Moving through the rhythm of hot & cold

Float between extremes and emerge renewed.

The Shelter Cycle

Our signature flow cycle is a ritual of contrast. At Shelter Sauna, you’ll immerse yourself into a mindful journey between heat, cold, and rest that awakens your senses, strengthens your body, and clears your mind.

A shirtless man holding pouring water over a sauna stove, with Okanagan Lake and mountains in the background.

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Indoor sauna room with wooden walls and door, large window, heater with stones, and a small bucket with a ladle.

Step 1: Heat

Enter the floating sauna.

Settle into the warmth of red cedar walls and the gentle sway of the water beneath. As the heat builds, your muscles release and heart rate rises, flushing out toxins and igniting your inner fire.

Stay in the sauna for 10–15 minutes or until you feel deeply heated.

Three people bathing together in an outdoor cold plunge at night, seen from above through a square opening in the floor, with black wooden walls and a wooden door to the side.

Step 2: Cold

Take the plunge.

Step outside and immerse yourself in the cool, refreshing Okanagan lake water. The cold water stimulates your nervous system, boosts circulation, and floods your body with endorphins.

Stay submerged for 30 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on your comfort.

A young woman and man sitting on a wooden bench at a sauna, smiling and talking inside a room with black walls and a warm light overhead.

Step 3: Rest

Float, breathe, reset.

Relax in Shelter’s relaxation cove or drift in the open air. This is where your body finds balance. Your pulse slows, your breath deepens, and your mind settles into calm clarity.

Take a few minutes to rest and enjoy the stillness before beginning the cycle again.

Group of six people sitting inside a wooden sauna, engaging in conversation.

Step 4: Repeat

Cycle through for rejuvenation.

One full cycle of heat, cold, and rest leaves you refreshed. Two or three cycles deepen the benefits, improving recovery, enhancing focus, and building resilience.

The more you flow through the cycle, the more you’ll feel the transformation.

The benefits of contrast therapy

Experience the natural high of contrast therapy; a ritual of heat, cold, and stillness that brings the body into flow and the mind into presence. This type of hot and cold therapy activates your body’s natural healing systems, improving circulation, balancing the nervous system, and naturally boosting endorphins.

heat

Supports cardiovascular health

Eases muscle tension & recovery

Promotes lymphatic flow

Invites presence & mindfulness

cold

Reduces inflammation

Enhances muscle recovery

Elevates mood & mental clarity

Builds resilience & inner strength

rest

Opportunity for mindfulness

Rebalances the body between cycles

Deepens relaxation & calm

Creates space to reconnect & reflect

Three women sitting inside a wooden sauna, looking relaxed and rejuvenated.

Ready to flow into your first Shelter Cycle?

Step into the rhythm of heat, cold, and stillness.

Book Your Plunge →