Your first ice bath in Berlin
Everything you need to know before your first dip with us, from what to pack to how a Saturday morning at the lake runs.
Last updated 2026-10-20
Guides: ice bathing in Berlin
Here we have written down what we have learned at the lakes of Berlin since 2017, from your first ice bath and our breathing exercise to the rules in Berlin and the water quality in winter.
Breathwork before the dip, the way we do it
How we prepare for the cold with a breathing exercise based on an older version of Wim Hof’s “Inner Fire”, which is our own practice and no official Wim Hof Method class.
Is ice dipping allowed in Berlin?
What Berlin law says about swimming, from the official bathing sites and the shores where you swim at your own risk to nature protection and our own experience with the Ordnungsamt.
Winter water quality in Berlin lakes and the Spree
What our winters at the lakes and on the Spree have taught us about water quality, and why nobody should ever go into the Rummelsburger Bucht.
Cold plunge, Eisbaden, winter swimming or cryo: what is what in Berlin
A simple comparison of the different ways to get cold in Berlin, from an ice tub in a Kreuzberg studio to a winter swimming club at Orankesee and our lake circle in Wedding.
Berlin winters and why this community exists
How Ice Dippers began as a way through the dark Berlin winters, told as a story and without promising that cold water treats depression.
What to wear and how photos work at our dips
The rules from our code of conduct for dipping in public, including why our dips are no nudist events and how to opt out of photos.
How Ice Dippers collects donations for the Kältehilfe
Why we collect donations for homelessness support in Berlin and where the cash from our dips ends up.