[Closed] Ending a shower with a cold blast. Do you?

Only my colonics

No.
Are you a Priest?

Having had a Butt n Ben cottage with no heating in the bathroom or kitchen, and a less than stellar electric shower, mrs_oab and I are well versed in cold showers.

Never by choice though.

Yes. Tried it a few years ago after hearing some Australian herbalist going on about it. And restarted recently after listening to One good thing on the radio.

The nice part about a cold shower is when it stops

Yes, frequently. The wife has never got the message about not turning on the kitchen hot tap when I am in the shower.

^ Are you sure? 😉

Since reading one of Wim Hoff's books I've been ending my warm showers with a minute or two of cold water every day. It's a chore to start it but it becomes a habit quickly.

I'm not sure of all the benefits but I do know I'm a changed me pre cold to post cold. It does for me what an espresso can't.

Love it and recommend every one give it a go!

Nope, have mine hot enough to make the devil cry

I have cold showers all the time, especially in summer.

One comfort benefit is that if you finish your shower routine with cold water,no matter how could the ambient temperature you'll feel warm.

What I've noticed is that the discomfort of cold only lasts for the first 15 to 30 seconds, after that it's all smiles.

Ha! I do this. I’ve been doing it so long that I can’t remember why I do it. Something I’ve read or watched on YouTube.

Jambourgie, good to hear it. What does it bring you. interested to know.

Yeh, for a couple of minutes. Wakes me up.

No never, madness

Yes have done for years. I always rinse off with cold.
People don’t believe me when I say it warms me up and I come out the shower feeling really warm.
Also convinced I get less colds and if I do get one it’s not as bad.

Actually the real reason is I am a tight fisted Yorkshire man and it saves me some cash.

A while ago, yes, then I got into jumping into the shower before it warmed up as soon as I turned the tap on. But lately, no, other than occasionally on a really hot day. Should give it another go.

When do you turn it cold? While you are still washing the last parts to be washed or after washing?

Yes,for one minute at the end.On the positive side, it means nothing in the rest of your day can be as unpleasant.It also keeps you warm in winter and helps with any muscle aches.

Ye been doing it for years

No no no. Warm steamy fuzziness is the only way to start the day.
You’re all weird.

Scottish series regatta up in Tarbert on Loch Fyne. If you are lucky, you can get a hot shower, but more often than not, and i think this is because the public showers only have a 10 ltr boiler, the water is cold.
Not fun, but better than nowt.
Mind you, you're usually still pissed from the night before, so maybe its the organizers way of waking everyone up 😆

Jambourgie, good to hear it. What does it bring you. interested to know.

Well. It wakes me up quickly. Good for work days as I've always been a bit of a night-owl, despite working normal hours these days. It also kind of warms me up for the day, it seems to raise my general temperature or something. I used to really feel the cold, I'd be described by northerners as 'nesh', always ramping the heating up etc.

Also, a personal theory; but I think it toughens one up somewhat. It's only small, but a quick blast of cold/unpleasantness in an otherwise completely safe and comfortable day does seem to have a bit of a positive effect on my attitude. It's hard to put my finger on exactly. You'd probably get the same effect cycling to work in the freezing rain tbh.

Yep quite regularly, if I've not done it for a while I'll make sure I prepare for the cold shock inhale with a good deep breath before I go in.

Nah. I get my cold water therapy in the local lochs (and rivers when the lochs eventually freeze over and the ice axe won't cut through any more).

Yup.... After each shower. Often will take a cold shower in summer.

Refreshing.

No.
Are you a Priest?

Or went to public school?

I know we’ve established previously that half the people on here don’t shower regularly...

Define regularly. Twice a day and once a year are both regular.

Are we talking 100% cold, or with a little bit of heat to take the edge off?

I used to in the past if my muscles were still aching from the previous days workout/big ride…seemed to work great in flushing out the limbs. Haven’t needed to for a while now, so either I’m a machine, or just don’t push as hard.

Tried it for the first time this morning. I’m converted! Why have I never tried it before

I normally wash my hair with warm then turn it full cold and wash everything else. I do feel more awake after it, i don't understand why many people seem to run around and scream at cold water though

Yes. Been doing this for a couple of years now. Read that it was really good for something that I can't remember now. To be honest it does really make me feel "better" to the point where when I am at the gym where the temperature is set, I miss the cold blast.

I turn down the heat for a last rinse. Also stand for 10 second to allow water to run off to save drenching towels.

Doubt 10 seconds makes much of a difference.

Ten hours. He meant ten hours

I started doing this in 2005 - though back then it was a way to train my body for the cold water of white water kayaking. 30 secs turned to a minute, then turned to 2, and now I just cold shower all the time.

Health benefits? Maybe, can’t say I notice after all this time. But I am very, very good at getting into cold water.

My gentleman's sausage comes out in a hot shower,I really don't want it to disappear again!

The reason this came up was that we watched a documentary called "My Octopus Teacher" about a guy that swam in the sea off the coast of Cape Town every day for a year.

The sea off Cape Town never gets very warm and in winter it's flippin' freezing - but he did it and said that after as very short while, not only was it bearable but that his body actually craved it. This lead to a bit of research on my part and here we are ....

We've been doing it since the day I started this thread. I have a warm shower for washing myself over then gradually decrease the mix to as low as I can take, which is pretty cold but not freezing, and I do it for maybe 30 secs. Mrs Spekkie, after a warm wash, does the "full on cold for 10 secs" method.

Takes your breath away but it IS addictive, despite the "pain" - much like eating hot chillies!

Wait until you start wanting to get into open water in the winter.
I got down to 1.9°c water temp this winter and it was an experience. Want to break ice next winter

Yes, it’s definitely addictive. If I end up somewhere where the shower settings are fixed and I have a warm one then it does feel like somethings missing.

Eh naw.

Apparently.....cold water shocks you into a survival mode, this is apparently very good for you physically and mentally, in fact longer submersion has been shown(apparently) to be seriously beneficial for all sorts of things from physical to mental issues, there is a whole science behind it and it's pretty compelling.

Would I do it after a nice warm shower? no fk that I'm Scottish, I can just go outside and freeze, and will..all winter.

Yep 3-4 minutes Win Hof every day after washing with hot. As others have said gets really cold then at about 3 mins it feels like it is hot. Really sets you up for the day.

Been doing if for ages every day still have to force myself under to start but always worth it!!

I have an outdoor shower (no neighbours 😉) with only a cold water source. It's very refreshing.

Warm to wash off the sap and blood but then cold, so much nicer.
And the mirror isn't steamed up for gurning in as I dry.

Started doing it last year after my warm shower. Cranked straight to freezing and start on my right ankle. It has been great for muscle soreness and injuries,usually stay under for 5 minutes

I've started giving this a go and suggested it to my wife. Got home from a drizzly wet ride yesterday and thought I'd start cold as well, I was halfway through before realising it wasn't warming up...which means my wife actually tried it after her run! So left it cold* for the whole shower.

No way

did you hear about the masochist that liked a cold shower? he took a warm one instead!

I do this. How long for generally depends on how strong I'm feeling that morning - it can be a bit token if I'm feeling weak. But good to wake you up, and I think the psychological benefit is important: forcing yourself to do something you know is going to be pretty unpleasant to start with.

Funnily enough, I tend to do it less in the summer. Possibly the light mornings already wake me up enough. It makes a kind of sense though, in that, I think, a brief cold shower will (counter-intuitively) warm you up since it's not enough to actually lower your core temperature, but will tell your body that it's cold and trigger its heat-retention mechanisms, contracting blood vessels, etc.