The power of cold

One of the secrets to Nordic wellness is that cold is good for mind and body. It revitalizes and invigorates and offers a range of wellbeing benefits from boosting the ability to work, helping to manage and reduce stress, and improve the quality of sleep.

As people around the world are discovering the wonders of winter swimming – the practice of going for a cool dip in a hole carved into the ice of a lake or the sea followed by a session in a hot sauna, the quintessential Finnish steam bath – the number of cold converts is rising.

Yet, winter swimming is not a viable option for everyone.

Enter Amandan® Ice Swimming Shower, which offers many of the same health benefits with an easy-to-use shower head that allows people to benefit from cold water therapy indoors at home, the gym, a spa or hotel anywhere in the world.

Philosophy

Inspired by the pure nature of Lapland, Europe’s last unspoiled wilderness, Amandan® Ice Swimming Shower brings together health tech with Nordic knowhow and wisdom derived from nature. The stylish, minimalist look carries the signature of top Finnish designer Harri Koskinen. Clinically tested by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and the Finnish Rheumatism Association and the University of Jyväskylä’s Department of Biology and Physical Activity, Amandan Ice Swimming Shower offers an easy and pleasant alternative to cold water swimming or an ice bath.

How it works

Amandan® Ice Swimming Shower is available in two different models Pro and Lite (coming in 2025) that feature the aesthetically-pleasing patented cold therapy device that attaches to a shower head and creates a gentle, soothing cool mist, without the need for any electrical or power source.

Our story

As the popular saying goes, curiosity is the mother of invention.

Amandan® Ice Swimming Shower founder and pilot Panu Vapaavalta was flying his small plane from Rovaniemi to Levi in Finnish Lapland when he stuck his finger out of the small side ventilation window of the cockpit to test the air temperature. The cool condensation of the clouds got him thinking about whether a fine mist could cool the body in the same way. As an avid winter swimmer, Panu was already well-versed in the restorative powers of an icy dip.

The Lapland local started working on creating a shower that could provide many of same benefits as a winter swim.

Clinical evidence

His idea was then tested at the Foundation for Finnish Innovations and the Arctic Power Cold Climate Research and Testing Lab in Rovaniemi, Lapland. At the lab, leading cold expert Pirkko Huttunen, a docent of Thermobiology, got very excited about the innovation and its potential for utilizing the therapeutic powers of cold, not only for athletes, but also for people who suffer from chronic pain and other groups.

With a prototype in place, clinical trials were carried out with the Finnish Rheumatism Association, the University of Jyväskylä’s Department of Biology and Physical Activity, and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. Happily, the results illustrated that Amandan Ice Swimming Shower can improve people’s health and wellbeing.

And the shower was named after Panu’s young daughter Amanda. (In Finnish, Amandan is the genitive of Amanda.)

Cool psychology

Physical and mental stress can cause further stress. The more intense the burden of stress, the more it consumes the body’s resources. Short-term controlled cold exposure can be a good way to relieve pressure and stress, and many people become hooked on cold therapy as a way to manage their mental health because it makes them feel so good when it activates neurotransmitters such as dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin.

Historically, in the early 19^th century cold therapy was used as a treatment for mental disorders in psychiatric hospitals. For example, it was believed that the effect of cold water in the form of a bath or from a bucket poured over the patient’s head was based on the shock reaction it caused.

Regular cold-water swimmers say that the practice improves their mood and helps them to manage depression and improves stress tolerance. Reducing depression often also relieves pain.

Those who suffer from fibromyalgia, a disease associated with fatigue, depression, malaise, swelling, numbness and tingling cold therapy is also used to minimize the symptoms. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) sufferers often have reduced heat tolerance and use cold water for strength and vitality. Case in point, there’s evidence that the speech of a person with MS becomes clearer when neck and scalp are cooled.