BOISE BENCH, Idaho — Cold Cowboy Club is a wellness center offering contrast therapy with high-temperature saunas and cold-water plunge baths.
- Founder Dr. John Hickey is committed to growing Boise’s burgeoning wellness community through events and group sessions.
- The treatment is thought to relieve stress, regulate the nervous system and reduce inflammation.
- For more information on sessions and upcoming events, visit the Cold Cowboy Club website.
(Below is a transcript of the broadcast.)
“I used to really struggle with my health,” said Dr. John Hickey, founder of the Cold Cowboy Club.
Hickey became an avid user of cold water planters when he was facing his own health issues, including depression and anxiety.
“One of the things that has helped my overall health the most has been regulating my nervous system through ice baths and contrast therapy,” Hickey says.
So he created the Cold Cowboy Club, which offers contrast therapy combining a hot sauna and a cold bath.
“The sauna is set at 180-190 degrees, and the cold bath is about 40 degrees.”
The treatment is said to relieve stress, regulate the nervous system and reduce inflammation.
But beyond offering health therapy, Hickey wanted to create a community.
“The Cold Cowboy Club is all about social wellness — the idea of bringing a friend, taking an ice bath and challenging yourself,” says Hickey, who has partnered with groups around Boise to host events and trainings where people, from beginners to veterans, can support each other.
“I think going to an event like this is a great opportunity to just jump in and experience it for the first time. I always like to get in the bath with someone, holding hands and having a conversation,” says cold plunger Alex Ward.
Ward is a member of Boise’s burgeoning wellness community and has used the Cold Cowboy Club to help him recover after strenuous exercise.
“I put a lot of pressure on my body. I work out every day, so this way I can continue doing what I love,” Ward says.
“One of my goals is to put Boise on the map as a health city and host events and bring people together in a way other than just happy hours. It’s great to have people feeling good, connecting with each other in the community and improving their health together,” Hickey said.