Degree Wellness Brings Cold Plunge and High-Tech Recovery to Fox Chapel

Stepping into a private wellness suite at Degree Wellness in Indiana Township, you get a cold plunge, an infrared sauna, and a vitamin C-infused shower in the same room, with a registered nurse down the hall if the IV drip is next on the list. That combination, essentially contrast therapy in a clinical wrapper, is what founders Dan and Erika Scherling opened on March 21, 2026, pitching it as the first studio of its kind in the Fox Chapel area.

The Pennsylvania franchise, one of two locations the Florida-based chain operates in the state, runs eight private wellness suites and a menu that spans full-body cryotherapy, red-light therapy, compression massage, infrared sauna, and cold plunge. The cold plunge slots in at five minutes inside a private suite; a full-body cryo session runs three. Both are cold-exposure protocols, but they're doing different jobs. Cryotherapy uses dry, super-cooled air and keeps core temperature relatively stable, making it a faster, lower-commitment option for people chasing post-workout inflammation reduction. The cold plunge is water immersion, which drives deeper systemic cold exposure and the stronger vagal response that's become the calling card of the practice. If the goal is recovery after training, the plunge wins on depth; if the goal is a quick nervous system reset between obligations, three minutes in the cryo chamber is the more practical tool.

For contrast therapy specifically, Degree Wellness offers 30- and 60-minute sessions that move between the infrared sauna and cold plunge in the same private suite, with a shower to close. That's the hot-cold cycling protocol that's been getting attention in peer-reviewed work on cardiovascular adaptation and mood regulation, now compressed into a bookable, staffed hour rather than a DIY garage setup.

The stacking logic Erika Scherling described is worth noting for anyone planning a first visit: services like IV therapy, red-light, and oxygen can run concurrently or in tight sequence, with a targeted multi-modal session coming in around 30 minutes. A practical order for recovery-focused visitors would be infrared sauna first to raise core temperature and increase tissue pliability, followed by cold plunge for the vasoconstriction response, then red-light therapy while the body thermoregulates back to baseline. The IV or nutrient shot fits at the end, when circulation is open and the body is in a parasympathetic state.

The registered nursing staff changes the risk calculus compared to unmonitored plunges. Contraindication screening, particularly for Raynaud's disease, uncontrolled hypertension, and cold urticaria, is something most at-home users skip entirely. Here it's built into intake. For someone new to cold exposure or coming off an injury, that staffed environment is the actual differentiator over a chest freezer in the basement.

First-time visitors can access an introductory session for $20, lowering the barrier to trial significantly against the $3,000-to-$8,000 price tag on premium at-home cold plunge units. Degree Wellness is located in Indiana Township, and bookings are available through the franchise's website at DegreeWellness.com.