Road trips and skinny dips: cold water swimming in Ibiza.

This winter in Ibiza has been a dream, with burnished blue skies, crisp, sunny mornings and endless empty beaches. It’s the ideal season to discover the lesser-known parts of the island while adding cold water swimming to your routine.

The benefits of cold water swimming are numerous, with devotees like Wim Hof urging us to embrace the icy depths. But is cold water immersion right for you? Let's look at why it might be:

1. It boosts your immune system

The effects of cold water on the immune system have been studied widely. Cold water helps to boost the white blood cell count because the body is forced to react to changing conditions. Over time, your body becomes better at activating its defences.

2. It gives you a natural high

Cold water swimming activates endorphins. This chemical is what the brain produces to make us feel good during activities. Cold water swimming is also a form of exercise, and exercise has been proven to treat depression. Cold water swimming brings us close to the pain barrier. Endorphins are released when we’re in pain, to help us cope with it.

3. It improves your circulation

Cold water swimming flushes your veins, arteries, and capillaries. It forces blood to the surface and helps to warm our extremities. Repeated exposure adapts us to the cold.

4. It increases your libido

Cold water was traditionally seen to repress sexual urges. The fact is that it increases libido! A dip in some cold water boosts oestrogen and testosterone production, adding an edge to fertility and libido.

The benefits of increased libido include more confidence, higher self-esteem, and enhanced mood.

5. It burns calories

The heart has to pump faster in cold water and the body must work harder to keep everything warm while swimming. Overall, far more calories are burned during cold water swimming than swimming in warmer conditions. The idea that drinking cold water increases the number of calories you burn may be a myth, but it is a fact that cold water decreases your body temperature so much that the body must act.

6. It reduces stress

Cold water swimming places stress on the body physically and mentally. Many studies have identified the link between cold water and stress reduction. Cold water swimmers become calmer and more relaxed.

Join us on a tour of our favourite winter swim spots.

Cala Llentrisca

To find this hard-to-reach cala in the south, head all the way to Es Cubells then follow the signs to the mysterious Cala Llentrisca. This road is rough and so alive, with the tip of Es Vedra peeping above the skyline at each bend.  There’s a ten-minute hike at the end to reach the actual beach, but don’t be put off - Cala Llentrisca is one of those spots where you’ll forget all about the outside world as you slip into the silky seas.

Cala Escondida

To reach this bohemian, clothes-optional, sunset spot, head south toward San Agustin and take the turning towards Cala Tarida and Cala Conta. You’ll meander through olive and almond groves and past tumbling ruins before the sea looms in the distance. Once you reach Cala Conta, park in the rough car park and walk between the bushes all the way to the cliff. Take a moment to drink in the powerful scenery. Then simply follow the coast and take the stone steps that take you to the pretty cove.

Cala Mastella

Take a dramatic early morning drive from San Joan towards San Vicente - the pine-clad mountains on either side are peppered with ancient, primitive fincas that remain - as yet - undeveloped. Dip down into Cala San Vicente then swoop up again toward San Carlos. A turning on the left takes you to Cala Mastella, a tiny, jewel-like cove shrouded by pine trees and steep cliffs. The water here is a thousand shades of green and calm as a lake, so just strip, wade and dip. Take a flask for hot tea afterwards.

Moon Beach

From San Joan head towards Cala Xarraca, pass by the Agroturismo Ca Sa Vilda Marge, then stay left while driving towards Calo de S’Ila. Once there, it’s an only-for-the-brave drive to local’s favorite, Moon Beach (a cove so emblematic that cult makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury named a highlighter after it).  This spot is unlike any other in Ibiza, with otherworldly rock formations that give a lunar effect to the whole cove. The rocks, the salt crystals and the natural pools give a feeling of being genuinely disconnected from real life – both physically and emotionally. For those who like to meditate after a skinny dip, Moon Beach has an energy all its own.