In Finland, there ’s a saying that a woman is considered to be at her most beautiful after a sauna. Helsinki-based author and outdoor swimmer Katja Pantzar (pictured above) would update the phrase to ref lect the growing popularity of contrast therapy, which has a range of researched health benefits: ‘People positively glow after a cold dip in the sea or a lake followed up by a hot sauna.’ For when you take care of your physical and mental wellbeing , you shine inside and out

Image: Katja Tähjä

I discovered cold water swimming quite by accident. Many years ago, after moving from Canada to Finland, I was invited to try out the Finnish pastime of avantouinti, swimming in a hole cut through the ice on a natural expanse of water, by my friend Riikka, an avid winter swimmer.

As I stood in my swimsuit beside Riikka on a freezing Helsinki dock, I really thought it would be a one-off experience. At the time, I worked as a travel writer and was used to trying out foreign customs and new activities in different destinations.

On a dark, cold February night we stood on a dock in almost central Helsinki in our bathing suits and I remember thinking ‘this is absurd.’

The initial shock was literally breathtaking, as the sea was about 2ºC and the icy water felt like a million tiny pins pricking my skin. However, shortly after dashing out of the water, I felt this amazing rush, a sense of euphoria. I now know this sensation is called ‘swimmer’s high’, a feeling of joy, invincibility and all-over body glow that comes from the rush of happy hormones stimulated by even a brief cold immersion.