Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places?  Try an Ice Bath

Forget the beach or the bar. Californians are looking for love in a new place — near-freezing ice baths.

Just outside Los Angeles in the coastal city of Santa Monica, single people have stripped down to swim trunks and bikinis for speed dating in a pool of frigid water.

Called Icebreakers, the event is designed to get conversations flowing. After a meditation and musical “sound journey” session, attendees are paired up at random to plunge into a tub of water set at 37 degrees Fahrenheit (2.78°C).

Employees provide waterproof cards with questions such as, “What does love mean to you?” for bathers to discuss while neck-deep in water during their three-minute sessions.

The concept was created by Kyle Cassidy and his business partner Aryan Davani, co-founders of IcePass, a Venice Beach company that offers ice bath plunges and saunas. Ice baths have become popular among athletes, who say cold water helps relieve muscle soreness and speed recovery.

IcePass has held three-speed dating events so far. Seven couples have gone on second dates and three are still together, according to Cassidy, who urged bathers to enjoy the experience as they seek a partner.