Robert Frost famously wrote, “Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice … ” But for Jim McAlpine, founder of Fire + Ice Therapy Spa in Novato, fire and ice are where his world began again.
After a spinal injury left McAlpine’s body in chronic pain, he found relief in cold plunge physical therapy. For those unfamiliar with the practice, cold plunging is the rather self-explanatory act of submerging the body in cold water, usually between 32 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, as a way to jumpstart the circulatory system. Cold plunge therapy is also said to speed up metabolism, reduce inflammation and even elevate mood.
Through this chilly form of physical therapy, McAlpine discovered benefits so undeniable and profound that he opened his own business, Fire + Ice. Oh, and if that’s not convincing enough commitment to the cause, he also cold plunges every single morning. If a strong coffee and an ice bath won’t wake a person up, nothing will.
But before diving headfirst into the tale—or an ice-filled tub—let’s take a step back and warm up to the idea by hearing more from the devoted cold plunger himself:
“I’m 55, and I lived a pretty hard life and bashed my body up pretty good and have to figure out how to fix it,” McAlpine said. “My dad died a few years back, and he lived the opposite life that I live now. He wasn’t doing the things he needed to do, and he left a lot of good years on the table because of it.
“I was badly injured in 2023,” McAlpine continued. “I fractured my L2 vertebrae, broke my ankle and was subsequently diagnosed with severe spinal stenosis in my neck as well. It’s been debilitating and left me unable to work, as I have a lot of pain associated with both sitting and standing. The only way I can really be out of pain is if I am lying down. Ice baths have been really my only way to keep my body out of pain for a small amount of time. This was one of the biggest reasons I decided to open Fire + Ice.”
Throughout his life, McAlpine gravitated toward a wide range of physical pursuits, with a love of sports, adrenaline-fueled hobbies and otherwise intensive, embodied activities. Some, like working in the ski industry in Tahoe, were all about the rush: the thrill, the endorphins, the sheer fun of it. Others, like his time in the cannabis industry, became less of a side quest and more of a main mission, guiding him toward his discovery of the real power of “alternative” health and wellness culture.
“[Ice baths] are where the real magic happens—it just sucks the inflammation out of my body, soaks it away and gives back so many endorphins,” McAlpine said. “I became addicted to it; it was my medicine. That was about two years ago. And ever since then, I’ve done an ice bath with my coffee daily, and it wakes me up and makes me feel better.
“At our spa, we have infrared sauna and cold plunge contrast therapy rooms, and that’s where Fire + Ice comes from,” he added. “When you combine the two, the heat kinda loosens the muscles and constricts, and that really brings some pliability to your insides, and they both amplify each other to bring more benefits.”
Now, McAlpine has poured all that passion, along with years of experience and a deeply personal understanding of body-mind-spirit balance, into the heart of Novato with the recent opening of Fire + Ice Therapy Spa. There, not only can those who are ready for the challenge take a plunge into an ice bath, but they can also enjoy other routes to wellness.
The infrared saunas, for instance, pair fantastically with the cold plunge baths. Plus, Fire + Ice offers access to float tanks, compression therapy and mobile services with massage, stretching and other practices for combating bodily aches, pains, inflammation and more.
“Most people don’t understand that inflammation is the root of all disease,” McAlpine said. “And like a whole lot of other people, I just got resigned to chronic inflammation and pain and just got used to it. But there are these alternatives we can’t ignore.”
Speaking of chronic inflammation, it would be remiss of me to conclude this story without sharing my own experience at Fire + Ice. That’s right; I cold-plunged for the sake of investigative journalistic integrity, submerging myself in frigid water for a grand total of six minutes for you, dear readers. So, here’s the subsequent gonzo-style report from a person who had never cold plunged before visiting Fire + Ice:
I came into Fire + Ice slightly nervous for my first-ever cold plunge. Despite the incredibly friendly staff and the hype train driven by McAlpine himself, my nerves only grew as I entered my private infrared sauna and ice bath room. But nervous or not, I was resolved to do the thing and make myself, McAlpine and my readers proud.
Sitting in the sauna was comfortable and easy enough, the cool shower after a little less so … but by the time I found myself standing in front of the ice bath, staring down the rubber ducks floating with mocking ease atop 50-degree waters, I was straight up not having a good time. I’ll admit, I considered chickening out for a split second and told myself nobody would know if I’d gone in or not. But that wasn’t true, because I’d know, and I wasn’t about to live with the knowledge that I was bested by a bit of cold water.
So, I blasted a pump-up song and turned off my brain just long enough to dissociate and get my body in that tub alongside the ducks. And duck; it was ducking cold.
Teeth chattering, I did the breathing exercises McAlpine recommended earlier, possibly cursing my editor under each inhale and exhale in a less-than-mindful and not-so-zen manner. Ten seconds passed, then 30, and before I knew it, I’d spent a full two minutes in the frigid bath. Then, I got out and did the whole thing twice more for a total of three sauna/shower/cold plunge rotations.
After all that, I went home feeling really good. Not only had I bested a bathtub in a battle of will, but my body also felt … better. Inflammation I didn’t know I had was fading fast. The cold that startled me before and during now seeped pleasantly past my skin and muscles and deep into my bones. In the days after, my mood was consistently great, my body didn’t ache or randomly puff up and I was energized in a way I can’t find the words to describe.
Long story short, I’ll be back to cold plunge at Fire + Ice very soon—and I highly recommend the whole experience to the rest of the community too. Let’s take the plunge together, one chilly local at a time.
“The thing I’ve felt here is that we’re building a community and a family, and we’re seeking a better path together,” McAlpine said. “I feel that palpable shift toward this embracing of health, and it’s a great time to be a part of this culture. We’ve been fed a lot of lies about wellness and our bodies, and we can and will do better.”
Fire + Ice Therapy Spa is located in the Downtown Novato Center at 1769 ‘B’ Grant Ave. To learn more, visit fireandice.co.
