Thermal Reset: sauna and cold plunge protocols that follow the research
Pure Senses has a traditional Finnish sauna, an infrared and red light sauna, and a cold plunge, all under one roof at Mount Pisa. Thermal Reset turns a session into a plan: how hot, how long, how cold and how often, based on the research behind the work of Dr Andrew Huberman and Dr Peter Attia.
The protocols were written by registered osteopath David Liddiard, resident at Pure Senses. Use them on your own in any Pure Senses sauna session, or pair them with an osteopathy appointment.
Book a sauna sessionBook osteopathyDose it by the week, and match the sauna to the goal
Weekly dose. Research on winter swimmers (Søberg, 2021) found benefits at about 57 minutes of heat and 11 minutes of cold a week, split across 2–4 sessions. Large Finnish studies (Laukkanen) found that people who used a sauna 4–7 times a week had markedly lower cardiovascular risk than once-a-week users.
The right sauna. Most of the research used traditional saunas at 80–100°C, so choose the Finnish sauna for heart-health and growth-hormone goals. The infrared sauna runs cooler. It's ideal for warming tissue before treatment, for gentle recovery, and for anyone who finds high heat hard work.
Choose by your goal
1. Foundation Heat
- 80–90°C15–20 min in the Finnish sauna. New to sauna? Start with 10 min.
- 5–10 minCool down at room temperature or with a lukewarm shower. Drink water with electrolytes.
- OptionalA second 15–20 min round.
Aim for 3–4 sessions and at least 57 min a week. Evening is best, because the drop in body temperature afterwards helps sleep.
2. Contrast Reset
- 10–15 minFinnish sauna, or 20 min infrared.
- 1–3 minCold plunge up to the neck. Slow nasal breathing, and never hold your breath underwater.
- 2–3 minRest.
- × 2–3Repeat the rounds. Finish on cold and let your body rewarm on its own.
About 11 min of cold a week in total. Best done in the morning or early afternoon. Cold exposure has been shown to raise noradrenaline and dopamine for hours afterwards.
3. Recovery Heat Block
- 2–3 hNo food beforehand.
- 15–20 minFinnish sauna at 90–100°C. Use the hottest bench you can safely tolerate.
- 10–15 minCool down at room temperature, with no cold plunge between rounds. Rehydrate.
- RepeatA second round. A short cold plunge to finish is fine.
Once every 7–10 days at most. Studies of hot Finnish sauna sessions found short-term rises in growth hormone, and the response weakened when sessions were repeated daily.
4. Osteo + Heat
- 15–20 minInfrared sauna before treatment, to warm and loosen the tissues.
- 30 minOsteopathic assessment and hands-on treatment with David.
- 5 minMobility exercises while you're still warm.
- Optional1–2 min cold plunge to finish (not for fresh injuries).
Warm tissue stretches further, so treatment and mobility work go further. Not suitable in the first 48–72 hours after an acute injury.
5. Morning Cold
- 1–3 minCold plunge, "uncomfortable but safe".
- AfterRewarm through movement.
2–4 times a week, counted towards your weekly 11 minutes.
6. Training-day rules
- Strength training: no cold plunge for 4–6 hours afterwards, because it can blunt strength and muscle gains. Plunge before training or on rest days instead.
- Endurance training: a sauna afterwards is a good fit.
- Competition or tournament days: cold afterwards is fine to reduce soreness.
| Day | Protocol | Heat | Cold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Morning Cold | – | 3 min |
| Wed | Osteo + Heat | 20 min infrared | 1 min |
| Thu | Contrast Reset | 2 × 12 min | 2 × 2 min |
| Sat | Foundation Heat, or the Recovery Heat Block every 7–10 days | 2 × 15 min | – |
| Total | ≈ 74 min | ≈ 8 min |
Booked through Pure Senses
Thermal Reset protocols run in any Pure Senses sauna session. Every 60-minute session includes the cold plunge, outdoor cold shower and relaxation area. See current prices and book at puresenses.co.nz. Private and shared sauna sessions, the full Sauna Circuit and a Guided Ice Bath with a coach are all available.
Osteopathy is booked separately with Osteopathy Central Otago (Wednesday and Thursday mornings at Pure Senses). ACC is available for injuries, and no referral is needed.
Book a sauna sessionOsteopathy at Mount PisaBefore you start
- Check with your GP first if you have heart disease, high or low blood pressure, a history of fainting, are pregnant, or take medication that affects blood pressure or heat tolerance. Check too if you have Raynaud's or a cold allergy before using the cold plunge.
- Drink water before and after. No alcohol before or during.
- Build up over 2–4 weeks, starting with shorter, milder sessions.
- Never use the cold plunge alone, and never hold your breath underwater.
- Get out straight away if you feel dizzy, sick, confused or have chest pain.
These protocols are general wellbeing guidance, not medical treatment. Results vary between people.
- Laukkanen T, et al. Sauna bathing and fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events. JAMA Intern Med, 2015.
- Laukkanen JA, Laukkanen T, Kunutsor SK. Cardiovascular and other health benefits of sauna bathing. Mayo Clin Proc, 2018.
- Leppäluoto J, et al. Endocrine effects of repeated sauna bathing. Acta Physiol Scand, 1986.
- Kukkonen-Harjula K, et al. Haemodynamic and hormonal responses to heat exposure in a Finnish sauna bath. Eur J Appl Physiol, 1989.
- Søberg S, et al. Brown fat thermoregulation and cold-induced thermogenesis in winter-swimming men. Cell Rep Med, 2021.
- Šrámek P, et al. Human physiological responses to immersion into water of different temperatures. Eur J Appl Physiol, 2000.
- Roberts LA, et al. Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates adaptations to strength training. J Physiol, 2015.
- Attia P. Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, 2023. Huberman Lab podcast episodes on deliberate heat and cold exposure, 2022.