This Review article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Moving from the Middle East to Canada, I thought I'd already experienced the coldest moments of my life, but I was very, very wrong.
Have you ever done an ice bath before? If not, listen up because it was quite cool. No pun intended.
Last week I went to Toronto's buzzing Othership to try the experience. I've heard a lot about the benefits of submerging your body in freezing cold water for short periods of time, but I didn't expect it to feel like this.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, an ice bath can allegedly ease sore muscles, reduce your core body temperature, help you focus and sleep better, and decrease inflammation.
So, taking all of this into consideration and the fact that my friends do it often, I just had to see what all the hype was about. And wow, it was an experience of a lifetime.
Literally, I haven't stopped thinking about how I felt for a week!
Othership in Toronto.Mira Nabulsi | Narcity
The way that Othership works, if you are taking one of their classes, is by visiting the hot sauna and then taking a dip in an ice bath.
The class I did was called "Guided Up: Burn," and the instructor's name was Magz Kordiuk. She "is a fitness and health coach who's been empowering her clients, and the Toronto fitness community, for over 15 years," the website description reads.
This class, unlike the others, involves some physical movement making it more of an active class.
Sauna at Othership in Toronto.Mira Nabulsi | Narcity
As a group, we sat in a sauna that was between 60 C to 100 C and did some exercises to release all the built-up tension, both mentally and physically.
There's just something so exciting about being able to yell at the top of your lungs while sweat drips down your elbows.
Even though I initially thought I wouldn't be able to handle such high heat and sweat — this was nothing compared to what happened next.
After sitting 18 minutes in a sauna, people were taken in groups to the showers to rinse off and then over to the tubs of freezing water.
On the day I went, the water in the tub was 1.5 C... yes, I will repeat that: 1.5 C. And all I was wearing was a bathing suit...
Ice bath at Othership in Toronto.Mira Nabulsi | Narcity
So, on the count of three, take a deep inhale and hop into the tub on the exhale, the instructor said. Oh, and don't forget to breathe.
Into the ice-cold tub, we go!
After a few seconds of absolute shock and realizing how cold the water is, you remember that there are others in the room.
Time is suddenly still, and the instructor's voice gets louder and louder as she reminds you to place your hands under your armpit and breathe.
But all I could think about was how hot my body was and how my feet were boiling, HOT. Which, if you think about it makes absolutely no sense. But the pain was unreal.
55 seconds into the 2-minute session, I stand up and take a big breath, which was closely followed by pure panic.
My feet were tingling, hot and numb, while my body was cold and my mind was confused.
After a few deep breaths, I realized my brain had a moment of silence for the first time in my life. It was scary, but also it's something I've been craving since.
Even though I couldn't complete the 2-minute goal on my first time, I got to just under a minute and was proud of my accomplishment.
If you've been looking for a new experience or a rush of adrenaline, I highly recommend trying one of Othership's guided classes; it's at least worth the story.