As a couple, I find Rita Ora and Taika Waititi low-level annoying. But I also can’t deny that they’re cute together. They’ve apparently been married for a year but it feels like it hasn’t been that long at all. Recently Rita and Taika met the Dutch wellness guy and ice bath evangelizer Wim Hof. He kind of popularized the idea of taking cold swims along with breath work. Wim Hof, the self-proclaimed Ice Man, led Rita and Taika through ice baths and Rita put photos of their day together on Instagram. Whoever’s bathroom they did it in has absolutely beautiful tiling. Everyone looks like they enjoyed themselves. But I have thoughts about Wim Hof, which we’ll get to in a second.
Rita Ora and Taika Waititi are taking the plunge!
The “Let You Love Me” singer, 32, revealed on Instagram Saturday that she and her director-husband had an opportunity to do an ice bath in Ibiza with Dutch wellness guru Wim Hof, who touts the many health benefits of cold therapy.
“I got to meet the Ice Man himself @iceman_hof out here and he’s honestly the SWEETEST!!” Ora wrote in the post’s caption. “He even performed some songs for us too 🥰🧊 Anyone else taken an ice bath before? It’s CRAZY!!”
She shared a series of photos documenting the experience, including a snapshot of her and Waititi, 48, posing with Hof in their swimsuits. A second image captured Ora perched on the edge of the bath as her husband and Hof smiled for the camera while enjoying their icy soak.
Another picture showed Ora and a friend taking their turn in the tub. The two appeared to be holding hands and had their eyes closed as they braved the freezing water.
The songstress also included a video clip of Hof serenading his guests with a guitar performance.
The motivational speaker and extreme athlete, 64, has published a series of popular wellness books promoting the myriad benefits of practicing cold therapy, along with breath work. According to Hof, taking ice baths helps reduce inflammation in the body, aids muscle soreness, strengthens the immune system, balances hormone levels, improves sleep quality and more.
This is the most random combo of famous people I could have imagined (also, dang, Rita Ora has a beautiful figure. I’ve always been too distracted by her wacky red carpet looks to realize). For whatever subconscious reason, Wim Hof reminds me of a line from the movie Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: “the faith of the fanatic is always concealing a secret doubt.” He’s so certain that cold swims are the solution, he has the vibe of an evangelist or a door-to-door vacuum salesman. Whenever someone tells me that one simple practice is a miracle cure for a bunch of different problems, I am instantly suspicious. I also don’t vibe with his breathing exercises at all–the ones I’ve tried were very much about activating and stirring up your nervous system and I hated how that felt. I am by nature an extremely anxious, neurotic person. I am trying to get my nervous system to simmer down, not rile it up.
That being said, I like cold swims and there is scientific evidence that supports it as a treatment for muscle soreness so he’s right about some things. Last week I hiked to a lake that was all glacier runoff and let me tell you, I got some funny looks when I walked out to the shore in my pink bikini. Nobody else was swimming! When I lunged forward into the water I definitely felt like I got the breath knocked out of me, but I only stayed in for about 30 seconds and then got out. It does give you a brief euphoric feeling afterwards and it was a super hot day so it was intensely refreshing after four miles of hiking. But you have to be careful, and people with certain health conditions shouldn’t do it at all. There’s a thin line between “therapeutic” and “dangerous” with ice swims, at least in my non-expert view (and I can’t reiterate enough that I am not an expert).
It’s not weird? Literally all the celebs are doing ice baths. It’s been popular for years and years. God even I’ve done it (once, not again 🤣) . Wim Hoff is famous and this doesn’t surprise me at all. They strike me as the latest thing people
I watch a lot of European detective TV series & I noticed the Scandinavians & others in the far north almost always feature a session in the sauna followed by a quick plunge in the nearby lake or ocean. One series showed the chief detective always start her day by walking out on the dock, climbing down the ladder, treading water for 30 seconds, then climbing out. This was achieved with a stocking cap on her head. It’s a thing! And has been for awhile. Yay that this guy is monetizing it, I suppose.
I’m with you, @Carina, on being cautious around Wim Hof and his ice bath miracles. I dug into some of the background both on the ‘science’ and Wim Hof himself and it didn’t take much digging before a few things started to rapidly unravel. It’s not quite on a par with a Goopian steaming of one’s hooha – but it’s certainly not anywhere near as miraculously beneficial as claimed and carries some real risks that are not flagged.
As I HATE cold water, I will be staying dry, thanks.
Some of The first technique they teach in psych hospitals is cold therapy and the breathing techniques. It’s used in psychiatry all the time. I don’t like it but it’s extremely useful. Not sure what your digging in experience is but I’ve worked in psych. Patients love it.
@The Old Chick – good to know and thank you for sharing your experience. Most of my cynicism is reserved for the health benefits Wim Hof has personally claimed for himself and that there is evidence to show are down to his personal make-up, not his techniques.
There’s an article in the Guardian today about the vagus nerve and they mention him and his ice thing with both his claims and the push back. It’s an interesting read.
I do the breathing exercise , is not to calm your nervous system but to activate it when you are having a panic or anxiety attack. We stay in panic because we layer fear on top of fear , breathing like this is like exposing yourself , like passing through fear and letting your system know that you are not in danger. It has work for me … sort of like , alarm is going off? I’m going to blast it and the fear is less and shorter.
Cold showers is also a stress for your body , I do it from time to time and no longer take hot showers, if not taking cold one , the water is room temperature. I feel energized when I do the cold showers and hoping to do it more but agree people have to be careful because is not for everyone.
I’ve also done the breath work (pre an ice bath), ice baths, cryotherapy and cold swims. I do showers at room temp about 1/2 the time. The WH breath work I will only do before ice baths or cryo as it helps to deal with the initial “shock” of the cold. It’s definitely not for calming you down – I find box breathing or guided meditations better for that
My favourite is cold swims, but I do find all of them help with reducing inflammation. I am not sold on cryo itself but suspect it’s more that I’d rather my experience to be calming and at my own pace, rather than having some 19 year old student with a perfect body say all sorts of “encouraging things as they time me.
Wim himself annoys me, he definitely comes across as a fanatic and a “flim flam’ man.
I like to hit up our local outdoor Nordic spa for the thermal cycle (hot sauna/ice cold water/lukewarm water/hot water) I enjoy it but I’m not convinced it has huge medical benefits, I do it for pleasure and relaxation.
I don’t know why celebs always have to tout new “miracle” cures that are just things people have been low-key doing in other countries for years
I love Wim Hoff. Cold showers are fantastic for rebooting your system and managing anxiety. It’s taught me that I can push myself past my comfort zone first thing in the morning and tackle other things the same way in my day. Cold dips and breath work are very old techniques.
I just met a guy who said he bought a chest freezer and turned it into an ice bath. I’d prefer to have my own infrared sauna.
I actively dislike both of them for different reasons so I just find them as a couple DOUBLY annoying.
It’s OK to enjoy cold plunges (if you are medically able to take part), but there is no scientific evidence it works. Don’t show me the “study” celebrities and “wellness experts” are hyping. It’s not what the study really says. Like all placebos, if it makes you feel good, that’s cool. But it’s not scientific or medically accurate. It’s OK to do things because you like the feeling or sensation. You don’t have to prove to people it’s “healthy.” Do it just because you like it. (P.S. If celebrities are pushing a “wellness” idea or product, assume first that it’s a grift of some kind rather than the other way around.)
I’ve taken cold showers off and on for decades and done cold plunges for about a year. I don’t enjoy the plunging all that much — it’s frickin cold — but I like how I feel afterward. Hof ‘s breathing technique is way too activating for my lifelong anxiety and hypervigilance, but it sure sounds great for a lot of people. I read awhile back that some felt his tummo breathing technique contributed to or caused tinnitus, but I haven’t followed that. On another note, I find Rita and Taika so annoying. She’s got a gorgeous figure.
My husband has done an ice bath post-marathon a couple of times and the difference in his recovery vs. times when he hasn’t done one is pretty significant, so I think they can definitely help with recovery/muscle soreness after exertion. Beyond that, I think that if you think it’s helpful and/or you like it, great, but nothing works for everyone. I for one hate being cold and would be like Amy Santiago at the polar plunge on Brooklyn 99, on shore with my giant puffy coat. Well, actually, I would just stay home. 🤣
My aunt is a professor and co-wrote a paper on ice bath therapy and athletic recovery. I think it’s valid for that but the rest is shaky. I do have some ex-friends who literally built a business on this concept. They are ex because they went totally Q and anti-vax. They don’t even believe in sunscreen so… yeah.
The cold/ ice baths are half of a Nordic/ East European sauna experience. The combination of regularly visiting a sauna and undergoing the whole experience (heat and frigid cold) has proven health benefits. In Finland, the sauna (with either a very cold swim or rolling in snow afterwards) is considered part of their “medicine.” Uppsala University published scientific benefits of regular sauna visits—so this might not be totally crazy. Personally, I find the frigid/ cold part after a sauna extremely difficult and unpleasant.
I’m not familiar with Wim Hof’s breathing technique, but Aruvedic breathing techniques also have proven health benefits. Could be helpful.