Snow room or cold plunge? Two very different kinds of cold.
You can love contrast therapy and still have absolutely no desire to lower yourself into a tub of freezing water. Here's how the two compare, and why we chose snow.
How does a cold plunge work?
A cold plunge or ice bath involves submerging your body in very cold water, often somewhere between 4–15°C.
The cold is immediate. Because your body is surrounded by cold water, it can feel quite intense very quickly. For some people, that intensity is exactly what they love about cold plunging.
For others, it's the reason they've never tried it. That was something we thought about when creating our own Thermal Ritual.
How does a snow room work?
A snow room gives you a completely different cold experience. Rather than submerging your body in cold water, you step into a room filled with cold air and falling snow.
At Cleopatra's Rituals, guests typically enter the snow room after time in our cedar sauna or eucalyptus steam room. The contrast is immediate, but the way you experience it is much more gradual.
You can simply stand in the cold air, walk around the room, sit for a moment, or pick up the snow and gently rub it onto your arms or legs. Some guests stay for a very short time. Others discover they absolutely love it and stay longer than they expected.
And every once in a while, we open the door and discover someone has built a tiny snowman.
The biggest difference
The biggest difference between a snow room and a cold plunge is how your body experiences the cold.
Cold plunge
- The coldWater surrounds you
- The feelingImmediate and intense
- Your paceAll in at once
Snow room
- The coldCold air and falling snow
- The feelingGradual and sensory
- Your paceYours, touch the snow if you like
Neither one is necessarily better. They're simply very different forms of cold exposure, and the experience you prefer will depend on what feels good to you.
Why I chose snow instead of a cold plunge
The idea for our snow room actually came before I knew something like it even existed.
I love contrast therapy, but I've never loved cold plunges. The shock of freezing water just doesn't feel good in my body or for my nervous system. But I'm also very sensory and dopamine-oriented, and I kept thinking: why does the cold part have to be something we just endure?
And somewhere in that thought, I imagined snow. What if you could step out of the sauna and walk into winter? Feel the cold gradually, touch the snow, put it on your skin, play with it, and stay for however long feels good.
I hadn't seen anything like it around me, but when I started researching, I discovered that snow rooms actually existed in European thermal spaces. I knew immediately I wanted to bring that experience here.
It's still one of my favourite parts of Cleopatra's Rituals. For me, wellness doesn't have to be the hardest or most extreme version to be valuable. I wanted to create something our bodies actually want to come back to. That's what makes it a ritual.
Azaria
Founder, Cleopatra's RitualsWhat is a Thermal Ritual?
At our Kelowna spa, the snow room isn't meant to be experienced on its own. It's part of our Thermal Ritual, where guests move between our cedar sauna, eucalyptus steam room, thermal showers and falling-snow room, with time to rest between rounds.
There isn't one perfect order. That freedom is part of the ritual.
Craving a little shock?
Our cold bucket showers are like a miniature cold plunge. One pull of the rope sends a rush of cold water over you: a quick, bracing jolt for the body, but still refreshing, cooling and over in seconds.
Should you try a snow room or a cold plunge?
If you already love cold plunges and ice baths, a snow room will probably feel gentler, and you may enjoy experiencing cold in an entirely different way. For that familiar jolt, our cold bucket showers are right there too.
If you've been curious about contrast therapy but haven't been able to convince yourself to climb into an ice bath, the snow room may feel much more approachable.
And if you've never tried either? Start where you're comfortable.
Wellness doesn't need to be an endurance test.
Come feel -10°C and falling snow after a cedar sauna.
Our falling-snow room is part of the Thermal Ritual at Cleopatra's Rituals in Kelowna, BC.
See our Thermal Ritual