Stepping into the same river twice
They say that once is a mistake. And twice is a choice. With this in mind we found ourselves at Mend. Again. Our very first ice bath was back in January, and here we were, in March, back for more.
If you are a regular reader of this travel blog, you will know that Mend is a relatively new addition to the Margaret River wellness scene. Set up in 2023 it has quickly gained a cult following, offering a range of options, including what we were here for once more, early on a Saturday morning.

Mend Motions and the ice bath
The “Mend Motions” is a 90 minute session, with a maximum capacity of six guests. The idea is that you cycle the time around the infrared sauna, the ice bath, and the warming plunge pool. Prior to your first session you are sure to do what we inevitably did. Try to calculate how long this meant in each, and how we could possibly fill 90 minutes.
Let me tell you, once you are there, time is the last thing you are thinking of. In fact, on both visits now we could not believe how fast the time went. This is the exact condition that psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called “flow”. The state you get into when time seems to magically pass.
And pass it does.
Warming up to cool down
With my belly still warm and pleasantly digesting the delicious pain au chocolat we had for breakfast from across the road at Margaret River Bakery, we got into our bathers, showered quickly, and entered the sauna. This morning it looked as though there were only three of us, but we had two others join us later. As everyone usually starts at the same time there is some mental gymnastics trying to work out who gets to move on from the sauna first. Our companion looked like a veteran and kept checking his smartwatch to ensure he had been in the sauna for his regulation time.
We had much less rigour, and I hate regulations, so we decided to head to the ice bath first. A thought that had been giving me mild anxiety since we re-booked our session some weeks before. That anxiety didn’t ease when we saw that the ice bath was literally full of ice. On our first visit the water was a balmy 4.3 degrees. This morning it was hovering around 2 degrees. I am glad one of us has bags of courage. Displaying her courage, Victoria stepped straight into the bath, parting the ice as she sank down into the deep tub. A series of quick sharp intakes of breath and she soon settled into the deep breathing that is required for ice bath immersion.
And breathe
With the clock set for three minutes, I guided Victoria through a visualisation of being sat under a warming sun. Dipping into the ocean in the Maldives. Anything to take her mind off what the near freezing temperature of the water was doing to her fight, flight, and freeze response. As you first enter the cold water your brain senses danger and screams at you to get out. A natural evolutionary reaction, designed to keep you alive. The first battle is over riding that voice and reminding yourself that you are in fact safe and have no need to escape to save your life.
The second battle is with your breathing. Getting it under control. Slowing it right down. Regulating your parasympathetic nervous system. Your “rest and digest” system. Once you have this under control you have your third and final battle. With the clock. Once you have got this far you will be surprised to note that you will be more than half way through the interminable three minutes. Now, you just have to avoid peeping at the digital clock on the wall as the seconds slowly tick by. Thoughts of Maldives and the warming ocean appear to help.
Winning the mental battle
The strange thing is, by the time the clock starts beeping, telling you that you can escape, part of you thinks “I can do longer”. That you have this. Thankfully, this is only a small part and the larger part inside me demands that I get out. Mindfully stepping out of the ice bath you find that you are tingling all over. Your legs have seized up a little. It is important at this point to move slowly. Listen to your body. Do a little stretching before heading to the warm embrace of the plunge pool.
Ah. Just how good does the plunge pool feel after your ice bath immersion? Slowly sinking into the warming waters, noticing the feelings return to your body. Start to feel human again. Realising that you have completed the first of three cycles. As you look at the clock, you do a double take. How has so much time passed? And realising that if you stay in the comfort of the plunge pool for much longer you won’t get to complete all three cycles. That is flow.
At the end of 90 minutes, showering, you do immediately feel the effects of the morning. You feel on a high. Your body feels good. And my thoughts start turning to a walk along the beach and a good coffee.
Will we return for take 3?

A different kind of day
The day after we had time to reflect whilst visiting one of our favourite venues in the South West. Not just for the food, which is AMAZING, also for the wine, which is world class. We first discovered Glenarty Road whilst on a trip from Margaret River to Pemberton. We paid a visit to the lighthouse at Cape Augusta, before heading through Karridale and calling in at “The Farm’.

On that occasion we just had a wine tasting. On several visits since we have always made sure to book ourselves in for lunch. With a philosophy of “paddock to plate”, there is a simple elegance at Glenarty Road that has simply stolen our hearts. Fine dining, in a shed. Being a working farm you also get a chance to see where your produce comes from. The carbon footprint is very low as everything is produced either right there at Glenarty Road, or by one of their neighbours.


Sitting down to eat I am not sure how Victoria felt when the waitress complemented her on the perfume she was wearing.
“Is that Chanel?” she asked.
“Yes”, replied Victoria.
“Oh, i love it. My mum wears it.”
The conversation kind of ended there. Luckily, the food saved the day.
As always when visiting wine country, and in a region as large as the South West of Australia, one of you needs to be the skipper. For this particular trip, Victoria had the car keys. I got to enjoy an extra glass of their excellent 2023 Kinfolk Chardonnay. Oh my!
Thoughts of returning
Glenarty Road is a place that we continue to return to. We will again. And as I sipped my wine I wondered when our next visit to Mend, for the ice bath, would be.