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Brrrr! Cold plunging is hot right now. Across Nashville and the nation, studios are popping up to offer “contrast therapy,” with a combination of cold-soaking and sauna-sweating intended to benefit mind and body. 

At Framework, which opened in February at 436 East Iris Drive, entrepreneur Allen Penn offers a charming outdoor experience with three individual cold plunge tubs and a traditional Finnish sauna in the rear courtyard of a cottage. 

Consider this Berry Hill location a prototype for the launch of a larger flagship Framework slated to open this fall in the Wedgewood Houston neighborhood.

Available to individuals and groups, a shiver-and-sweat adventure at Framework might unfold like this: 

Get outfitted in your bathing suit in the cottage dressing room, then grab a towel and a pair of rubber flip-flops and head out to the courtyard for a quick cold shower. (This bracing rinse might be the hardest part.) Next, select your tub temperature: 60, 50 or 40 degrees. 

For first-timers, a Framework representative can guide you through deep breaths to prepare for the breathtaking entry. Then step into the tub, submerge your shoulders, and start the clock. 

Try to relax! 

Depending on your tolerance and grit, 60 seconds in 60 degrees might be enough. Or maybe you’re up for three minutes at 40 degrees? Then into the dry sauna for a relaxing sweat. Then back to a bracing shower rinse before a follow-up plunge. Then you might want to step back into the cozy sauna. Or you might be ready to hit the ground running with your cheerful charge of dopamine. 

While cold-plunge proponents tout wide-ranging benefits to physical and mental health, science hasn’t caught up with the anecdotal enthusiasm to quantify the advantages yet. Medical research aside, the Sweat-Shiver-Socialize experience in the fresh air is energizing and fun, either as a one-off walk-in event, or as part of an ongoing regular regimen.  

Schedule a Sweat-Shiver-Socialize experience Thursday through Sunday at joinframework.com.