Patrick Gunther
*This contrast therapy studio review is sponsored by The Nordic Wave, manufacturing in the U.S.A. a superiorly insulated vertical cold plunge with a high-powered 3/4 HP water chiller.
Hello, JIKO!
On a recent Friday morning, I called the phone number for JIKO Life Wellness Center in Draper, Utah. I was met with a cheery voice on the end of the line: “Hello, JIKO Wellness Center – this is Kennedy. How can I help you?” I informed Kennedy that I would like to visit the establishment, and asked her what the cost was to experience the contrast therapy (that which I had previously learned was the repeated rotation between a sauna and a cold plunge), the goal of which was to increase circulation, relax the muscles and release tension, develop strong mental fortitude, enhance the immune system, and my favorite benefit, experience a 200-500% increase in endorphins and dopamine (from my research on the topic elsewhere), amongst other health-giving benefits.
Counting the Cost
I had seen the pricing for the Founding Memberships on the JIKOLife.com website, but I wanted to know what the price for a single session was. I told Kennedy that I intended to come in with my daughter, and to my pleasant surprise she told me that it was half-off the regular $65 per session for a single session on your first visit. So, the cost would be a total of $65 for myself and my daughter ($32.50 each for our first session). I asked Kennedy if I could go ahead then, and schedule a visit for that Friday night at 7:00 pm, the last evening session that was available, according to the website. That way, if my experience with my own portable ice bath was any indication, I would be in total bliss afterwards, ready for a sound and rejuvenating sleep.
What You Receive
I felt that $65 for both myself and my daughter was more than fair for a chance to experience their facilities. I inquired further about the membership prices. I told Kennedy that I might want sign up for a membership, but that I would have to base that on my first visit. She told me that if after my visit I decided that I wanted to get a membership, that I could just apply that $65 I was spending for my upcoming visit towards the $150 Founding Membership that I was interested in, which allows you to come in for four separate sessions during the month for the breath work, sauna, and cold plunge. It also included four elixir shots per month, a complimentary DEXA Scan (a tool and technology they use for body composition analysis, which measures visceral fat, and is a more accurate depiction of body fat because it measures your FMI – Fat Mass Index – providing you a clear picture of how much fat you have for your height), as well as 10% off their other offerings, such as IV therapy, vitamin shots, and café items.
Kennedy also explained each of the other Founding Membership packages clearly and succinctly, letting me know the specialized benefits of each. Essentially, each step up starting at the $250 per month level, allowed for unlimited breath work, sauna, and cold plunges, a different category of guest passes – either first timers or anyone, and more of a discount on what I call the “accessories” (the IV therapy, booster shots, DEXA Scan, and café items). Once finished with the explanation, Kennedy helped me schedule my visit for the evening. She finished by advising me to bring our own swimming suits, but that they would have towels there for our use.
Eager Anticipation
I was particularly excited to for the evening to come. I hadn’t done a sauna in years, and I was eagerly anticipating their cold plunges, since I had been doing my own personal ice bath at home on a regular basis, but without a chiller, (just using frozen ice bottles every night). I had only been able to get the temperature during my home cold water immersion sessions to as low as 56 degrees consistently. I just knew that they would have cold plunges that could get colder than that, and I was excited to see how my body would react to something colder than 56 degrees, thinking that the colder the better in terms of obtaining that natural high that I get every night from using my personal Ice Pod portable ice bath.
Our Arrival
When we arrived that evening just prior to 7:00 (the website advises you to arrive at least 10 minutes early to your appointment), we were met at the front desk by Casey. Casey greeted us warmly, and had myself and my daughter each sign an electronic waiver. She then asked if we would like a smoothie or anything else from the café before she closed that down for the night (the café closes at 7:00 pm, and the very last nightly session of guided breathwork, sauna, and cold plunging starts at 7:00 pm, and goes to 8:00 pm).
The Tour
We declined anything from the café, as we were eager to get to the “main event”. Casey then told us that she would be giving us a tour of the facilities, and guided us up the stairs, during which time she asked how we heard about JIKO, and what our knowledge and/or experience with cold plunges was. I told her that I had seen signage advertising a coming cold plunge establishment more local to where I live in Pleasant Grove, and that motivated me to learn about cold water immersion therapy, causing me to get my own portable ice bath tub to use on a regular basis.
3 of This and That
Casey showed us the changing rooms, the three cold plunges (the first that measured 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the second measuring 42 degrees Fahrenheit, and the third weighing in at a chilly 35 degree Fahrenheit!), the station for water to hydrate ourselves during our visit, the three different saunas (the first measuring 180 degrees Fahrenheit, the second measuring 190 degrees Fahrenheit, and the third measuring 200 degrees Fahrenheit), where to get cold-water-doused in a small refrigerator for draping over ourselves in the sauna if needed, and then proceeded to lead us into the room where the Wim Hof breathing method was taught.
Take a Breath!
Casey told us that the breathwork was not a requirement, although encouraged, and asked if we had heard of Wim Hof (we had), and whether we would like to participate in the breathwork, or get straight to the cold plunges and saunas. We opted to take the training, as my daughter and I were interested in it, having never done it before. I also wondered if it would help me withstand the extremely cold 35-degree water. Casey asked if we first wanted to change into our swimming suits, or change after the breath work. I opted to change first, so I could then seamlessly proceed into the saunas and cold plunging thereafter. Casey was very helpful, and pleasant. She kept good eye contact, and explained what the recorded breathwork instruction was going to include in great detail. After her explanation, she asked if we understood, and if we had any questions before the guided breathwork recording began. We felt that she has given us an adequate explanation, and she also guided us through a practice round of the breathing method before she then left the room, dimmed the lights, and started the recording. We were lying down in the supine position on mats, and began the guided breathwork. It went through a few different iterations of practice breathing (breathing deeply into your abdomen, followed by the chest, exhaling, then repeating the process uninterrupted), interspersed with the holding of the breath. We were instructed to hold our breath on 3 different occasions throughout, once for 1:00, once for 1:15, and once for 1:45. As I remembered and followed Casey’s instruction of focusing on the guided instructions, and drawing my thoughts towards slowing my heart rate down, rather than the time that had passed, I was able to without much struggle reach the one minute and 45 seconds of holding my breath after my practice of the circular, or wave-type, breathing.
Getting Down to Brass Tacks
After that, Casey then took us into the room with the saunas and cold plunges. There she asked what our goals were in relation to the saunas and cold plunges, and I stated that for me it was more towards relaxation than invigoration. She recommended that we then do the sauna for 15 minutes, and the cold plunge for 30 seconds to two minutes. I asked Casey if I could spend more time than the recommended 30 seconds to two minutes for the cold plunges. She replied that I could certainly do that.
Tough Guy, Eh?
I was going to play the tough guy, and get right into the 35-degree cold plunge, but then I remembered that it might be well to go into the sauna first to open up my pores, which would then be ready to experience the chill with full force. We spent 15 minutes in the sauna, after which I jumped into the 35-degree water without hesitation. Boy, was that a wakeup call! It was painful. I was going to prove to my daughter how manly I was, but after 4 minutes, I was a little bit light-headed, and my muscles were very heavy. I got out of the icy water, and immediately entered the 200-degree sauna. It was at that point that I started to shiver, and even though I was in a 200-degree sauna, I felt nothing of it, and started to worry a little that I had overdone things, as I felt a little faint. Good learning lesson – I should have started at the 50-degree cold plunge, and then graduated to the 42-degree plunge, and finished with the 35-degree plunge, and really limited my time in the 35-degree cold plunge to just a couple of minutes. Even though I thought I had my “Big Boy Pants On”, my body was not ready for such a drastic attempt from the get-go.
Whoops!
After about 3 minutes into the 200-degree sauna following my escapade into the 35-degree cold plunge, my body started to regulate, and I could now feel the warmth of the sauna. That relieved me, and I started to gather strength back in my rubbery legs, feeling some stability come back into my limbs, and some clarity come back to my mind. After finishing the 15 minutes in the 200-degree sauna, I got into the 50-degree plunge. To my surprise, even though it did not feel very cold to me at all, my body started to shiver quite extremely. I guess that my body was not yet regulated from my earlier plunge into the 35-degree water. I got back out, and spent 15 more minutes in the 200-degree sauna. Then, I exited, and got into the 42-degree cold water plunge. Funny, I did not shiver much at all in there, although my body could certainly tell it was significantly colder than the 50-degree water I was vigorously shivering in. I think I found my sweet spot. 42 degrees felt “almost comfortable” for me, and when I come back, I think that I will put my focus there, in terms of spending time in the cold plunges. After 5 minutes, I exited, but I only did so because my daughter had checked the clock, and we were actually past closing time. I felt like I could spend 10 minutes in the 42-degree plunge, but we shall see in the future. I should be cautious…
Impressive Qualifications
To conclude, I asked Casey to take a few pics of my daughter and I, which she graciously did. And I asked her if the cold plunges were contraindicated for someone with Reynaud’s (a condition my wife suffers from). She said that it was not a contraindication, actually. People with Reynaud’s come and plunge, elevating their feet outside of water, and keeping their hands out as well. As Casey showed us out, I learned that everyone on staff was a nurse (which qualifies them to be able to apply the IV therapy), and they even had an EMT on staff.
Magnifique!
On the whole, this was a great experience. I loved it! Yes, I will do things differently next time, slowly working up, and not overtaxing my body. I got too excited for my own good. There was one after effect that had me a little worried, but it disappeared later on. After leaving JIKO, on my way home, I developed this strange tickling sensation in my right-side hypochondriac region. Funny, although that is a real term for the location of this “tickling” that came on about every 3-4 minutes, I am a little bit of a “hypochondriac”. The feeling increased a little bit in intensity and the time between episodes lessened. It started to happen every 90 seconds – for several hours. It finally stopped at about 5:30 am in the morning the next day. I haven’t felt it at all in the days since, and it was never painful (just a tickling sensation). However, it was a testament to me to be more careful, and not try to be the tough guy. Who know? Maybe it was my body saying, “Thank you; that was awesome!”, and waking up different parts of me, lol.
I am super excited to be able to enjoy my Basic Founding Membership at the JIKO Life Wellness Center. This was a great find. Tucked away in an off-the-beaten path in Draper, Utah, this quaint little spa is a real gem. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone that is open to a new experience that can enhance their health and wellbeing, and just help to relax and unwind. What a fabulous retreat! Now, I need to excuse myself, and go learn what the definition of JIKO is…
