Holycross-style therapy at ‘The Sweat Shed’ as Mick King launches new sauna and dip experience

A short hop to Holycross last Saturday was an invigorating experience. The sun shone and despite the bitter cold I travelled there to check out the launch of ‘The Sweat Shed’ which is a wonderful mobile wood burning sauna and a cold spring dip in beautiful rural surroundings.

My morning was spent sitting in a hot sauna in Holycross and then to ‘cool down’ I took a cold plunge in natural springs before returning to the sauna. The brainchild of Mick King, it offers massive health benefits. It’s a new place in Tipperary for revitalising body, mind and spirit.

“We converted a horse box into a sauna. We had a horse box at home for the last ten or fifteen years with furniture in it so after some research I took the project on. I got a friend of mine who is a builder to help me out and we managed to come up with a plan and we are really happy with how it finished up.

“For the cold plunge this is an old well. The natural springs have been around long before any of us. My mother’s parents and her grandparents all used it down here. It was overgrown and covered in clay, muck and ivy so we got some diggers down to clear the place out and we have a cold plunge now.”

Returning home after some years in New Zealand, Mick decided to make a living from his passion for health and fitness as he explains: “I had my own electrical business in New Zealand and when my partner and I were moving back I decided to change my career. I was always very interested in sports, both in Ireland and New Zealand. I loved health and fitness in particular and while in New Zealand - about four years ago - I got really into Crossfit and joined a gym as soon as I could. It took off from there really.

“I became obsessed with functional fitness.” After returning home Mick focused on his new career. Initially he worked from home before progressing to the John Doyle Centre at Holycross: “I decided to create my own Crossfit style gym which is a fully functioning gym.

“Originally I couldn’t find anywhere in the locality so I upcycled one of my mother’s old sheds, insulated it and turned it into a gym. I got in conversation with Holycross Ballycahill GAA Club, and I had already taken over the strength and conditioning of the senior hurlers, so it progressed to moving down there to the John Doyle Centre,” he says.

The gym has grown quickly: “I saw the benefits of it physically and mentally in people’s everyday lives. From players who were returning to action despite being out of their sport for years because of injury, to mums who are just finding their everyday life easier because of training.

“Functional fitness can make life easier,” the Glenbane native says. Mick runs the gym in Holycross to a high standard and there are now members from 17 years-of-age right up to their 70s. His own mother is a member there. Intercounty hurlers right through to people who never set foot in a gym before they started in Holycross are members.

It is a growing story: “We are coming up on 12 months now and we are seeing huge improvements which is where I then decided to look into the recovery side of things. “That was my initial thought process on having something like this but also the ‘Wellness’ aspect of mental health.

“Lots of people are doing cold plunges now all over the world for mental health reasons. It is fantastic so to be able to mix the two and is part of the reason we set this up. It is an activity open to all people.

“I remember trying it one day where we did a 45 minute session which was about 15 minutes in the sauna and a couple of minutes in the river down in Holycross. The same day it was -2 degrees but we went about three times over and back. I just remember getting into the car after and thinking ‘wow, I have never felt so good’.

“I felt like I was walking on a cloud, so that set the ball rolling in my head. For me as an athlete, a coach and a busy guy I really enjoyed the recovery side of things from it and also the mental side of things so I am happy for everybody and anybody to give it a try. A lot of people are terrified by a cold plunge which I can understand but knowing you are getting out of it to get into a sauna at 70 or 80 degrees makes it a little bit easier.”

This new ‘rest and recovery’ time at Glenbane is worthwhile. Not to be missed. Check it out on instagram via @thesweatshed_ today or call Mick on 0873594407

Pictured below is Mick at the launch, The King family and friends, reporter Stephen Gleeson in the plunge pool and the state-of-the-art wood burning sauna in the horsebox interior.