With the Winter Olympics kicking off in Sochi today, we decided to cast our eyes around the island to find a few offbeat places to get your cold on. Finally, a good excuse to buy those scarves they always have on sale at H&M!
#1. Whole Body Cryotherapy At Absolute Zero (#03-15, Pacific Plaza, ( Scotts Rd., 6737-4434, www.absolutezero.com.sg). The first place in Asia to offer this treatment, already popular with sports stars around the world. Unlike an ice bath, the vaporized liquid nitrogen swirling around the chamber chills the body (to -1 degree Celsius) without the kind of direct contact that can damage the skin. By tricking the body into thinking it’s freezing, it supposedly stimulates all kinds of bicohemical reactions and suppresses inflammation to aid with health, beauty, fitness and general wellbeing. We don’t know about that, but we can say from personal experience that it gets pretty damn cold in there. The thermometer on the machine dropped to -180 degrees while we were in there…. It only takes two minutes, so you can (almost) be in and out and not even give up much of your lunch break. Treatments start from $188.
#2. 2Degree Ice Art. On until May 15, this exhibition down at MBS showcases some 30-odd pieces of ice sculptures such as the Big Ben, Eiffel Tower and the Merlion across 50,000 sq. ft. of space. It’s not quite the Harbin Ice Festival, but it’s certainly colder in there than it is outside…
#3. Snow City. An obvious one this, but then we bet you didn’t know Snow City out in Jurong has an on-site microbrewery! What better way to warm up than with some hearty German cuisine and a few glasses of the good stuff? There’s all sorts of interesting stuff happening out West right now, so use this as your excuse to get out there and start exploring.
