Contrast therapy — alternating between hot and cold exposure — has grown from a niche athletic recovery technique into something gyms with sauna and cold plunge facilities increasingly offer members directly.
The alternating temperature is the mechanism
Cycling between heat and cold is believed to support circulation and recovery more than either temperature alone, through repeated vascular response.
It requires real facility investment to offer well
Unlike foam rolling or massage guns, offering this properly requires actual sauna and cold plunge infrastructure — a bigger decision for a gym than most other recovery amenities.