Sauna or cold plunge first? Stop guessing.

Build a contrast-therapy routine that fits your goal, your gear, and your schedule — then run it with a built-in timer. Free, no signup, grounded in the actual research conversation instead of hype.

Contrast Protocol Builder

Four questions, one plan: order, temperatures, durations, and how often to repeat it.

Presets:

What are you after?

Cold experience

What you have

Time budget


Your session — 29 min

2–3 sessions per week

  1. heat

    Sauna10 min

    Target 150–170°F (65–77°C). Sit, breathe slow, no phone.

  2. cold

    Cold plunge1 min

    Target 59–60°F (15–16°C), submerge to the neck, exhale slowly.

  3. rest

    Rest2 min

    Air-dry, sip water, let your heart rate settle.

  4. heat

    Sauna10 min

    Target 150–170°F (65–77°C). Sit, breathe slow, no phone.

  5. cold

    Cold plunge1 min

    Target 59–60°F (15–16°C), submerge to the neck, exhale slowly.

  6. rest

    Rest5 min

    Air-dry, sip water, let your heart rate settle.

Useful weekly targets from the research conversation: ~57 total minutes of sauna (2–3 sessions) and ~11 total minutes of deliberate cold across 2–4 sessions.

Educational tool, not medical advice. Heat and cold exposure stress the cardiovascular system — clear it with your doctor first, especially if you're pregnant, have heart or blood-pressure conditions, and never plunge alone or after alcohol.

The decisions everyone actually searches

Straight answers to the questions people type — starting with the big one.

Guide

Sauna or cold plunge first?

The order question, answered by goal — with the reasoning shown.

Coming soon

Infrared vs traditional sauna

The biggest comparison in the space, on specs instead of vibes.

Coming soon

Best sauna + cold plunge combos

Combined setups compared by capacity, footprint, and power draw.