Please read the Contrast Club Terms & Conditions below carefully before signing up:

Important Note: Contrast Club is strictly for clients 18yrs & above.

Definition: Contrast Club (Full program) is a discounted membership & valid for 6 weeks (42 days) from the date of the 1st Guided session. A 6-week program consists of 2 sessions per week (12 sessions in total) as follows:

• 1 x 90 minute Guided Group Sauna session (Total of 6 per program) on a specified date & time as shown on the booking page. These Guided sessions are for Contrast Club members only. Unless otherwise stated, a Guided session consists of 50 minutes Group Sauna session with 30 minutes Rest & Digest.

• 1 x 50 minute Unguided Sauna Social session (Total of 6 per program. Not Applicable to Drop-in sessions). These sessions are shared with clients not partaking in Contrast Club. Important Note: Upon booking, you will be given 6 x voucher codes to book one Unguided Sauna Social session in each week of the 6-week program on a day & time that suits you, subject to our opening hours & availability. We recommend you book these sessions well in advance, & before the start of the program, to avoid any disappointment.

Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy:

• Guided sessions (Full program): Individual guided sessions are non-refundable and cannot be rescheduled. If you are unable to attend a Guided Group Sauna session it will not be possible to repeat this session nor attend the same session in another round of Contrast Club. Therefore, if you cannot fully commit to attending every Guided session on dates specified on our booking page, we recommend you join a Drop-In Guided session instead. Drop-in sessions are subject to availability as per our booking page.

• Guided sessions (Drop-in): Rescheduling of a Drop-in Guided session is only possible if there is availability in a subsequent guided session within the same Contrast Club Program. Otherwise rescheduling will not be possible.

• Unguided sessions: For Unguided Sauna Social sessions, we require 24hrs notice to reschedule a session. If 24hrs notice is given, your unguided Sauna Social session will be cancelled & the voucher code that was used to book the session will be reinstated & can be used to book a new session, if it remains within the expiry date of the 6-week package (i.e. 42 days from Day 1 of the 6-week program). Important Note: When rescheduling an Unguided Sauna Social session, please be mindful to ensure at least 48hrs between sauna sessions to avoid doing too much too soon. If in doubt, please contact us to seek advice.

• If, for any reason, we need to cancel a Guided or Unguided Sauna session, we will notify you by email & reschedule the session to the next date possible. If you are unable to attend the rescheduled session we will refund you as follows: For a Guided session, you will be refunded 75% of the weekly rate. For an Unguided session, you will be refunded 25% of the weekly rate. The weekly rate is equal to 16% of total fee.

Refund Policy:

6 week Program: Only refunds requested prior to the start of Contrast Club program will be accepted as per the conditions given below:

• If you give 28 days notice prior to Day 1 of the 6-week program, you will be refunded 100% of the payment you made minus a cancellation fee of 20EUR.

• If you give 21 days notice prior to Day 1 of the 6-week program, you will be refunded 50% of the payment you made minus a cancellation fee of 20EUR.

• No refund will be given if the notice given is less than 21 days prior to Day 1 of the 6-week program.

To obtain a refund for the 6 week program you must provide written notice via email to hello@driftwoodsauna.ie. Please write 'Cancellation of Contrast Club' in the subject line of the email.

If, for any reason, we need to cancel the 6 week program in it's entirety, then 100% of the program fees will be refunded to you. If, for any reason, we need to cancel the program part-way through, a refund will be given at a rate of 16% of the total fee for each week not fulfilled.

Drop-in Guided Session: To obtain a refund minus a cancellation fee of 5EUR, you must give a minimum of 4 days notice. To obtain a refund for a Drop-in Guided session, you must provide written notice via email to hello@driftwoodsauna.ie. Please write 'Cancellation of Contrast Club Drop-In' in the subject line of the email.

If, for any reason, we need to cancel a Drop-in Guided session then 100% of the session fee will be refunded to you.

Your Health:

Your health & safety is our primary concern. When joining Contrast Club you confirm that you are in good health with no underlying health conditions that might put you at high risk when practicing contrast therapy.

You must not take part in Contrast Club if: you have heart disease, uncontrolled high, low or irregular blood pressure; if you are pregnant; if you are taking any medication that may impact your body's ability to sweat or circulate blood properly (such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, antihistamines, beta blockers and anticholinergics); if you are under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs. Important Note: Driftwood Sauna operators reserve the right to refuse your use of the sauna & other Driftwood Sauna facilities if they have any reason to believe the above conditions are not met. In cases where these conditions are breached, you will not be refunded for the session(s) from which you have been excluded.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are unsure if it is safe for you to take part in Contrast Club, you should seek medical advice from your doctor BEFORE signing up to Contrast Club and before attempting any kind of hot & cold therapy.

The information shared during Contrast Club is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional advice regarding medical or wellness concerns.

Contrast Club is a 6 week (42 consecutive days) program which includes weekly Guided & Unguided Sauna sessions at Driftwood Sauna.

For those new to Contrast Therapy, the goal of Contrast Club is to support you in building a sustainable habit & to empower you with the knowledge on how to safely & confidently practice contrast therapy to gain health benefit.

For those already practicing contrast therapy, the goal of Contrast Club is to help you better understand the health benefits backed by science and how to get the very best from your sessions.

The group size will be 5-10 people to ensure enough time & space for everyone & to create a supportive community in which to enjoy practicing together.

Contrast Therapy, or ‘Hot & Cold Therapy’ as it is also known, is the deliberate exposure of the body to hot & cold temperatures, with repeated immersions alternating between the different temperatures for a set length of time. In practice, this can be done by alternating between the use of a sauna (or steam room or hot bath) & a source of cold water such as the sea, lake or plunge pool. Contrast Therapy is an example of hormetic stress & when practiced safely has a number of proven health benefits, which include improvement in cardiovascular, respiratory & mental health, increased metabolism, reduced inflammation, enhanced cognitive function & pain relief. We will explore the health benefits during our guided sessions so that you can understand the physiological responses in the body which can lead to such improvements & also the undesirable effects if you practice too much.

Important Note: Contrast Club is strictly 18yrs & above

• New to all this? ~ If you have never tried Contrast Therapy or done it only once or twice, then this is absolutely a great way to get started at practicing regularly with other like-minded souls!

• Already enjoy using a sauna & dipping in cold water fairly often? ~ If you love the way it makes you feel & are curious to understand why, then Contrast Club is a great way to learn about the science & also learn ways to deepen your sauna experience.

• Fallen out of the habit or never practiced during autumn & winter? ~ You want to get started again but are feeling anxious with the changing temperatures? Contrast Club is the perfect way to get restarted! You will learn how to safely adapt your practice to changing outdoor temperatures & have fun doing it!

If you are in feeling well & without any health issues affecting your heart & blood circulation then you should be able to practice contrast therapy safely. However, contrast therapy is not safe for everyone. Those with heart disease, uncontrolled high, low or irregular blood pressure are at high risk of complications & therefore should not take part in Contrast Club. The same applies if you are pregnant. If you are taking any medication that can impact your body's ability to sweat or circulate blood properly (such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, antihistamines, beta blockers and anticholinergics) & therefore impair your body's ability to self-regulate temperature, or you are unsure about any other medication you are taking, then you should also seek medical advice from your doctor. Anyone in doubt, should always take extra precaution & seek medical advice before attempting any kind of hot & cold therapy.

The information shared during Contrast Club is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional advice regarding medical or wellness concerns.

Whatever your ‘Why’ for joining Contrast Club, the best way to get or remain fully adapted & to reap the full health benefits of contrast therapy is consistent practice. This is why the full program lasts for 6 weeks.

If you can’t make all of the Guided sessions in the 6 week program, there is now the option to book a Drop-in Guided session only, subject to availability. Please note the Drop-in session applies to guided sessions only and does not include a weekly unguided session.

We currently run Contrast Club once per year. If you cannot join us this time but would like to register your interest for the next round of Contrast Club please send an email to us at hello@driftwoodsauna.ie

The goal of Contrast Club is to help you build or maintain your contrast therapy habit safely through gradual & consistent hot & cold exposure. To get most benefit you should ideally attend both the Guided & Unguided sessions each week.

If you are unable to commit to the full 6 week program then joining a Drop-in Guided session might work better for you. Please check our booking page to check availability or send us an email.

Please refer to the Contrast Club Terms & Conditions (above) for details of our Refund & Rescheduling Policy.

The Guided Group Sauna sessions are for Contrast Club members only.

During each 90 minute Guided Group Sauna session, Monique will simplify & explain the current scientific research behind contrast therapy protocols so that you can fully understand why and how contrast therapy is a powerful tool to use as part of your preventative healthcare regimen. Each week the focus will be on a specific topic as described in the Schedule above.

The first 60 mins of each Guided Group Sauna session will be spent practicing contrast therapy & the last 30 mins will be 'Rest & Digest', allowing time for the body to rebalance & opportunity for a Q&A session. Complimentary refreshments will be provided.

If you have joined the full 6-week program, each week you will have one unguided 50 minute Sauna Social session which you can book on a day & time that suits you (subject to our opening times & availability). This gives you the flexibility to continue to practice each week when works best for you.

It is really important that you don't miss this session as the key to adaptation & habit forming is consistency.

The idea of this session is for you to practice what you have learnt in the guided session & continue your journey to adaptation.

Please note: Sauna Social sessions are our regular sessions, also open to non-members of Contrast Club

Not at all! We will discuss the science (but don’t worry if you don’t have a science background we won't go into heavy detail) to deepen your understanding of why contrast therapy is so beneficial for the body & mind & this will help guide you on how to best practice yourself.

In addition to this, in our last Guided session we will also explore holistic approaches to deepen your sauna practice & nature connection, including thermal leaf whisking an ancient practice rooted in many sauna cultures.

Monique has always been inspired by nature & science, with a BSc in Zoology (the study of animals & their behaviour) & MSc in Applied Entomology (the study of insects). Before co-founding Driftwood Sauna, Monique spent 15yrs leading the conduct of clinical research studies for the treatment of various cancers & multiple sclerosis, where she often had to translate the science into more understandable language for patients. This journey led her to the realisation that more should be done to help people take control of their preventative healthcare & both she & Edward believe contrast therapy to be a powerful tool to improve physical, mental & spiritual fitness. As well as experience in guiding clients on a daily basis, Monique has completed Thermalist® Online training (18hrs) & continuous Sauna Master training with the International Bath Academy. She is eager to not only share the science with you but to also share the holistic power of Thermal Leaf Whisking!