What's the best way to take a cold shower?

Question

This is a question that most people probably never think about, because it's an every-day thing. But for many of us, such as myself, who grew up in more western cultures, with more modern conveniences, visiting places that don't have hot water can be quite an adjustment, perhaps even more difficult than learning to use a new type of toilet.

I know that not everyone handles cold showers the same. Some people dread them, others think nothing of them. How can I learn to be in the latter category?

What physiological, mental or physical techniques exist that make cold showers more enjoyable?

Answer 1

While growing up I had to turn on the heater before taking a shower and sometimes when its getting late, you really don't have time to do that. Here's some advice which might help.

I'm going to go ahead and assume that any hot water source is unavailable and you are in a frame of mind where the water is too cold!!!

Step 1 - Making Peace with the Cold Water

Okay so you don't like cold water, the best way to make peace with it is to convince yourself that it's not too cold.

It's like entering a cold swimming pool, if you dip your feet in it for a while, it'll be easier for you to get in.

When you wake up in the morning, your body temperature feels lower because you haven't had breakfast yet, that's a good thing because it makes it easier to ease into the seemingly freakish cold water.

If you happen to have a shower, then turn the shower on and let it gradually touch your feet first, followed by your hands. Keep the water running and slowly ease in from the extremities of your body all the way to your face. You face is the part which you'll dread the most, so save it till the end after you feel like the body temperature going down.

If you happen to have a jug and a bucket of water, follow the swimming pool strategy. Fill in the bucket halfway and dip your feet and hands in it. Then slowly start pouring down the cold water on your hands and proceed.

One additional thing which might help is to have a towel on you. A towel which you could dip in the water and squeeze out/rub on your body will help.

Step 2 - Taking the Leap of Faith

You have to remember, practice makes a man perfect! Doing it the first time is much harder than doing it the Nth time.

After cooling down your body for a few minutes, hold your breath and step into the shower, as soon as you get into it, don't chicken out! The leap is the hardest, after it, it gets exponentially easier.

Same goes with a bucket of water and jug, when you're ready, repeatedly take a lot of water from the bucket and pour it over yourself. You start doing it, don't stop!

Water in which you were dipping your hands or feet it will actually be warmer and make it a bit easier, which is why I feel using a bucket and jug is easier with cold water.

Step 3 - Finish as soon as possible

Remember, once you get into it, there's no coming back, there's no point doing the whole procedure from scratch again. So, keep pouring that cold water over you, it gets much easier when you keep doing it. Pause for short breaks only when you need to use soap or shampoo.

Wash your body in little sections, torso at once, feet at once, hands at once etc. After you're done, get a fresh towel and hug yourself tight with it.

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I've done the exact procedure I mentioned a several hundred times in my life quite comfortably, of course I like my hot water, but where there's a will, there's a way.

Answer 2

A few years ago I made a conscious decision to start taking cold showers. I didn't go cold turkey: I would start with a normal shower, but not a steaming-hot shower. After I was done, I would tun on the cold water and stand under it for a few seconds.

After a few weeks, I was able to wash off the soap with the cold water. A few weeks after that, I was washing off the soap and shampoo with the cold water. From there, it was a small jump to taking a completely cold shower. Now I love it, I find the cold shower far more refreshing than a hot shower ever was.

I never intended for the cold showers to be enjoyable, but now I know that they most certainly are!

Answer 3

Since I arrived in Japan in April this year I have been taking a cold shower almost every day. At first I did it because I didn't know how to enable the hot water, now because I got used to it.

For me it is easier to do so after exercising (going for a run, weight based exercises like pushups/crunches), as the cold shower will feel like a reward.

Answer 4

I'll go ahead and advise turning on the shower, spraying a small amount of water on your chest and then quickly entering the bathtub/shower area.

Explanation:

The shock from the small amount tells your brain that you've contacted cold water, but tells it not to worry because of the small amount. Then, when you quickly enter the shower, the brain already knows you're dealing with cold water, but until it realises that the stream is actually bigger and stronger, you've already touched a lot of cold water with your body and got used to it.

The trick is that the water isn't actually cold, it's just a perception (and the discomfort is actually produced by the brain to protect you from quickly losing your body temperature by entering cold water). The "colder" the water/bigger the risk of losing body temperature, the stronger the discomfort gets. I'm regularly taking cold showers and after showering with cold water dozens of times, you can casually enter a cold shower and not even feel a tingle.

Answer 5

Here's something to inspire you. The video is a song from an old Hindi language Indian movie. The first few lines roughly translate to:

(Dad)
One should shower with cold water,
(Son)
One should sing, irrespective of whether one can.

(Dad)
Son, clap your hands
While I sing Qawali
Let me strike a chord
And turn on the shower
Hold this bucket
Make it look like a drum.

(Woman)
I am waiting with your tea
This is a home not a theater
Don't you wanna go to a movie?
Don't you wanna go outside?

(Son)
Mummy should also be called inside,
We should sing, irrespective of whether we can.

The song becomes irrelevant to this question after that line :).

I guess the point of the song is that singing loudly while entering the shower helps to mitigate the shock of first contact with cold water.

Also, for me, "faking shivering" before entering the cold shower somehow reduces the shiver when the cold water hits.

Answer 6

This is the technique I use when I have had to deal with the hot water supply being cut off (for whatever reason). My basis for this is that you need to deal with the more sensitive areas of your body first and then the rest will be easier.

1. Start by allowing only a very small water flow, so that the rest of your body is not in contact with the cold water.
2. Allow the water to come in contact with the hand first so you get an idea of exactly how cold the water is, then apply some of the water onto your upper arms.
3. Once you are comfortable (enough), then allow your head/hair to come into contact with the water (if you are washing your hair). This is not going to be pleasant, since the hair will retain the water and keep your head feeling cold.
4. Increase the flow of water and splash some of it onto the body. This will be the most unpleasant part as the surface area exposed to the cold water increases dramatically.
5. This is where you have to just go for it or back out, because it is pretty much the point of no return. Assuming that you have followed all the steps so far, the shock to your body will be the least it can be.
6. Do what you need to do to get clean and then get out and get yourself warm.

It has worked out well for me in the past, and I would be interested to see what other people think of this particular technique.

Answer 7

I've spent many years with scouts bathing in cold rivers, and it never gets pleasant.

I don't think this will ever change, mostly because we western people got used to bathe in huge amount of water wasting it, while you don't need much water to clean yourself.

My method was to enter the cold water for a second, then apply soap to the wet skin and rub, then jump in and try to remove all the soap.

You don't have to make the cold water pleasant, you have to rethink your way of using water.

Answer 8

What I find works best is a imitations the watering the chest method and getting to love cold water method.

1. Deal with the Shock

   • Water your feet and water your chest
   • Turn the cold shower slowly on so its like rain initially

2. Put a major limb in IE arm or leg and get used to the water

3. hold your breath, man up and take the plunge.

Good luck!

Answer 9

Do some sport or exercises before going under the cold water :) push-ups, stationary jumps, abs ... your body will get warmer, and you will be able to bear this pouring icy water a lot more easily :D

Answer 10

Personally, I'm a big believer in the Mammalian Diving Reflex.Whenever I have to swim in a cold pool or use a cold shower, I have to get my FACE in the water first, then the coldness is barely noticable.

Answer 11

This may be sounds strange but I think it depends a little bit on how cold the water is.

I spend some time in a small hut in the Alps and the only water supply came via a tube from a small river nearby. I think the temperature of the water was below zero.

First days I heated it up on the oven. Some lazy day in a boastful manner I decided to just use the tube directly and as I did my muscles were paralysed immeadiately. This was the only time in my life that I was afraid of suffocating because I wasn't able to breeze for about 20 seconds. So I switched strategy to feet first and then slowly upwards which I found even harder. So I switched back to the freezing myself strategy which I considered less torturous because you stop feeling the coldness after just a few seconds. To moderate the shock I put some water on the face and chest first. After some days I got used to it and in a strange way I found it somehow satisfying.

To sum up - for me the best strategy of taking cold showers is "slowly upwards" for not so cold water and "freezing myself" for very cold water (which you definitely should avoid when you suffer from cardiac problems).

Both strategies result in the pleasant fact that you won't be freezing for the rest of the day.

Answer 12

First, starting to take a cold shower from toe to the head, by doing this you will takes half the simulation bring by the cold water, then test if the water is still cold, if cold, brings up the temperature a little bit, until your body feels comfortable, then, finish the wash in less then 5 minutes only, so you could barely forget the shower and create less fear when washing with cold water in no time.