Recovery
Ice baths: what the evidence actually says
Circuit Club Physio Team · Mon 15 Jun · 6 min read
The ice bath queue at Sathorn says everything about where recovery culture is right now. Here's our physio team's honest read of the research.
Where cold water immersion earns its hype: perceived soreness and next-day readiness, especially in hot climates and during competition blocks with repeated efforts. If you have a padel league match tonight and another tomorrow, the plunge is a good tool.
Where it costs you: taken immediately after strength training, cold immersion appears to blunt some of the hypertrophy signal. If your goal this block is building muscle, keep the plunge 4+ hours away from lifting, or save it for rest days.
Our defaults: 10–12°C, two to five minutes, after endurance or combat sessions — freely. After heavy lifting — wait. And the sauna-then-plunge contrast everyone loves? Enjoyable, safe, and the evidence says it's mostly about how good it feels. Which, honestly, counts.
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Every article starts as advice we give members on the floor.