For me, the sauna is a calming, quiet space to unwind, perhaps with some soothing meditative music or gentle classical. While I sweat my butt off and handle the heat, I also try to clear my mind of the clutter and enjoy this time out to myself. When I was dealing with a collapsed hip bone and torn pelvic cartilage, I became an even bigger fan of the sauna because I definitely experienced a bit of a dip in my pain and an increase in the little flexibility I had in that damaged area when I stuck with it.
I also tried contrast therapy and went from the sauna to the cold chamber. Admittedly, for me, the icy cold chamber was a lot harder to handle than the lull of the steamy, infrared sauna. In the cold chamber, I enjoyed the music and sang my way through those minutes by teleporting in my mind to a studio with one of my favorite artists, singing in harmony through near-chattering teeth. I asked Dr. Rachelle Reed, PhD, MS, to discuss contrast therapy, the benefits, and the research. Dr. Reed is the scientific advisor for Perspire Sauna Studios and has years of experience in this area.
What is contrast therapy?
Dr. Reed shares that “contrast therapy is a recovery approach that involves alternating between heat and cold exposure. This can include cold showers, hot tubs, saunas, or even localized devices (like ice packs and hot water bottles). Switching between hot and cold temperatures causes a vascular response, where blood vessels widen (in heat) and narrow (in cold), which moves blood through the body more efficiently. This change in circulation may help manage post-exercise soreness and promote overall recovery, and has been used in physical therapy and performance settings to support pain relief, improve range of motion, reduce swelling, and support recovery from minor injuries.
I was first introduced to contrast therapy during my time as a varsity cheerleader at UNC-Chapel Hill. We had regular access to the sports medicine and athletic training staff. When I was dealing with a minor knee injury, I was exposed to therapeutic modalities like localized cold therapy, contrast therapy, and electrical muscle stimulation as part of my rehab protocol.
At the time, I was an undergraduate studying exercise science, so seeing these tools in a real-world setting really sparked my interest. I wanted to understand the physiological mechanism — or how it worked — and this was one of the first moments where I saw how applied physiology and recovery modalities could directly support performance and game-readiness.”
What are the different types of contrast therapy?
You can choose from different types of contrast therapy beyond the ice bath and sauna. Dr. Reed discusses how “broadly speaking, contrast therapy falls into two main categories:
1. Localized contrast therapy: This involves alternating heat and cold on a specific area of the body, such as the knee, ankle, or shoulder. It’s most commonly studied in injury management or high-performance settings, where the goal is to manage localized pain, swelling, or soreness.
2. Whole body contrast therapy: This approach alternates heat and cold exposures that affect the entire body, such as moving between an infrared sauna and a cold shower or cold plunge. Whole-body contrast therapy is often studied for its effects on circulation, nervous system responses, mood-boosting benefits, and overall recovery.
Across both approaches, the protocols can vary. Some studies examine repeated cycling between hot and cold, while others focus on a single transition, such as ending a heat session with cold exposure. To me, the existing research suggests that the physiological responses come from the intentional temperature changes themselves, rather than one single perfect protocol.”
What are the benefits?
On top of the research, Dr. Reed has personally experienced the benefits of contrast therapy.
“Most research on contrast therapy to date has focused on athletic training or high-performance settings. The body of literature suggests that contrast therapy may help reduce feelings of muscle soreness, improve feelings of recovery, reduce swelling or inflammation, though effects on performance outcomes are less consistent. At Perspire, we educate our members and guests on the following benefits of pairing infrared sauna sessions with SNØ showers, which are science-backed and based on the current literature:
● Improved energy and mood through the release of endorphins.
● Muscle recovery, pain management, and reduced inflammation.
● An ignited metabolism while the body works hard to get back to homeostasis.
Personally, I’ve used contrast therapy most often during injury recovery to help manage pain, swelling, and overall discomfort as part of a broader rehabilitation approach.”
Growing research
The research is mounting on the advantages. As Dr. Reed points out, “the research shows that contrast therapy helps people with muscle and joint pain feel better, experience less pain, and improve movement and function. Individuals involved in this research had muscle soreness from exercise, ankle sprains, osteoarthritis, and chronic pain conditions.”
How often should you try contrast therapy?
I asked Dr. Reed to give us an example of how long a session should last and what a typical session might look like.
“In the scientific literature, contrast therapy generally involves alternating periods of heat and cold exposure within one session. Total session duration varies widely and tends to land at 10- 30 minutes, with longer time spent in heat and shorter intentional bouts of cold. These temperature shifts drive vascular responses (blood vessels dilate with heat and constrict with cold), affecting circulation and blood pressure, while also engaging stress-response pathways linked to alertness.
At Perspire, this evidence informs a simple, controlled protocol that’s sauna-centric: an infrared sauna and red light therapy session followed by up to 45 seconds in our 45*F SNO shower. This brief cold exposure is designed to engage key physiological responses without adding a ton of extra time to a member’s session. Our goal is to offer a science-backed protocol that’s also easy for members and guests to use when they need it, mentally or physically.
Some members choose to use SNØ contrast therapy once per week for mental clarity of recovery, while others use it multiple times a week as part of a pain management routine. The key is paying attention to how your body responds and adjusting frequency accordingly. In the literature, whole-body cold exposure is often defined as shorter bouts (1 to 15 minutes) performed a few times per week, particularly in recovery or performance contexts. Heat exposure, like sauna use, is commonly studied at 2-4 sessions per week. So we can look to that as a guide, but it depends so much on the why behind use and personal preferences, too.”
Should anyone avoid contrast therapy?
Despite the benefits, it isn’t just a blanket therapy for everyone. Dr. Reed explains that “at Perspire, we have a comprehensive section on our website that explains contraindications for all of our modalities. Contrast therapy can benefit many people when used thoughtfully, but it should be avoided for those with heart or circulatory conditions, impaired temperature responses, pregnancy, and other health concerns that make rapid heat/cold cycling unsafe. I recommend chatting with your healthcare provider if you have any individualized concerns, too.”
