You used to be able to count the bobbing heads out on the frigid water from October through April, at least in most places. But in today’s wellness age? When ‘cold plunge’ is practically a household phrase and the health benefits of wild swimming in the crisp, biting waters of a frosty river or outdoor pool are all anyone talks about? Cities on every continent have cleaned up their waterways to swimmable standards. Doffing your clothes at a quiet spot by the coast is no longer merely acceptable but prescribed.
Forget the nay-sayers. ‘No one ever regretted a cold water swim,’ says Chris Romer-Lee, a London architect and a founder of the Swimmable Cities Alliance. An advocate for urban swimming rights, the Alliance has partners in Paris, Rotterdam, Budapest, Portland and, just last month, London, where developer Christopher Arthey is lobbying for a floating lido on London’s Regent’s Canal. ‘Nothing beats the mental clarity one finds after a winter swim,’ says Arthey. ‘Albeit once the shivering has stopped with the help of a warm cup of tea.’
That’s not to say winter swimming is always a shock. We’ve found options out there, from a temperate dip in a geothermal hot spring to an endorphin-boosting Baltic plunge. So, grab your thermos, take a deep breath and dive in.
Kastrup Sea Bath, Copenhagen
Otherwise known as the Snail, thanks to its distinctive curves, White Arkitekter’s sea bath floats 100 metres offshore in Øresund, a strait forming the Danish-Swedish border. A wooden pier leads out to the Azobé wood construction and diving platform, free to access year-round. Large uplights are carefully angled toward the interior wall to allow for use in the evening, but winter plunges here are not for the faint-hearted.
Despite water temperatures regularly dipping close to freezing, the bath’s design plays a crucial role in safety. ‘The circular structure provides shelter from the wind while capturing and retaining the sun’s warmth and light,’ says Martin Sundberg, an architect in White Arkitekter’s Malmӧ office. This, he adds, ultimately allows the sea bath to stay open all year.
Allas Sea Pool, Helsinki
Next to Helsinki’s Market Square, where the city meets the sea, this seaside bathhouse has something for everyone. There is the steaming 27-degree heated pool, requiring a chilly dash through the snow from the changing rooms to the pool steps. Then there’s the buoyed expanse of seawater, so cold it creaks and crackles with ice in the winter months. ‘The rush of endorphins of the colder water after a hot sauna is exhilarating,’ says Raoul Grünstein, founder and chief executive of Nordic Urban, the waterfront developer behind the facility pool. ‘It’s far less daunting than people imagine. With safe access and warm recovery spaces, it becomes a ritual rather than a challenge… even in the depths of winter.’
Pamukkale Thermal Pools, Turkey
No chilled water here. These thermal Travertine Terraces — 17, to be exact — get warmer the higher up the bright white slopes you climb. A designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, formed by calcium carbonate deposits in the thermal spring water, the area is flooded with shallow pools where visitors can wade. For those after a fully submersive experience there’s Cleopatra’s Antique Pool, a popular swimming spot near the ruins of the ancient city’s Roman Temple of Apollo, where the water hovers at an average 36 degrees. Visitors can drift over large marble columns that fell into the pool during a 7th-century earthquake. Coming in winter provides an invigorating rush — and is perfect for avoiding the swarms of summer tourists.
Utah Crater, USA
Officially known as Homestead Caldera, this natural geothermal hot spring is about as dramatic as wild swimming gets. In the deep of Utah’s winter, the 55ft sediment dome that towers over the deep, warm basin is usually surrounded by snow for maximum winter impact. Try to swing an early-morning visit for the prettiest light and quietest time — it’s become a popular location for swimming, snorkelling and filming, having featured in the 2010 film 127 Hours. The crater has a wooden deck and two designated easy-access bathing areas. It’s a great option for swimmers who don’t love the idea of icy-cold water as temperatures are generally at a perfectly clement 32-36 degrees year-round.
Shepperton Lake, UK
This Surrey spot is fairly regulated as far as open-water swimming goes. Not only does every would-be bather require an induction swim before they’re let loose on either of Shepperton Lake’s two open-water pools or the larger 400m swimming course, but brightly coloured hats and tow floats are a blanket requirement. The dedicated winter location, open between November and May, is about as rustic as wild swimming gets: pond weed, duck poo and all. Year-round, a dip here is grounding, earthen and restorative. And there has been particular attention paid to onshore amenities — visitors have access to wood-fired hot tubs and saunas, covered seating and a coffee van serving brioche bacon rolls.
