Can a cold plunge boost your metabolism? Yes, in a specific way. Cold water switches on brown fat, a tissue that burns energy to make heat, and regular cold exposure trains your body to use more of it. At sēk a private cold plunge is $30, and most clients are in the water 2 to 6 minutes.
Brown fat in one minute
- White fat stores energy. It is most of the fat on your body.
- Brown fat burns energy to make heat. In adults it sits mostly around the neck, collarbones and upper back.
- Cold switches it on. Every time you step into cold water, your body fires up brown fat to protect your core temperature. Researchers call it cold-induced thermogenesis.
- Regular cold keeps it active. Brown fat grows with repeated cold and fades without it.
What the research shows
More brown fat. At the National Institutes of Health, five healthy men spent a month sleeping in a cool room at about 66°F. By the end of it their brown fat volume had grown 42 percent, its activity was up 10 percent, and their bodies handled sugar after a meal more efficiently.
More heat from cold. In Copenhagen, researchers studied men who winter-swim two to three times a week, alternating cold dips with hot sauna. When cooled, the swimmers burned more energy than men who did neither, and the authors pointed to the habit as a way to raise energy expenditure.
Neither study hands you a calorie count per plunge, and we will not invent one. What they show is that cold works on your metabolism and that the effect builds with a habit. It is one of the simplest habits you can add to the way you eat, move and sleep.
Your plunge at sēk
- 42 degrees, the same on your tenth visit as your first.
- A private room, yours for 15 minutes. Most clients plunge for 2 to 6 of them.
- A weekly goal of about 11 minutes in the water in total.
- Filtered every 15 minutes, the full volume of water, circulated and ozone-sanitized.
The first time
The first 30 seconds. Your breath catches and speeds up. That is the cold doing what cold does. Breathe out slowly, longer than you breathe in, and it passes. First-timers often go in and out in 30 to 60 second stretches until the water stops feeling like a shock.
The settle. Your breathing evens out and your shoulders come down. Still, alert, unusually present. When you have had enough, you get out. A timer and call button are within reach the whole time.
After. A warmed towel is waiting. Dress warm and let your body come back up to temperature on its own. Most clients leave clear-headed and energized, and that feeling is what brings them back.
How often
We recommend 2 to 6 minutes a session, working toward about 11 minutes a week in total. How long you stay is always yours to decide, and the cold gets noticeably easier with repetition. Two or three plunges a week is the rhythm most regulars settle into.
Pair it with heat
The Copenhagen swimmers paired cold with sauna, and so do most of our regulars. At sēk that is contrast therapy: 30 minutes in the Infrared Sauna Pod or 40 in the Infrared Sauna Cabin, then your own cold plunge room. Two sessions, back to back, each in its own private room. Plan on about 45 minutes to an hour.
What it costs
A single cold plunge session is $30. Plunge 10 is 10 sessions for $200, $20 a session. A full contrast visit, sauna plus plunge, is $90 as single sessions. Every membership includes the cold plunge, and memberships are set up with a real person: text 615.614.3461 or email hi@seksauna.com. FSA and HSA cards are accepted.
Before you book
Talk with a healthcare professional before your first plunge if you are pregnant or have a heart condition, high blood pressure, Raynaud's syndrome or a pacemaker. Do not plunge after drinking alcohol or when you are unwell.
Start with a week
New to sēk? The Intro Week Pass is 4 sessions in 7 days for $99, with Full Studio Access. Use it as two sauna and cold plunge pairings and you will know by the weekend whether the cold belongs in your routine. Join within 30 days and your $99 applies toward your first month.
Sources
- Lee P, Smith S, Linderman J, Courville AB, Brychta RJ, Dieckmann W, Werner CD, Chen KY, Celi FS. Temperature-acclimated brown adipose tissue modulates insulin sensitivity in humans. Diabetes, 2014;63(11):3686-3698.
- Søberg S, Löfgren J, Philipsen FE, et al. Altered brown fat thermoregulation and enhanced cold-induced thermogenesis in young, healthy, winter-swimming men. Cell Reports Medicine, 2021;2(10):100408.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting any new practice, including cold water immersion, to determine whether it is appropriate for you.
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