Contrast Therapy: Hot, Cold, and Seriously Cool

Contrast Therapy, Explained (Without the Jargon)

Contrast therapy is the practice of alternating between hot and cold temperatures – typically via saunas and cold plunges – to stress the body in a very deliberate and beneficial way. We're talking about real, physical stress that helps your mind and body build resilience, improve recovery, and chill out (literally).

We asked Jacko to break it down for us:

“It’s about using thermal stress to your advantage. You’ve got vasoconstriction in the cold, vasodilation in the heat – it’s like a workout for your blood vessels. And the breathing part? That’s where the magic happens.”

More on that next…

The (Chilly) Science Bit – But Make It Digestible

When your body hits cold water, your blood vessels constrict (vasoconstriction), your breathing speeds up, and your brain hits the panic button. 

Step into the heat (like a sauna), and the reverse happens: your blood vessels widen (vasodilation), you sweat it out and feel your heart rate steady again.

Now, cycle between these two states a few times – hot, cold, hot, cold – and you’ve got yourself a circulatory boot camp that supports muscle recovery, lymphatic drainage and helps to reduce inflammation.  

On top of that, your mind gets a workout too. As Jacko explains:

“When you learn to control your breath in a stressful moment, you’re learning how to control your stress response. That’s powerful – in the sauna and in real life.”

So, this isn’t just about recovery – although your muscles will thank you. It helps with mental clarity, improved sleep, reduced anxiety, boosted mood resulting in greater emotional resilience. It’s like pressing the reset button for your body and mind.

Why It’s Worth the Plunge

That’s the golden question. Jacko puts it simply:

“It’s empowering. You learn to control your breathing, calm your stress response, and you feel like a total boss afterwards.”

Even just one session can leave you feeling like you’ve taken a power nap, run a marathon, and had therapy – all in one. But the long-term gains? That’s where the fun (and serious benefits) really kick in.

Regular contrast therapy has been linked to:

• Improved heart rate variability (hello, recovery)
• Boosted immune function
• Decreased burnout symptoms
• Increased resilience to life’s curveballs

Breathwork: The Secret Sauce

You’ve probably heard the phrase “just breathe” more times than you can count – but in contrast therapy, breathwork is more than a wellness buzzword. It’s the anchor.

Jacko coaches guests to control their breathing while immersed in hot or cold conditions, helping them manage the physical and emotional stress of each plunge or sweat. This isn’t just useful in the tub – it translates to everyday life.

“When you calm your breathing, you calm your nervous system,” Jacko says. “That’s the power of breathwork. It’s simple, free, and available to everyone.”

Try this at home:

- Inhale and exhale through the nose twice

- After the second exhale, pause for 2–3 seconds

- Repeat for a couple of minutes

"Those pauses really help to calm the nervous system being done at the end of the exhale, because during exhalation is when the heart rate is slowing down and it's promoting the relaxation response or parasympathetic is the technical term, like relaxation responses on that second half of the breathing cycle, as opposed to the inhale, which is more upregulating."

Boom. You’ve just started a breathwork practice. No equipment needed. No awkward chanting. Just a little more calm in your day.