MKE club focuses on cold-water immersion year-round, brings pop-up sauna to Polar Bear Plunge

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- You'll see a lot of tents on Bradford Beach on Jan. 1 for the annual Polar Bear Plunge, but only one is equipped as a sauna. Paul Koepnick is the owner of Milwaukee Cold Water Company and the founder of Milwaukee Cold Water Club.

Koepnick has been using cold water immersion for five years now. He's taken a dip in Lake Michigan for 1,300 days straight. After learning about the health benefits, and feeling them firsthand, he's made it his career to teach people how to safely reap the benefits of cold water. 

"It’s something that’s become a lifestyle to me and a lot of people in this community," said Koepnick. "Physical, mental and emotional health -- and it brings people together in a new, fun social way, so we can start implementing health into our daily lives."

He says adding the sauna creates an added benefit of going from one temperature extreme to the other. 

"It helps with anxiety, PTSD, vicarious trauma, depression symptoms, it's the dopamine that gets released," said Koepnick. "Physically it helps with pain, inflammation and it’s one of the biggest fat burnings and losing weight, so it’s really exciting, cutting-edge science." 

With the lake right here in Milwaukee, Koepnick hopes to make this a destination for cold water immersion.