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Mr. Ice Guy: Mayor Eric Adams takes the plunge in online post
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Feb 22, 2023
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By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Feb 22, 2023
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Vegan, meditator, wearer of energy stone bracelets and mayor of New York City.
Eric Adams has never been shy about professing his enthusiasm for alternative health practices. But on Wednesday, he shared one of his newfound interests with the public: cold plunges.
The mayor’s official Instagram featured a video of Adams stepping into an ice bath. Wearing only a pair of yellow shorts, Adams eventually lies down into the tub, where he is then coached through the experience.
The unusual demonstration comes as Adams continues to face a myriad of challenges, from crime to the ongoing migrant crisis to steering the city’s economic recovery. Earlier this month, a poll found that only 37% of those surveyed approved of the mayor’s performance, a drop from 43% last May.
“Last month, I took my first cold breathing plunge with a Wim Hof certified trainer who walked me through the breathing course,” the Instagram post reads. “Better breathing = better health.”
Wim Hof is a Dutch motivational speaker who has promoted so-called “cold therapy” as conferring a long list of health benefits from weight loss to a stronger immune system to more energy. The practice has become increasingly trendy with celebrities and the wealthy.
In New York City, members of the New York Dippers Club are known to perform a similar ritual of braving the icy waters at Rockaway Beach.
The mayor took the ice plunge during a visit to FloLo Holistic, which is advertised as “the world’s first holistic psychedelic wellness center” in New York City. Prices range from $45 for an “express cold plunge” lasting 20 minutes to $169 for three sessions of a cold plunge and steam room package, according to the center’s website.
Mayor Eric Adams meditates before delivering virtual testimony at the New York State Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022.
Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
In a separate Instagram post for the wellness center, Adams said that he sat in the ice bath for 90 seconds.
“It was intense, but I also learned how to breathe,” he says in the video.
"It's a great experience,” he added. “I enjoyed it so much. And the joy is that this is only the beginning. There are many more ways to continue to become the better person that we all desire. It starts with breath."
By Wednesday evening, the Instagram post had more than 3,600 likes. Although there were a fair share of negative responses exhorting the mayor to attend to his City Hall duties.
“Can you please go to work,” wrote one commenter.
Another person wrote, “Cold plunging while the city is in hot water.”
“Plunge into work,” jeered one commenter on FloLo’s Instagram post.
Asked about the mayor’s decision to promote ice baths, Fabien Levy, Adams’ press secretary, said, “He did it in his personal time last month and felt it was very effective for him so he wanted to post it.”
Tagged
new york city
Politics
Health and Science
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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