Cold water and sauna, the Nordic way

Ask a Dane about winter bathing and you’ll get one of two reactions: a shiver or a sermon. I’m firmly in the second camp.

Cold-water bathing and sauna are a big part of how I look after myself, and it doesn’t get much more Nordic than that. In Denmark, winter bathing has become something close to a national sport, and the sauna by the water is where the best conversations happen.

What it feels like

I won’t pretend the first step into cold water is pleasant. Your breath catches, your skin protests and every part of you wants to turn around. Then you slow your breathing down, and for a moment there’s nothing else: just the water, the cold and the next breath.

The sauna is the opposite: slow, heavy, deep heat that makes you sit still whether you like it or not. Going between the two is a contrast I’ve come to love.

A chef’s relationship with hot and cold

Maybe it’s no surprise that a chef enjoys this. I’ve spent years between roaring wok burners and walk-in cold rooms. Kitchens are all about temperature: searing, chilling, resting, holding. I’ve learned to respect what heat and cold do to an ingredient, and I try to show my own body the same respect.

Why I do it

You’ll find plenty of big promises about cold water and sauna online. I’m not going to add to them. I’m a chef, not a doctor, and this is what I do, not advice. I do it because I enjoy it: the cold wakes me up, the heat slows me down, and there’s no room for a phone in either.

Stay safe: my non-negotiables

• Never alone. Always go with someone, and make sure someone on land knows you’re in the water.
• Start gently. Walk in slowly instead of jumping or diving, stay where you can touch the bottom, keep the first dips short, and get out well before it stops feeling good.
• Check with your doctor first if you have heart problems, high or low blood pressure or any other health condition, or if you’re pregnant.
• Read the conditions. Wind, waves, currents and ice all matter. If in doubt, stay out.
• Keep breathing exercises on dry land. Never hold your breath or do breathing drills in the water.
• Skip the alcohol, both before cold water and in the sauna.
• Listen to your body in the sauna. Drink water, get out if you feel dizzy or unwell, and cool down calmly.
• Warm up properly afterwards. Dry off, get dressed and get something hot to drink.

The Nordic way

For me, the best part isn’t the cold or the heat. It’s the ritual around it: good company, a big towel, something warm in your hands and a chat with people you’d never otherwise have met. That’s the Nordic way, and it’s not so different from a good kitchen: hot, cold, a little chaos and people who look out for each other.

Want the bigger picture? Start with Why a chef lifts, or read on with A calm head and a sharp knife.