What happens inside the body
When you immerse yourself in hot water, the blood vessels dilate. Blood flows towards the surface of the skin, the muscles receive more oxygen and the tense fibres begin to loosen. It is what you feel as relaxation: the body expanding, giving way.
When you move to cold water, the opposite happens. The vessels contract sharply. Blood is redirected towards the vital organs, the heart rate rises slightly and the sympathetic nervous system activates. It is a controlled awakening — not an aggression, but a stimulus that puts the body into a state of positive alertness.
The magic lies in the alternation. Each dilation-contraction cycle works like a natural pump that improves blood and lymphatic circulation, helps eliminate metabolic waste products and strengthens the immune response.
The ideal circuit in our hammam
Start with the warm pool at 36°C to acclimatise the body. Move to the hot one at 39°C for a few minutes until you feel your muscles soften. Then, brave the cold one at 15°C. You do not need more than 30 seconds to notice the effect — that electric surge of vitality, the goosebumps, the feeling of being completely awake.
Then return to the hot pool. Repeat. Each cycle is easier than the last. And the steam room is the perfect complement between cycles: it relaxes the airways and prepares the body for the next contrast.
It is not just tradition — it is physiology
Professional athletes have been using contrast baths for muscle recovery for decades. The Nordic countries have the sauna-snow alternation built into their culture. And the hammams of the Arab world perfected this principle centuries before modern science validated it.
What we offer is that same principle in an environment designed for enjoyment, not for athletic performance. The pools are metres apart, the temperature is precisely controlled and the atmosphere invites you to take all the time you need.
A tip for the first time
If you have never done contrast bathing, do not plunge into the cold pool all at once. Start by wetting your feet and hands. Then your forearms. Once the body understands that nothing bad happens, immersing yourself completely will be easier than you think. And the feeling when you come out — that warm tingling running through your whole body — will make you want to repeat it immediately.