Godalming infrared sauna & Plunge pools
The recovery protocol that makes everything else you do work harder. Infrared heat. Cold immersion. Your body, reset.
Contrast therapy is the deliberate alternation of heat and cold to drive a powerful physiological response — the same mindset as an exercise class, applied to your recovery.
When you move between infrared heat and cold immersion, your blood vessels expand and contract in a cycle that forces circulation through muscle tissue, flushes inflammation, resets the nervous system, and leaves you in a measurably different state than when you arrived.
This is not a spa visit. It is a weekly protocol — a deliberate investment in how your body functions. The people who use it consistently don’t come because it feels nice (though it does). They come because it works.
Infrared heat penetrates deep into tissue. Blood vessels dilate. Core temperature rises. Muscles relax and circulation surges.
Cold immersion triggers rapid constriction. Inflammation is suppressed. Norepinephrine and dopamine spike — mood lifts, focus sharpens.
Repeating this cycle creates a vascular pumping action — clearing metabolic waste, delivering nutrients, and building resilience across body and mind.
First 5 min
Enter the space. Familiarise yourself. Swimmers on, water to hand. No rush, no briefing pressure.
10–20 min
The Sunlighten mPulse heats your body directly at a cellular level. Muscles relax. Circulation rises. You begin to sweat.
1–3 min
Choose your temperature — beginners start warmer. 30 seconds is enough. Work up to 2–3 minutes over time. You are always in control.
Remaining time
Cycle at your own pace. Most members do 2–3 rounds. Rest between. Breathe. Leave feeling lighter and clearer than when you arrived.
You are never rushed. The session belongs to you.
Active & sporty
You run, cycle, play sport, or train regularly. Persistent muscle soreness and joint stiffness are limiting your consistency. Contrast therapy clears inflammation between sessions and gets you back to training faster — without reducing your load.
→ Train more consistently. Recover in 24 hours, not 48.
Pilates members
Your reformer sessions are building real strength and mobility. Contrast therapy is the missing piece — it embeds those gains, reduces soreness between classes, and means you arrive at your next session ready to work rather than still recovering from the last one.
→ Perform better in class. Feel the difference within two weeks.
Women's health
Infrared sauna therapy has strong evidence for supporting hormonal transitions — managing hot flushes, improving sleep quality, easing joint discomfort, and supporting mood. Many women in perimenopause and menopause find it one of the most effective non-pharmacological tools they've used.
→ Better sleep. Reduced inflammation. More stable energy.
Active ageing
Maintaining joint health, circulation, and mobility matters more — not less — as you get older. Contrast therapy supports all three without impact, intensity, or recovery time. Sessions are entirely self-paced. If you want to sit in the sauna and leave, that is a perfectly valid session.
→ Better mobility. Improved circulation. Long-term joint comfort.
High performers
You cannot out-train a dysregulated nervous system. Forty-five minutes of deliberate heat and cold resets your cortisol response, improves sleep quality, and sharpens mental clarity in a way that another hour at your desk will never do. Many members treat this as non-negotiable as their morning run.
→ Better sleep. Sharper focus. Calm without effort.
Injury & recovery
Contrast therapy supports the healing process — improving circulation to recovering tissue, reducing residual inflammation, and maintaining mobility during periods when high-impact exercise isn't possible. Always discuss with your clinician first, but for many injuries it's among the most effective adjunct therapies available.
→ Faster recovery. Reduced swelling. Maintained mobility.
We invested in the best available equipment because contrast therapy only works if the equipment delivers the correct physiological response. A warm sauna and a cool bath is not contrast therapy. This is.
Heat — infrared sauna
The mPulse is widely considered the benchmark infrared sauna. Unlike traditional saunas that heat the air around you, it uses targeted infrared wavelengths to heat your body directly at a cellular level — producing a deeper physiological response at lower air temperatures. The result is a more comfortable experience that is simultaneously more effective.
Cold — dual plunge pools
Two Odyssey cold plunge pools set to different temperatures gives you genuine flexibility — beginners can start warmer and progress, experienced users can work at the more challenging setting. This is not a single all-or-nothing experience. It is a calibrated protocol you can adapt to exactly where your body is on any given day.
Cold immersion suppresses inflammatory cytokines. Combined with heat-driven circulation, the contrast effect clears inflammatory waste from tissue faster than either modality alone.
The vascular pumping effect delivers oxygen and nutrients to recovering muscle tissue while simultaneously clearing lactic acid and metabolic waste. Most people notice reduced DOMS within the first two sessions.
Regular contrast therapy measurably improves sleep onset and depth. The post-session drop in core temperature signals the body to rest. Many members report this as the most noticeable effect within the first week.
Repeated cycles of vasodilation and vasoconstriction provide a cardiovascular workout without the physical demand of exercise. Particularly valuable for those maintaining fitness during injury or as a complement to low-impact training.
Cold exposure activates and then calms the sympathetic nervous system. Over time, regular cold exposure builds genuine stress tolerance — calmer baseline, better response to pressure, more stable mood.
Cold plunge triggers a significant release of norepinephrine and dopamine — neurochemicals associated with focus, motivation, and mood regulation. The effect is immediate and lasts for hours after the session ends.
First session or regular visitor — here is the practical information that makes your session easy and effective.
Your session
Move between sauna and plunge at your own rhythm. There is no set protocol you must follow.
What to bring
Booking options
Book online or via the app. Open to all — you do not need to be a Pilates member.
Private Bookings are also available for up to 5 people. Please contact the studio to arrange.
First timers
Many people who come for the first time have never used an infrared sauna or cold plunge before. We explain how everything works, and you are always in control. Start with 30 seconds in the plunge. That is enough. Build up over time.
Do I need to do both?
You can use the sauna only, the plunge only, or both. Recovery should suit your body on that particular day.
How often should I come?
Once a week has genuine benefits. Twice is where most members notice the shift. Three times per week is ideal for athletic recovery or active rehabilitation. Consistency matters more than intensity.
Is it private?
The space holds a maximum of three members from the timetable, or you can book the room entirely for yourself and invite up to four friends for a private session. Contact the studio to arrange.
Significantly. A spa sauna is designed for relaxation. Contrast therapy is a physiological protocol — the alternation of heat and cold is what creates the therapeutic effect. The Sunlighten infrared sauna also heats your body differently to a traditional sauna, penetrating at a cellular level rather than just heating the surrounding air. The result is deeper muscle and joint benefit at a more comfortable temperature.
Completely fine. Most of our members were first-timers. We’ll explain how everything works before you start, and you are always in control of how long you stay in and which temperature pool you use. Start with 30 seconds. That is genuinely enough for a first session, and the benefits begin immediately. You will build tolerance and comfort quickly over the first few visits.
Always heat first. Start in the infrared sauna to raise your core temperature, relax the muscles, and prepare your cardiovascular system. Then move to the cold plunge. This order maximises the contrast effect and makes the cold significantly more tolerable than going in cold. You then alternate at your own pace for the remainder of the session.
Exceptionally well. Reformer Pilates creates genuine adaptation — strength, mobility, neuromuscular control. But that adaptation happens during recovery, not during the class itself. Contrast therapy accelerates that recovery: reducing muscle soreness, improving circulation to worked tissue, and calming the nervous system so your body can do the repair work it needs to do. Members who combine both consistently report they feel better between classes, not just stronger during them.
Contrast therapy is well-suited to active ageing. The infrared sauna supports circulation, cardiovascular health, and joint comfort. Cold exposure helps manage inflammation and supports joint mobility. Sessions are entirely self-paced — you move at your own rhythm, stay in as long as feels right, and there is no expectation to push beyond comfort. If you have cardiovascular conditions or are taking medications that affect blood pressure or circulation, speak to your GP before your first session.
Many women find contrast therapy one of the most effective tools they’ve used during perimenopause and menopause. Infrared sauna therapy has evidence for supporting sleep quality, managing joint discomfort, improving mood, and — somewhat counter-intuitively — helping the body’s heat regulation mechanisms over time. Cold exposure supports mood through dopamine release and helps manage inflammation. We recommend discussing with your GP if you have specific health concerns, but for most women the experience is straightforwardly positive.
Consistency matters more than frequency. Once a week produces genuine, measurable benefits — better sleep and reduced soreness are typically the first things people notice. Twice a week is where most members see a clear shift in how they feel day-to-day. Three times per week is ideal for active recovery from training or rehabilitation from injury. The benefits compound over time — members who have been coming for three months consistently report significantly different results to those just starting out.
Not at all. The contrast therapy room is completely independent of our Pilates timetable. You can book it as a standalone service, with no requirement to attend classes. That said, many people discover our classes after coming for contrast therapy, and vice versa — the two complement each other well, but neither is a prerequisite for the other.
Book your session
45 minutes. Private. Godalming High Street. The session that makes every other session you do work harder.
Questions? Call us on 01483 399 382 or email godalming@thepilatesmovementstudio.co.uk
You’ll find us on the second floor at 79–81 High Street, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1AW — directly opposite Boots, just above Holland and Barrett. Look for the sign on the brick wall and come up the stairs.
South Street Car Park is the closest option — park, walk down the side road to the High Street and turn right. Crown Court Car Park is slightly larger and just a 4-minute walk. Both offer convenient pay-and-display parking.
Godalming railway station is a 6-minute walk from the studio. Regular services run from Guildford, Farncombe and Haslemere.
Our Godalming studio is easily accessible from Farncombe, Milford, Busbridge, Witley, Bramley, Hambledon and Cranleigh. Many members travel from the surrounding villages — the studio is centrally located and straightforward to reach from across the Godalming area.
Arriving for your first session? We recommend getting here a few minutes early to settle in and familiarise yourself with the room.
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