Protocol

Nordic Cycle

The perfect combination of hot and cold therapies working together to leave you feeling your best

Sauna: 20 min
Contrast therapy: 12 min
Steam room: 20 min
Cold exposure: 1

The perfect combination of hot and cold therapies working together to leave you feeling your best

By actively engaging the body’s thermoregulatory system through a sequence of both hot and cold therapies the nordic cycle will work to improve your circulation, reduce stress and enhance muscle recovery.

Available at: Noosa, West End

$39

for 60 mins total

Group bookings available

Why the Nordic Cycle protocol?

By utilising the combination of both hot and cold therapies, the nordic cycle works to enhance circulation, improve endurance, aid in muscle recovery and reduce inflammation. This protocol is also designed to complement the body’s natural circadian rhythm (sleep/wake cycle) to enhance sleep depth and duration.

Benefit 1: Improved cardiovascular health

The heat from the sauna stimulates physiological responses that are similar to that of moderate exercise. This includes an increased heart rate, improved blood flow and reduced blood pressure. Together these responses work to enhance the efficiency of your heart and circulatory system, which ultimately leads to an improvement in cardiovascular fitness over time.

Benefit 2: Faster muscle recovery

By alternating between hot and cold exposures across the nordic cycle protocol creates a "pumping" effect on the circulatory system. These changes in circulation work to enhance the delivery of nutrient-rich blood throughout the body, thereby reducing inflammation and aiding muscle recovery and relaxation.

Benefit 3: Improved Sleep

This protocol is designed to complement the body's natural sleep/wake cycle. It ends with 5 minutes of cold exposure in the morning, promoting a release of dopamine and noradrenaline for increased focus and energy throughout the day. Later in the day, it ends in the steam room, helping the body cool down faster, which is facilitative of a fast transition to sleep.

20 minutes

Stage 1: TRADITIONAL SAUNA

The traditional sauna works to heat the body which results in the activation of multiple physiological mechanisms that work to cool the body down (similar to that of exercise). These responses have been extensively researched and found to result in improved endurance, faster recovery, reduced stress, improved cardiovascular health, and improved longevity. According to research, 20 minutes of heat exposure is the optimal time required to experience such benefits.

Increased:Blood Flow, Energy, Recovery

Decreased:Fatigue, Inflammation, Soreness

8 minutes

Stage 2: CONTRAST THERAPY

When exposed to the cold pool, blood vessels will constrict in attempt to keep the body warm, pushing blood back toward deeper tissues. These changes in circulation throughout our nordic cycle protocol works to enhance the delivery nutrient-rich blood throughout the body, aiding in muscle recovery and relaxation and reducing inflammation.

Increased:Blood Flow, Energy, Recovery

Decreased:Fatigue, Inflammation, Soreness

20 minutes

Stage 3: STEAM ROOM

Following a brief cooling period in the contrast pools is a 20 minute duration in the steam room. Steam rooms have very similar benefits to going to a sauna but offer a much milder form of heat exposure than a sauna due to the lower temperature and higher humidity. The steam room has been strategically placed at the end of the nordic cycle as it is much less fatiguing than the traditional sauna or ice baths, encouraging feelings of relaxation at the end of the protocol. When individuals come out of a form of heat exposure their body is responding to the heat by trying to cool down faster. This delayed cooling effect produced by coming out of a form of heat exposure compliments the bodies need to cool down 1-3 degrees to fall asleep. Therefore, the steam room marks the end of the Nordic PM cycle, leaving the body to cool down faster, facilitating the transition to sleep.

Increased:Blood Flow, Energy, Recovery

Decreased:Fatigue, Inflammation, Soreness

5 minutes

Stage 4: COLD PLUNGE 2-5 mins (end am cycle)

Deliberate cold exposure causes a temporary reduction in core temperature, followed by a warming of the body. As the body warms up, it triggers several physiological responses that include the release of dopamine, noradrenaline and an acute activation of the stress response. In combination, these responses lead to increased focus, motivation, and energy making a cold plunge the ideal ending for individuals engaging in the Nordic cycle earlier in the day

Increased:Blood Flow, Energy, Recovery

Decreased:Fatigue, Inflammation, Soreness

Nordic Cycle schedule

Nordic Cycle AM

20 min	3 min	2 min	3 min	20 min	5 min
Traditional Sauna	Cold Pool	Hot Pool	Cold Pool	Steam Room	Cold Pool

Nordic Cycle PM

20 min	3 min	2 min	3 min	20 min	5 min
Traditional Sauna	Cold Pool	Hot Pool	Cold Pool	Steam Room	Cold Pool

Science hub

Pro-tip: Finish your nordic cycle protocol in the steam room later in the day to set yourself up for a good nights sleep. Comparatively, finish in the cold pool earlier in the day to improve focus and energy throughout the day

Nordic Cycle

The perfect combination of hot and cold therapies working together to leave you feeling your best

Why the Nordic Cycle protocol?

Benefit 1: Improved cardiovascular health

Benefit 2: Faster muscle recovery

Benefit 3: Improved Sleep

Stage 1: TRADITIONAL SAUNA

Stage 2: CONTRAST THERAPY

Stage 3: STEAM ROOM

Stage 4: COLD PLUNGE 2-5 mins (end am cycle)

Nordic Cycle schedule

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