People wanted for sauna and cold water research!
Together with Cardiff Metropolitan University, we are looking for eight men and eight women to take part in four sauna and cold water swimming sessions this autumn. We are interested in finding out how men and women may experience the hot and cold differently and in analysing the benefits for participants.
What will participation involve?
Participation will involve attending a half day (3 hours) retreat once a month for four months at The Forge, taking part in the cold-water pool and the sauna on-site as below. You must be able to make ALL of the four dates.
The Retreat Schedule: Timeframe: Sept – December 2025
- Sunday 14th September
- Thursday 9th October
- Saturday 8th November
- Saturday 29th November
Each session will be facilitated by The Forge and will be structured as follows:
- Session 1: Day Session - Getting to know each other in this environment and an overview of activities (as well as meeting the research team)
- Session 2: Evening session – free conversation
- Session 3: Silent Session
- Session 4: Coming together and next steps
To help us appreciate and understand your experience you will be asked to complete the following:
- A pre-activity questionnaire (Session 1)
- Post-session open comments – an opportunity to note down your feelings and observations in a ‘Thought – Box’ on site
- A post-activity questionnaire (Session 4)
There will also be opportunity for an optional, follow-up one to one interview for those who might be interested in telling us more about their experience.
In addition, a member of The Forge team will also record their own observations of each session. This will not include any identifiable information about you, rather overall impressions of how the session went.
What are the benefits associated with taking part?
Participants will be able to enjoy the cold-water and sauna experiences which can have benefits in terms of improved wellbeing, increased energy levels and improved physical health. Anticipated benefits as a group might be confidence, camaraderie and a sense of connectedness.
We hope your participation will help us to further understand how individuals experience time in these environments; what is gained, anything that might be new or challenging for you and what can be done to further develop these experiences.
The Forge will offer participants a reduced retreat price of £15 pp per session instead of the usual fee of £25. The total personal contribution will be £60 payable by BACS or credit/debit card. This will also cover costs of refreshments.
If you would like to be included in the research, please email Sheena at info@theforgecorwen.co.uk.