Why Cape Town cannot get enough of the cold plunge trend
From Bantry Bay tidal pools to Sea Point saunas, Cape Town’s cold plunge trend is turning icy dips into a daily ritual.
The cold plunge trend has taken a firm hold in Cape Town, and on most mornings you will find people easing themselves into icy tidal pools before breakfast. What began as a quirky habit for a handful of hardy swimmers has grown into one of the Mother City’s most visible wellness rituals.
The global momentum is hard to ignore. As this look at cold plunges and quiet rituals in Cape Town points out, cold plunging hashtags have racked up more than a billion views on TikTok, while figures such as Wim Hof have helped push the practice firmly into the mainstream.
Saunders Rock in Bantry Bay has become a favourite dawn gathering spot. With more than a dozen of Cape Town’s tidal pools dotted along the coastline, a bracing dip is never far away, whether you live on the Atlantic Seaboard or closer to False Bay.
Where the cold plunge meets the sauna in Cape Town
Mobile, wood-fired saunas now set up beside tidal pools and promenades. ShuShu Sauna, launched in January 2024, takes its name from the isiXhosa word for hot. In Sea Point, SaunaHaüs bills itself as the city’s first dedicated guided sauna and cold plunge club, running 60-minute sessions with three rounds of heat.
A cold plunge ritual that goes beyond the buzz
Devotees speak about calmer minds, better sleep and a sense of community that forms quickly when strangers gasp together in bone-chilling Atlantic water. The ritual is not for everyone, though. Cold water shock is real, so anyone with a heart condition should check with a doctor first and build up slowly.
Why I am warming up to the cold plunge myself
After years of winters abroad, I thought I had made peace with the cold, but the Atlantic at 7am is a different beast entirely. My first plunge lasted about ten seconds and plenty of shrieking. Still, I walked away grinning, and I suspect that feeling is exactly why Cape Town keeps coming back.