Just Breathe: The Transformative Power of Sauna, Cold Water Swimming, and Essential Oils

Hidden in the peaceful landscape of York, Pool Bridge Farm offers a sanctuary where ancient wellness traditions meet modern-day natural therapies. This idyllic wild swimming and sauna venue has recently partnered with Holistic Kitchen to create a bespoke essential oil blend—Just Breathe—designed to enhance and deepen your sensory experience of contrast therapy.

Combining cold water swimming and sauna use isn't just a trend—it’s a time-honoured ritual that supports mental clarity, physical resilience, and emotional well-being. When paired with the healing properties of essential oils, especially a blend crafted specifically for the venue, the results can be truly transformative.

The Power of Hot and Cold Therapy

The ancient practice of alternating between hot saunas and cold water immersion—also known as contrast therapy—is gaining widespread popularity for its profound effects on the body and mind.

Benefits of Sauna:

• Detoxification: Sweating opens up pores and helps release toxins.

• Muscle Recovery: Heat relaxes tense muscles and increases blood circulation.

• Mental Calm: The warmth of the sauna soothes the nervous system, supporting stress reduction.

• Sleep: Trust me you will sleep like a log.

Benefits of Cold Water Swimming:

• Immune Boosting: Cold immersion has been shown to improve immune response.

• Inflammation Reduction: It reduces inflammation and accelerates recovery post-exercise.

• Endorphin Rush: The initial cold shock floods your brain with feel-good chemicals like dopamine and norepinephrine, lifting mood and energy levels. You need 11 minutes a week in water less than 10 degrees C to get all of the benefits from cold water therapy.

When practiced together, sauna and cold water swimming create a powerful full-body reset. Heat expands and stimulates; cold contracts and grounds. It’s a balance that speaks to the body’s deepest rhythms—and when enhanced by aromatherapy, the experience becomes even more immersive.

Make sure you are careful, know your limits and seek professional advice if you have any health conditions prior to taking the plunge.

Introducing “Just Breathe” – A Bespoke Essential Oil Blend

To complement this contrast therapy journey, Holistic Kitchen has created Just Breathe, with the owners of Pool Bridge Farm, a bespoke essential oil blend made exclusively for this tranquil and beautiful venue. Inspired by the surrounding nature and the elemental experience of sauna and wild swimming, Just Breathe is more than a scent—it’s a companion to your healing ritual.

Key Ingredients & Their Benefits:

• Frankincense Oil – Renowned for its grounding and calming properties, frankincense supports deep, meditative breathing and enhances relaxation after sauna or cold exposure.

• Bergamot Oil – With its fresh, citrusy scent, bergamot uplifts the mood, eases anxiety, and helps the nervous system settle—ideal after an invigorating swim.

• Marjoram Oil – Known for its comforting, muscle-relaxing qualities, marjoram brings warmth and calm, supporting post-sauna recovery and emotional ease.

• Ho Wood Oil – Soft and woody, ho wood offers a delicate floral-forest aroma that soothes the senses and harmonises mind and body.

Together, these essential oils create a gentle yet powerful sensory experience. Whether diffused in the sauna or used to enhance your wind-down after a cold plunge, Just Breathe invites you to slow down, inhale deeply, and feel fully alive.

Used in the sauna, this blend not only scents the air but supports respiratory health, enhances mood, and complements the body’s natural detoxification processes. Whether you're sitting in the heat or stepping into cool waters, Just Breathe invites you to pause, inhale deeply, and reconnect with your body and breath.

How to Enhance Your Visit

If you're planning a visit to Pool Bridge Farm, here’s how you can make the most of your experience:

1. Start in the Sauna – Let the warmth relax your muscles while inhaling the aromatic steam infused with Just Breathe.

2. Cold Water Dip – Step into the wild swimming lake and feel the rush of endorphins.

3. Repeat & Reconnect – Alternate 2–3 rounds of hot and cold, focusing on breath, presence, and sensation.

4. End with Stillness – Sit quietly, sip warm tea, and let the essential oils and elemental forces work their magic.

In a fast-paced world, we often forget to simply breathe. The collaboration between Holistic Kitchen and Pool Bridge Farm reminds us of the power of pausing and reconnecting—with nature, our senses, and our breath. Whether you're a seasoned cold water swimmer or curious to try your first sauna session, the blend of heat, cold, and Just Breathe creates a wellness ritual that is both grounding and elevating.

So take a moment. Inhale deeply. And let nature do the rest.