From Wheelchair to CrossFit Champion: How Sauna and Cold Therapy Transformed Jules King’s Life

Jules King at Wild Water, Nolton Beach

Jules King, 45, is a regular at Pembrokeshire’s Wildwater sauna. This mobile unit moves all around the national park, pitching up at beaches such as Pwllgwaelod, Nolton Haven and Whitesands and has a loyal band of followers. Jules is something of a superstar. She suffers with Parkinson’s and was wheelchair bound for 16 years before a correct diagnosis saw her turn her life around and reclaim her mobility. This year she won a bronze medal in the Adaptive CrossFit Games in the US and she sees ice baths and saunas as central to her self-care routine. 

JK: ‘I had my first sauna at Wildwater in October 2023. My daughter was visiting and we were looking for something different to do. Everyone was talking about this sauna by the sea and how idyllic and affordable it was so we decided to give it a go. I met Scott Chalmers (co-founder) on the first meeting. 

I had already started cold water therapy as I had been given a barrel by Brass Monkey. It   helped so much with pain relief, I literally owe Dan Bosomworth (the founder) my life. But it only lasts a few hours. When I combine the cold with sauna, the pain relief lasts all day. 

BSS: What sort of pain do you have?

I have a dull ache throughout the day every single day. It’s a heavy feeling, like when you  have flu. And you can't escape it. I pop a lot of pills every two hours for the Parkinson’s so I don’t want to take painkillers as well. And anyway, these might take the edge off for half an hour an hour, but they don’t have the lasting effect hot and cold has. 

BSS: If you have a sauna but with no cold plunge, do you still feel pain relief? 

Yes. But it's not quite as long. It’s the same when you just do cold. So it’s the combination. 

BSS: Why do you think that the combination of hot and cold lasts longer than one without the other? 

A friend described cold water therapy as being like a steam train in your brain; basically all my pipes that send messages to parts of my body are full of blockages so the messages don't get there. The cold water clears all the pipes. No one's really ever explained why the hot works, but I think it's the relaxation. It loosens my muscles and I have more control. I get a lot of rigidity; If I grip onto something, often I can't let go. The effect of hot and cold depends on how my medication's working, but if it’s working all day, I have no pain all day.   

BSS: What’s your hot and cold routine?

I do a cycle of three and I try to go to Wildwater three times a week. I started dipping in the sea around two years ago. I can swim, but the problem is buoyancy in my feet. They come up and my head goes down. So I always have to have someone with me. The dream is to have a sauna in my back garden because if I’m having a bad day, I don't go out. I can’t move very well so I stay in the safety of my home. Those are the days I really wish I had my own sauna because those are the days I struggle with the pain the most.  

BSS: Do you combine hot and cold therapy with other treatments? 

When they finally diagnosed it, I was at the very last stage of Parkinson's. I followed a really strict diet for three years - no sugar, no wheat, no dairy, no meat. I think it had a profound effect and I still don’t eat gluten. 

BSS: People with Parkinson's lack dopamine, so can you produce it when you're doing hot and cold? 

Well, I'm presuming so. I don't know how it works but I am injected with dye checks if my  nerves are still working.  And I hardly have any nerves left to make anything, yet the cold definitely gives me some kind of dopamine rush. It'd be so interesting to find out how. Tap me into some wires. 

BSS: Where’s your favourite sauna? 

Wildwater when it’s at Nolton Beach. It’s so beautiful there, easy access, and I made a lot of memories that first winter. Scott and Richard Lynch, (co-founder) are just wonderful. I know that if I'm having a bad period I could I ring any of them, and they'd pick me up and bring me down. Wildwater is also all about community.

BSS: Which do you prefer, hot or cold? 

I always said I preferred heat. Then, when I was introduced to cold, I really preferred cold. Now I don't know because one without the other feels a bit less. And I’ve talked about cold water more than heat, but recently Scott and I have been talking about contrast therapy and how it relieves my pain and things.

BSS: Would you encourage anyone with Parkinson’s to try hot and cold?

Absolutely. All this medication the doctors give me and all this money spent on it, when they could be sending people to cold water and sauna! I want to be an advocate for it. ENDS