General FAQs

  • We are located inside of Wheelhouse Academy, a fitness community in the heart of downtown Birmingham. We share the same front door so walk through the lobby and you’ll be greeted by one of our staff.

    Wheelhouse / RCVRY House
    2424 4th Ave South
    Birmingham, AL 35233

  • -Dress in anything you would be comfortable in at the beach or in a workout. (Bathing suit, shorts, or compression top/bottom) Clothing is mandatory.
    -We will provide a towel but feel free to bring an extra one if you like to have multiple.
    -A water bottle (no glass please!) - We have a filling station on site and bottled water for sale if you forget.
    -We don’t provide robes but you may enjoy wrapping up in one after your plunge.

  • 18 and up or 14 and up if accompanied by a legal guardian.

  • It is best if you have a reservation. Walk ups are available but you are at the mercy of the schedule. Feel free to download our app or give our team a call (205-572-6172)

  • We are excited to lead you! Our sessions are instructor lead so you will not be left alone to figure it all out.

    Our approach is a community experience so you may be in your session solo or it may be in a small group of 4-5 people at a time.

    Your group will start with a sauna session building up to 20 mins in the hot sauna. Then, you’ll be prepped on the cold plunge piece involving some breathing techniques to make sure you stay in control to reap the benefits of the cold water. (up to 4 mins)

    You’ll walk out feeling accomplished and invigorated!

  • Yes! We have two dressing rooms inside of RCVRY House.

  • “The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends against using saunas and hot tubs throughout pregnancy. Raising the core body temperature in pregnant women is linked to poorer pregnancy outcomes, like neural tube defects.

    ACOG recommends that pregnant women avoid letting their core body temperature rise above 102.2º F, which can occur in just 10-20 minutes of hot water or hot air immersion. RCVRY House is aligned with ACOG, and staff should direct members to seek guidance from their physicians. Our client intake waiver does mention pregnancy when discussing the risks of our Services.”

Sauna FAQs

  • We keep the hot stone sauna at +180 degrees and allow water to be added to the rocks for a “Loyly” effect, which intensifies with a burst of heat and humidity to the sauna room. Your instructor will guide you through the positions in the sauna that are “cooler” than others so shuffling around during your session may be beneficial.

  • The Hot Sauna portion is 20 minutes at +180 degrees.

    This Is a traditional hot stone sauna (not an infrared sauna) heating the air through convention and thus circulates through the sauna to heat your body. Infrared saunas heats the body through radiation at lower temperatures but much longer duration is needed (30-60 mins) for each session.

  • Sauna use provides a multitude of benefits. Our favorite benefits are increased collagen and elastin production, muscle recovery, and detoxification.

Plunge FAQs

  • A cold plunge is cold water immersion. Cold plunge, most commonly recognized in sports recovery and physical therapy, has grown increasingly popular to the public for its many health benefits.

    Three to five minutes in our Plunge Cold Tub can help you recover faster, feel more alert and invigorated, think clearer, reduce inflammation and pain, and burn calories.

  • Cold plunging can help improve circulation and mood, boost your immunity, increase thermogenesis, boost your metabolism, reduce inflammation, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, and boost energy!

  • Our tubs are set to ~ 48 degrees. The research shows that sub 50 degrees is needed to create the environment necessary for all the physiological ‘magic’ to occur.

  • We recommend cold plunging for up 3 to 5 minutes. If you are new to the cold plunge, aim for 60 seconds of exposure using a box breathing techniques to control your breath.
    Your instructor will offer up some options for you and coach you through this. You will eventually build up toward the 3 minute mark over time and with practice and adaptation to the cold.

  • Cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen in a specialized chamber. Like cold water immersion, cryotherapy also lowers core body temperature, causes vasoconstriction and redistribution of blood flow, can provide temporary pain relief, and more.

    Cold plunge is more customizable (partial immersion), accessible, safer, and some research suggests it may be more effective at reducing feelings of soreness and recovery post-workout.