During this heatwave, which feels like a remake of the film "Groundhog Day," everyone is seeking relief from the heat, whether in the air-conditioned aisles of supermarkets or through a fan. While some lower their body temperature with freezing showers, some women are placing ice cubes somewhere other than on the back of their necks or in their wine glasses: in their underwear. No, this isn't modern-day witchcraft, nor is it the result of some far-fetched theory found online. This seemingly icy, age-old practice has a very serious name: the sitz bath.
The sitz bath, a long-standing ritual
Cold is part of many wellness routines and does more than just cool the body during heat waves. While it may cause a few shivers and gasps of surprise, it's incredibly beneficial for the body. Some women plunge their heads into bowls of ice-cold water to firm their skin and tighten pores, while others do it to stimulate their vagus nerve . Those less sensitive to the cold finish their shower with an icy blast to boost circulation and go to bed with light legs. It's no coincidence that athletes undergo cryotherapy sessions in capsules at -110°C.
Cold is also useful in underwear. While women are more familiar with hot water bottles than freezer packs during their period, they would do well to try applying something cold between their legs. And no, this isn't a new technique for solo arousal or to awaken sensations similar to those triggered by vibration. The benefit is quite different.
The sitz bath, the official name for this unusual practice, involves applying cold to the perineum for 10 to 30 minutes each day to lower body temperature. This name is misleading, as the sitz bath doesn't involve life-size basins, but simply a removable pouch resembling a sanitary napkin that delivers the cold. A recent invention for a much older practice. In China, the sitz bath has been part of the culture for millennia. Women in the Middle Kingdom would splash themselves with cold water from the perineum to the groin.
The benefits of cold on this intimate area
While in Fifty Shades of Grey, the unpredictable Christian rolls an ice cube down his partner's body until it reaches the crucial point, the sitz bath has a different purpose. According to its proponents, the sitz bath primarily serves to regulate our internal temperature and, consequently, reduce inflammation in the body. For several years now, our body temperature has been fluctuating wildly, rising in tandem with the environment. As several studies indicate, our body temperature has increased by six-tenths.
The sitz bath is said to create a mini thermal shock and a return to normal through a kind of chain reaction. Other cited benefits include effects on the immune system, a boost of energy, and improved sleep. The sitz bath may also eliminate toxins, relieve menstrual cramps, and even improve digestion. These positive effects were documented by France Guillain, the leading figure in the French practice of the sitz bath, in her book "The Sitz Bath: One Hundred Years After Louis Kuhne."
What specialists think about this technique
In this sweltering heat, which makes it feel like we're living in the Southern Hemisphere, turning your underwear into an ice floe is rather welcome. It's almost more effective than a fan or a portable heater, especially in this place which quickly resembles a sauna with the slightest prolonged stop on the subway bench.
However, specialists are not convinced by this approach, which they consider empirical. They temper the method and point out that no serious scientific study has examined the sitz bath. In the pages of the media outlet “Allô Docteur,” Dr. Odile Bagot reminds readers that the arguments in favor of sitz baths have never been proven, except through anecdotal evidence. “The only medical benefit of applying cold to the perineum might be in cases of inflammation in this area (for example, after an episiotomy, in the presence of a hematoma or hemorrhoids),” she writes.
The media outlet Dopamin Paris, for its part, points out that studies on cold overlook certain anatomical realities of women, particularly hormones, the menstrual cycle, and also the nervous system, which is structured differently. While cold can certainly improve overall health, it can sometimes be perceived as a threat by the body. It is synonymous with stress and activates the "fight or flight" response.
Placebo or genuine wellness discovery, the sitz bath still has its mysteries. However, those who have tried this holistic method have only good things to say. Perhaps the best way to find out is to try it for yourself while wearing cooling underwear.
