The ancient Romans did it. The Samurai did. Russians and Scandinavians have been swearing by it for years. Get really hot. Get really cold. Repeat. The ritual has been around for centuries, but in 2025 it has a catchy new name: contrast therapy. You may not have heard that term yet, but high-profile celebrities and fitness influencers, including Joe Rogan, Cristiano Ronaldo, Chris Hemsworth, and Kim Kardashian, are obsessed, and regularly share videos of their sweating-and-shivering routines on social media.
“This sauna and cold plunge routine I do has made a giant difference,” said Rogan, who often tells his listeners about spending up to 20 minutes in his ice bath every morning. “It makes me feel great. I feel calm, loose, and relaxed.”
It used to require joining an upscale gym or visiting a luxury spa to have the contrast experience. That is changing. People want it more often, on their own schedule, and they’re willing to drop coin to bring it into their homes.One company riding this wave is Plunge, the premium at-home brand that makes sleek saunas and ice tubs that look like they belong in a spa. Their saunas are built from premium cedar and look more like modern architecture.
Take the Sauna Mini model. It fits two people. The seating leans back instead of sitting bolt upright, which makes the heat easier to take when it rises past 200 degrees. The waterproof roof and full glass door let you place it indoors or outside. And Plunge’s app lets you handle the temperature, the lighting, and even the fresh air flow from your phone. On the colder side, Plunge just released the All-In Gen 2, a self-contained plunge tub that holds crystal clear water at a precise temperature down to 37 degrees. It has a new chiller, upgraded heat exchanger, stronger circulation, onboard ozone, and smart controls through the Plunge App. No more dumpling bags of ice in the bathtub.
Plunge isn’t the company chasing this growing market. Some other innovative products include the Bon Charge Infrared PEMF Sauna Dome, which looks like a futuristic, space cocoon. You lie inside surrounded by far-infrared heat, red light, and pulsed electromagnetic fields for deep recovery.
For the outdoorsy type, All Day Sauna Co. sells a portable sauna tent that can sit in your backyard through every season. Think of it as a pop-up sweat lodge for people who don’t want to hire a contractor. Polar Dive goes the opposite direction with plunge tubs so cold they’d make a penguin perk up. Why put your body through this? It’s all about recovery. Your blood vessels open up in the heat, and they tighten in the cold. That back-and-forth can boost blood flow, calm swelling, and decrease muscle soreness.
It also may help you live longer. Researchers tracked thousands of adults who used saunas in places like Finland, and found that people who sat in the sauna several times a week had lower risks of heart attacks and strokes—up to 83% less—compared to those who didn’t. These studies also found that sauna users reported less stress, improved mood, and better quality sleep.
Usually, the luxury of ordering at-home contrast therapy sits in the “someday” category. The Plunge Mini Sauna goes for $9,590 and the All-In cold plunge is $7,490. But this month that gap narrows. Plunge is offering its biggest Black Friday sale ever through December 10, with discounts up to $7,500 when you bundle a plunge and sauna, while Nordic Wave is offering $1,500 off. So if you’ve ever wanted your backyard to feel just a bit more like a friluftsliv, this might finally be the moment to make it happen.