What is Cold Water Therapy?
Meet The Founder
Kay Lou - Cold Water Educator and Breathwork Coach
Hi legends,
Firstly, im glad your here. I’m Kay Lou, Cold Water Educator and Breathwork Coach, and the founder of Kay Lou Klub and Kay Lou Academy.
But before any of that, I was someone trying to cope with anxiety, panic attacks, and a nervous system that constantly felt on edge.
On the outside, I looked fine. But underneath, I felt overwhelmed, disconnected, and honestly… a little lost.
And that’s what led me into this work.
Where It All Started
During the pandemic, everything slowed down.
There was nowhere to go, nothing to distract me, and my mental health was admitedly in the bin.
That’s when I found breathwork.
Not as a trend, not as something “nice to try”, but as something I genuinely needed.
After a panic attack that tipped me nervous system on it’s head i decided enough was enough, and so i went back to school. I qualified as a Breathwork Coach in 2020, but more importantly, I started using it daily.
To calm my anxiety.
To regulate my nervous system.
To feel safe in my body again.
And it worked.
Not overnight, not perfectly, but consistently enough for me to know there was something real in it.
How I Work With The Breath…
As things started to shift for me, I knew I wanted to share it.
What started as something personal has now become something I’ve delivered to thousands of people.
I work with individuals, couples, groups, communities, and corporate teams, supporting people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, burnout, overwhelm and pressure.
Because the reality is, most people don’t know how to regulate their body they just push through.
Breathwork gives people a way to actually do something about that.
Something practical.
Something accessible.
Something that works.
Book breathwork event HERE
Enquire about corporate breathwork HERE
How I Work With The Cold…
Cold water came in not long after. And I’ll be honest…I didn’t love it at first.
It was uncomfortable, confronting, and it pushed me in a completely different way.
But just like breathwork, it taught me something powerful:
How to stay calm under stress.
How to sit in discomfort without panicking.
How to trust my body instead of fighting it.
Mu curious mind led me to qualify in Cold Water Facilitation, completing one of the only courses that existed at the time…but as I got deeper into the cold water, I started to see something else.
A lack of education. A lack of structure.
A lack of real understanding around safety.
Over the last 6+ years working in the wellness industry and hosting cold water and breathwork events , I’ve seen people running sessions with no real training, no awareness of risk, and no responsibility for the people they’re guiding.
And I’ve seen the consequences of that.
Honestly, some of it has been hard to watch so armed with my passion for cold water and my drive to support others… i got to work.
Book cold water events HERE
Why I Created Kay Lou Academy
That’s exactly why I created Kay Lou Academy.
Because the cold water space needs more than trends and ice baths on social media.
It needs education.
It needs standards.
It needs facilitators who actually know what they’re doing!
So I built the Cold Water Facilitator Training Programme to do exactly that. Combining real experience, proper structure, and both online and in-person learning.
Not just teaching people what to do, but helping them understand why it matters.
Join cold water training HERE
The Mission…
My mission is simple:
To raise the standard in the cold water and breathwork space by leading with integrity, education, and real experience.
But bigger than that…
I’m here to empower, support, and impact one billion people to start a breathwork or cold water practice of their own.
Because when people learn how to regulate their body, everything changes, how they handle stress, how they show up in life, and how they feel day to day.
And that ripple effect matters.
So whether you’re a business owner looking to bring real wellbeing support into your team…
a gym, hotel or spa wanting to offer cold water or breathwork sessions…
or a coach, mentor, PT, yoga or Pilates teacher ready to up skill and expand your offering…
you’re in the right place.
Peace and Love, Kay Lou.
View our wellness events HERE.
View our Cold Water Training HERE.
Your Questions, Answered
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You may be familiar with WIM Hof and his ice baths, and you may have even tried cold showers, but what is cold water therapy? Put simply, it is a branch of cryotherapy and its common core is to improve your health. In our sessions, cold water is used to stimulate health benefits and aid with recovery. Our practice uses dynamic breathing techniques with cold water immersion to help your mind and body reset.
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Cold water therapy can reduce stress and anxiety, improve your mood and mental focus and increase your energy levels. The cold water can also improve your circulation and reduce inflammation, deepen your sleep and assist with PTSD and trauma.
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You will find all details on the upcoming Cold Water Facilitator Training Course HERE
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Frequent exposure to the cold has been linked to a variety of different health benefits. Exposure to the cold can speed up your metabolism and gentley reset your nervous system, bringing a state of calm and clarity to the mind and body. Cold water therapy also releases noradrenaline (the sympthetic hormone) which awakens and re-energises the body. Our sessions also help reconnect you with nature which can boost your overall physical and mental health.
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Cold water therapy and cold water exposure can help to reduce pain and muscle soreness - speeding up your recovery by constricting the blood vessels which can help to reduce swelling and inflammation. Cold water therapy can also shorten the recovery time of damaged muscles and aid muscel rehabilitation. It's for this reason that Cold water therapy is a common practice amoung many elite athletes and celebrities.
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Absolutely. Over the years i have worked with hundreds of businesses and have facilitated for thousands of people in both cold water and breathwork environments. We have portable cold water plunge pools so can bring cold water therapy to you, as well as being able to host breathwork and meditation classes for your team, group, members or community. Just drop us an email: kay@kaylou.co.uk
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Dynamic breathwork is using the breath both conciously and purposefully to fully oxygenate the body, peparing you for your cold water immersion. Dynamic breathwork can increase your energy levels, detox your body, reduce stress and anxiety levels, strengthen your immune system and rebalance your nervous system.
‘Sometimes you just have to do the hard thing on purpose’
— Kay Lou
