John Van Barneveld says it’s the best feeling in the world: a hot sauna, an icy plunge and the calm that follows.

“You start with something hot like a sauna or steam room or hot tub and then you go into a cold plunge,” said Van Barneveld, owner of Wave Nordic Spa at the Oxford Hills golf course in Mount Elgin, just 25 kilometres south of Woodstock.

“From there, you can either go to relaxation room or warm stone beds or the warm pool.”

Van Barneveld, 40, who opened the spa two years ago, said he uses the facilities “all the time.”

“Some people say: ‘I absolutely don’t want to go into cold plunge’ but I think after I go into cold plunge and get into the warm pool it’s the best feeling ever,” he said.

The combination of sauna and cold plunge is known for a range of health benefits, from

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