being in the hot and the cold really kind of creates a pliability where it's kind of
At top, Robert Vance, wellness director at Spa Solage at Auberge Resort in Napa, which offers five pools for different types of hydrotherapy. Above, a first-person view of the Cold Plunge. [Photos by Duncan Garrett Photography]
even in the mid-50s, you're still going to get those benefits.”
pulling and pushing on your muscles and skeletal regions that helps even more with loosening up your body and taking inflammation away,” McAlpine says. McAlpine says that another option for newbies is to try something a bit warmer. “I go into literally freezing water, 32 degrees, for six to eight minutes, but you don't have to do it that extreme,” he says. “It doesn't have to be freezing;
A hydrotherapy circuit For those hoping to try a warmer version of the ice bath, Spa Solage at Auberge Resort in Napa features several inviting pools. One is called the Cold Plunge. Robert Vance is the spa and wellness director at Spa Solage and says the Cold Plunge is a favorite.
February 2025
NorthBaybiz 51
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