How I Survived My First Cold Plunge — And You Can Too
Taking a dip in bone-chilling water proved to be an exhilarating (and achievable!) feat.
/ Illustration by Madison Ketcham
Two things to know about me: I’m a girl who won’t step foot in the shower until I see steam, and I’ll try anything once. So when I heard about two local wellness gurus, Jason Muscavage and Peter Reyes, getting folks to submerge themselves into seriously cold water and emerge dripping with euphoria, I decided to embrace the chill — at least this once.
The two specialize in the Wim Hof Method, a practice that combines breathwork, cold exposure, and mental fortitude. In 2019, they launched their biz Ignite Sadhana, and now run workshops and retreats in Philly and the burbs and even internationally.
Last July, I joined them for a fundamentals session at the Fishtown movement and wellness studio In Flow. They began with a brief history — the method emphasizes retraining our reactions to stressors — before settling us into breathwork. The cycle of holding your breath, clenching your body, and then releasing, they said, helps put the body into a sympathetic state (fight-or-flight) before shocking it back into a parasympathetic one (rest-and-digest), ultimately preparing you for the cold to come. Repeating the pattern disoriented me a bit — common, Reyes said — but it also made me feel calm and collected, like I had true command of my mind.
Then it was time to conquer the cold. Sinking into the ice bath made me gasp — the water temp in the mid to high 30s — but I channeled my breath like I had been taught. I found the voice in my head yelling “Too cold! Get out!” growing faint and my stress level lowering (hello, natural chill pill!), and I even dunked my head with newfound composure.
A little over two minutes later, I emerged, totally electrified. The combination of relief, accomplishment, and adrenaline was thrilling. Was it the euphoria others have professed? Perhaps, as cold exposure has been linked to increased dopamine levels, sustained energy, and improved circulation.
Even though Reyes says he’s never woken up wanting to take an icy dip, he reminds himself there’s a lot to learn from it, especially about commitment and resilience through challenges. For me, the plunge proved a practice in discipline. In not taking the path of least resistance, I found myself more equipped to confront discomfort head-on. It’s something I’ll take with me beyond the plunge — that and a warm cup of tea.
Published as “Chilled Out” in the 2025 issue of Be Well Philly.
