Getting Started

What Is Hot Cold Coach?

Hot Cold Coach is a voice-guided contrast therapy app that builds you a personalized sauna and cold plunge routine. It goes beyond a simple timer — it coaches you through every phase with science-backed protocols, hands-free voice guidance, and progressive difficulty designed to help you build tolerance over time.

Download the App

Step 1: Take the Onboarding Quiz

When you first open the app, you'll answer 12 quick questions that help the app build your personalized protocol. The quiz covers:

• Your equipment — What type of sauna and cold source you have (traditional sauna, infrared, cold plunge, ice bath, cold shower, etc.)
• Your goal — What you want to get out of contrast therapy (recovery, mental health, heart health, sleep, biohacking, or general wellness)
• Your experience level — Whether you're brand new or experienced
• Health considerations — Any conditions the app should account for (heart conditions, pregnancy, Raynaud's, surgery recovery, epilepsy)
• Your schedule — How often and when you plan to do sessions

This takes about 2 minutes.

Step 2: Review Your Personalized Protocol

After the quiz, the app generates a protocol tailored to you. This includes:

• Session structure — Whether you start with heat or cold, and how many rounds
• Duration for each phase — How long you spend in the sauna and cold plunge
• Temperature targets — Optimized for your specific equipment type
• Order of phases — Whether your session ends warm or cold, based on your goal
• Difficulty level — Starting at a conservative level for Week 1

Step 3: Start Your First Session

Tap Start to begin your first voice-guided session. Here's what to expect:

1. Pre-session safety checklist — A quick review of safety reminders before you begin
2. Voice coaching begins — A calm, knowledgeable voice guides you through each phase
3. Phase transitions — The voice tells you when to move between heat and cold
4. Breathing guidance — Coached breathing techniques during cold phases to manage cold shock
5. Science facts — Brief educational insights delivered mid-session
6. Completion celebration — The voice acknowledges your effort when the session ends

During the session, the app displays a full-screen timer with large, easy-to-read numbers and phase-appropriate color gradients. The screen stays awake and audio plays in the background, so you can close your eyes and just listen.

Step 4: Create an Account (Optional)

After your first session, you can create an account to:

• Save your progress
• Unlock your full 4-week progressive plan
• Sync data across devices
• Track weekly heat and cold minutes

Creating an account is optional. Your first session works without one.

Quick Tips for Your First Session

• Hydrate before and after your session
• Have your equipment ready before pressing Start — water at temperature, towels nearby
• Use a heat-resistant Bluetooth speaker — Your phone speaker may be hard to hear in a sauna. A speaker built for sauna temperatures (like the Saunny Sauna Bluetooth Speaker) gives clear voice coaching while keeping your phone safely outside the heat
• Use the voice coaching — it's designed for hands-free, eyes-closed use so you can focus on the experience
• Don't push too hard — Week 1 is intentionally conservative to help your body adapt
• Listen to your body — Exit heat or cold early if you feel dizzy, nauseous, or unwell