A new wellness obsession is sweeping the celebrity world, and it’s not green juice or meditation. It’s contrast therapy – the centuries-old ritual of alternating heat and cold to shock the body back into balance.
At the centre of this wellness wave is Banya No. 1 – a hidden Hoxton spa, bookable on the Fresha app, that redefines what it means to switch off.
Forget candles and background playlists. Inside this wood-panelled retreat, guests move between steam rooms and ice-cold plunges, guided by therapists wielding bundles of birch and oak leaves in the traditional Russian Parenie ritual.
The experience has become a magnet for stars and athletes seeking deep recovery. Justin Bieber, Kate Moss, Renee Zellweger, and Emilia Clarke are among those who’ve stepped through its doors, joining a growing list of high-profile fans using the practice to reset both body and mind.
“It’s not about pampering, it’s about performance,” says a Fresha spokesperson. “These are the same techniques elite athletes use to improve circulation, reduce stress hormones, and boost endorphins. The difference is, at Banya No. 1, it’s elevated into an art form.”
The Trend Everyone’s Searching For
According to Google search data analysed by Fresha, interest in contrast therapy has skyrocketed, with search volume up 125% in the past year, reaching 36,000 monthly searches in 2025.
The appeal is easy to understand. Advocates say alternating between hot and cold exposure helps regulate the nervous system, improve sleep, speed up recovery, and increase resilience to stress. TikTok’s “hot–cold–rest” content has racked up millions of views, and celebrities from music, sport, and film are quietly building it into their weekly routines.
From Ancient Ritual to Modern Reset
Rooted in Russian wellness traditions, the banya experience blends simplicity and science: the heat expands blood vessels and releases tension; the cold plunge floods the body with dopamine and triggers immune repair.
“You leave feeling like you’ve been rewired,” adds the Fresha spokesperson. “It’s calm, clarity, and energy all at once, the kind of reset people used to travel to Iceland or Finland to find.”
Now available to book directly on the Fresha app, Banya No. 1 brings that Nordic–Slavic ritual into the centre of London, no passport required.
