The wellness space is a physical manifestation of the owners’ health journeys.

San Diegans Matt and Mia Heck have taken the plunge, opening a business based on their own mental health journeys they’re confident will help others.

Soul Plunge is now open at 7463 Girard Ave. (behind D.G. Wills Books), a wellness space containing a yoga/meditation studio, two tubs for cold plunges and a Himalayan salt infrared sauna, along with areas to change and store belongings.

Cold plunging, during which a person submerges themselves for a few to several minutes in water chilled under 60 degrees, has seen increasing popularity lately, as its benefits in the realm of athletic recovery “have been known for years,” Matt said.

Cold plunge tubs.

“It cuts down your inflammation; it makes your body feel great,” he said.

More and more research shows “how good it is for your mental health” as well, Matt said.

The Soul Plunge “sweet sauce is 45 degrees for three minutes,” he said, as the closer to 60 degrees, the longer you have to stay submerged for results.

Cold plunging “teaches you how to breathe through a stressful situation,” Matt said, adding the key “is slowing down your breath. Naturally, your body wants to enter that fight or flight. But by slowing down your breath, you remind yourself that you’re safe, that you’re in control, and you build that resiliency that you can use at any point in your normal … life.”

Soul Plunge offers classes and packages for yoga or breathwork classes, cold plunges, sauna sessions and combinations, or “contrast therapy,” which entails access to the cold plunges and the sauna to alternate the extremes. 

Many lined up to dive right in at the Soul Plunge grand opening event Sept. 7. 

Mia and Matt Heck, Owners of Soul Plunge.

“Soul Plunge was born at a time where Matt and I were really struggling with our mental health,” Mia said, adding the couple, who are married, leaned on yoga, breathwork cold plunge and sauna modalities to heal.

“We saw for ourselves how impactful intentionally putting yourself in a stressful situation, like cold plunging, was to your nervous system,” Matt said, “and how you just came out feeling so much more relaxed and in control. We became addicted to it.”

Noticing many others “were also struggling with similar challenges, we wanted to create a safe space for people to heal,” Mia said.

The Hecks started by offering cold plunges and breathwork classes in their Pacific Beach backyard, the eventual popularity of which necessitated a larger space.

“Our community … grew like crazy,” Mia said. “It attracted such amazing people.”

In addition to packages and a la carte class pricing, Soul Plunge is also offering a founding membership, which is currently discounted and comes with merchandise, Mia said.

“We created this to build a community and a safe space for people to come and heal,” she said. “That’s what we’re most passionate about.”

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