Ice me out

Torture method or genius life hack? NIDHI GUPTA investigates whether ice baths are really as cool as they're cracked up to be

-  NIDHI GUPTA

MY BODY IS quickly turning into a popsicle. I'm sitting in a matchbox-sized room at Replay Physio, a clinic in suburban Mumbai. Ten seconds of soaking in 10°C water and I have goosebumps on my arms. Another twenty and there's a painful stinging sensation in my feet. Now, they're almost numb.

"Inhale and exhale deeply," instructs Dr Vaibhav Patil, who is monitoring my first-ever ice bath session: three sets of three minutes each, with three-minute breaks in between. "Why do people do this to themselves?" I wail through chattering teeth after I've shouted a bunch of expletives. "You're going to sleep so well tonight," consoles Dr Patil with a laugh.