I Stopped Cold Plunging, Here's What I Do Instead
I used to cold plunge every single day. Now I don't at all. Let's talk about why, and what I do instead.
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The Cold Plunge Era
Cold plunging has been really hot for a while, and I very much believe in it, this isn't a post about not believing in it! It's a great reset, especially when you live somewhere hot, it cools you down and brings your body temperature down, which can supposedly help burn calories, plus it helps with inflammation, sore muscles, all sorts of things. It's really wonderful.
Why I Stopped
When I got pregnant last year, I couldn't do that anymore, you can't put your body through those really extreme temperature drops and rises. I had to stop cold plunging, and I definitely missed it a lot while I was pregnant, especially in the summertime.
So instead, I've doubled down on one of my favorites. It's a little woo-woo, and you've probably never heard of it: I do salt baths. Table salt baths, not Epsom.
The Table Salt Bath
This is not an Epsom salt bath, this is a table salt bath. I'll get into all the details of setting it up, but it doesn't take much, and I'll have all the supplies you need linked below.
Going to the beach and getting in the ocean or the gulf; being in that salt water is so relaxing because salt is cleansing. Think about saline, used in hospitals, salt is a natural element that's genuinely cleansing to the body.
I was introduced to this practice by a coach I had way back. The thought process is that after you've done a lot of "peopling," had a crazy day, whether that's at work, being a stay-at-home mom, or just a stressful day in general, a hot bath is already great on its own.
But adding in the table salt is an energy clearing for you, it draws out all the negative energy. There's science behind it: the salt is polarizing and pulls that negative energy toward it.
How I Do It
When you first try this, just go to the grocery store and get yourself four cans of salt so you can try it more than once, you'll use two cans per bath.
It's easiest to rip open the top and just dump the whole thing into the bathtub, with warm water, enough to dissolve it. You'll probably need to use your foot or your hand to move the salt around and make sure it all dissolves.
Get in the bath and stay in there for at least ten minutes, no longer than fifteen. The goal is to draw all that negative gunk out, and it genuinely helps you sleep too. In the book Why We Sleep, the author talks about how a bath before bed is really helpful for falling asleep, because it draws heat from your core out to your extremities so it's more evenly distributed, and your body can cool down better.
I get this question a lot when I've done speaking engagements: should you rinse off after? Absolutely. Definitely rinse off, you'll have a salty layer on you. Turn on the shower or rinse off under the faucet, either works.
It sounds wacky, this much salt, but we're talking table salt, not Epsom, so it's way, way cheaper than the Epsom equivalent. Because I do this on a pretty regular basis, I buy Morton table salt in bulk (a 25 lb bag) and keep it in a rolling storage bin with a scoop, it's actually a rice container with wheels and a lid. Put it under the sink or next to the tub, whichever works for your bathroom.
Six cups is ideal, at least four cups, but it seems like a lot of salt at first, so try it out with two canisters first. If your muscles are sore you can add a little Epsom salt on top, or add bubble bath, or a bath bomb, to jazz it up.
Setting the Mood
If you're not normally a bath person (I wasn't either, before this), 10 to 15 minutes can feel long, so it helps to actually set the scene. I love a bath caddy to hold a candle and keep everything within reach. I've talked before about my love for the Hotel Lobby 5-wick candle, I'm planning to move that (or the smaller size) into the bathroom just for this.
Ideally, I'm not on my phone at all. I'll ask my Echo Dot to play spa music instead. But do keep your phone nearby the first few times to set a timer while you get a feel for the 10 to 15 minute window.
A bath pillow is on my wishlist (or just the pillow itself). I love Weezie as a brand as a whole, I'm a Savannah native and I genuinely love all of their products. Afterward, I love wrapping up in a short sleeve terry cloth Weezie robe (they also make a longer version if that's more your style) and drying off with a proper Weezie bath sheet, bigger than a regular towel, with the prettiest light blue piping. If you just want to dip a toe in, a single signature bath sheet is a great way to start.
Some nights I'll bring my Kindle in too, if reading is more my speed than music that night.
I believe in this so much that when I have friends going through a really crazy season in life, I will literally DoorDash them a bunch of salt!
One thing I've learned from doing that: use one person per bath. I got asked once whether it's fine for someone else to get in after you, since it can feel wasteful to use that much salt on just one person. But you're drawing the funkiness of your day out into that water, and you don't want to hand that off to whoever gets in next.
This works for babies too, just make sure you rinse them really, really well afterward so they don't end up with diaper rash.
The first couple times you try this, keep it as scaled back and simple as possible, so it's an easy routine to actually build into your life. Try it out, and maybe you'll get hooked on salt baths just like me.
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xo, Kate
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