“Contrast therapy existed long before makeshift ice plunge tubs,” wellness travel specialists reveal

Google searches for “contrast therapy” have jumped 450% in the UK over the past year, while “nervous system reset” is up 400% in the last three months alone - proof that the hot–cold ritual has moved well beyond a fitness fad and is now influencing the way people travel. 

Home ice baths and gym cryo chambers made contrast therapy mainstream, but travellers are now chasing the experience behind the trend. 

As the trend graduates from home biohacking gadget to something people will actually travel for, wellness travel specialist Reclaim Yourself Retreats is revealing the wild, remote corners of the world where contrast therapy has existed naturally for generations.

Jools Sampson, founder and CEO of Reclaim Yourself Retreats, commented:

“I think we’ve always had this fascination with thermal waters, saunas and swimming in cold water. And now there’s so much more interest in hot and cold and how good it can make you feel.

“Travel for contrast therapy isn't a spa day bolted onto a holiday; it's a trip planned around the ritual itself. But then you go somewhere like Iceland and you’re bathing in water that’s naturally heated underground, or you’re in Finland lowering yourself into an ice hole cut into a frozen lake.

“Being out in the wild is a huge part of it for me too. Getting into really cold water with mountains around you, or coming out of a sauna into freezing air and heading straight for the lake – it just feels amazing. It’s the hot and the cold, obviously, but it’s also where you are and everything that’s going on around you.

“Then there’s the culture around it too. In some places these aren’t thought of as ‘wellness experiences’ in the way we might think of them, they’re rituals that are just part of how people live.”

Where to experience contrast therapy in the wild

Beyond the gyms and spas where contrast therapy has become a wellness staple, Reclaim Yourself Retreats has picked out five of the best destinations where the hot and cold ritual comes naturally:

Eternity Fjord, Greenland

One of Greenland’s most dramatic fjords, Eternity Fjord winds deep into the mountains of southwest Greenland, with huge stretches of wilderness and ice creating an extraordinary backdrop for cold water immersion. The water can remain around 0°C to 3°C even in summer, making this about as far removed from an ice bath at home as you can get.

On Reclaim Yourself Retreats’ Greenland expedition, guests plunge straight from the expedition vessel into the fjord before warming up in the onboard sauna. Travelling by small expedition vessel takes guests deep into Greenland’s remote landscapes, where they travel ashore to new remote destinations each day, away from the country’s more touristy routes.

Krauma, West Iceland

Iceland is almost tailor-made for contrast therapy. At Krauma, water from Deildartunguhver, one of Europe’s most powerful hot springs, is mixed with cold glacial water, with warm pools, a cold plunge, sauna and steam room all on site.

Krauma features on Reclaim Yourself Retreats’ West Iceland retreat, alongside yoga and exploring the region. The west offers a quieter alternative to Iceland’s heavily visited Golden Circle and south coast, giving travellers the chance to experience the country’s geothermal landscape away from its busiest attractions.

Langøya, Arctic Norway

Langøya sits in Norway’s Vesterålen archipelago, known for dramatic mountains, white beaches and Arctic waters. Come summer, the midnight sun keeps the days going late, so there is time for a swim after a day of hiking and still plenty of light to warm up in the sauna afterwards.

Wild swimming is part of Reclaim Yourself Retreats’ summer Arctic Norway retreat, alongside hiking and exploring the island. Led by experienced teacher Laura Bell, this Norway retreat combines yoga, hiking, cold water swimming and Nordic sauna culture in one of the most beautiful corners of Scandinavia.

Finnish Lapland

The hot and cold ritual feels least like a trend in Finnish Lapland. Traditional wood-fired saunas sit alongside forests and lakes, making a sauna followed by an icy dip a natural part of experiencing the landscape.

Reclaim Yourself Retreats’ Finland winter wellness retreat includes two sauna and lake dip experiences, each kept deliberately low-key. One takes place close to the retreat's base, the other involves travelling on traditional forest skis to a remote lodge for another sauna and lake dip. The exact venues are kept private, helping to protect these quieter locations from becoming another stop on the tourist trail. 

Phaplu, Nepal

Nepal changes the picture completely. At around 2,500 metres in the Himalayan foothills, Phaplu is surrounded by rivers, forests and mountain valleys, giving cold-water immersion a very different character from the frozen lakes of Lapland or Arctic seas. 

Reclaim Yourself Retreats’ Nepal retreat combines daily sauna and cold plunges with guided river dips at Phera and Solu Khola, alongside yoga and hiking. Guests stay in a restored Sherpa lodge, with the retreat offering a way to experience a quieter part of Nepal away from its busiest trekking routes.

The appeal is not simply the cold plunge itself. It is travelling somewhere where the contrast between heat and cold is part of the landscape, culture and rhythm of daily life.

For those inspired by the trend, you can explore Reclaim Yourself Retreats' full range of sauna and cold plunge experiences here: https://reclaimyourself.co.uk/collections/sauna-and-cold-plunge-retreats/ 

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Editors notes

Reclaim Yourself is a certified B Corp wellness travel company creating pioneering yoga retreats and wellness adventures in extraordinary places — from the Gobi Desert to the Arctic Circle. Their premium retreats blend exceptional yoga teaching, wellbeing and small-group adventures, offering space to pause, reset and reconnect with what makes you feel most alive.

Designed to spark awe and perspective, Reclaim Yourself journeys invite stillness, joy and wonder in some of the world’s wildest corners.