‘The Goop Lab’ Episode 2 ‘Cold Comfort’ sees employees plunge into freezing waters, yoga in snow with bikinis

Wim Hof, also known as “The Iceman”, a Dutch extreme athlete known for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures, explains in episode 2 of ‘The Goop Lab,’ the six-part Netflix docu-series, “Cold Water is a great way to learn to deal with stress. If you learn how to breathe deep, you can go into the cold water and adapt. And with that, you become the alchemist of life itself.”

Nonsensical phrases like “alchemist of life” can sound grand when coming from a sagely-looking man wearing a beanie and shorts in a frigid terrain. It attempts to paint a picture of mystical knowledge and esoteric methods. But really, it’s a gimmick. And goes totally in line with Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness brand Goop. 

What started in 2008 as a newsletter, later turned into a website; then into a commercial platform, which turned into a series of books; and finally, it evolved into a monstrosity of a “wellness” brand, which sells essential oils that can allegedly cure depression. They don’t, but Goop claimed they did. Goop ultimately had to settle a consumer protection lawsuit that alleged Paltrow’s health products' advertised medical claims were not supported by competent and reliable science.

Coming back to ‘Cold Comfort’, episode 2 of the series, we see Hof, Paltrow and Elise Loehnen, the Chief Content Officer of Goop discussing how “our autonomic nervous system (ANS) can be influenced just by the mind” in the swanky offices of Goop. While it may be true to a certain degree, for the most part, the ANS is beyond conscious control.

Hof narrates an incident from his life -- his first wife, who committed suicide at a young age. Hof sets a terrible example by claiming psychiatry made her depression worse.

As the show’s pattern follows, the effectiveness of this “wellness” technique is demonstrated through Goop employees participating in his methods -- snowga (yoga in snow, dressed only in bikinis) and swimming in cold water. It is also demonstrated through anecdotes from “case studies”. 

But the Wim Hof Method -- essentially a combination of three things: exposure to cold, breathing techniques and meditation -- is not as sure-shot as it looks. And it has skeptics.

For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not have evidence that cold therapy effectively treats diseases or conditions like Alzheimer’s, fibromyalgia, migraines, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, stress, anxiety or chronic pain.

“We found very little evidence about its safety or effectiveness in treating the conditions for which it is being promoted,” said Dr. Aron Yustein, M.D., a medical officer in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health in 2016. 

But believing in Hof’s method’s validity is not the point of this six-part docu-series that may as well be an infomercial for the brand. The point is selling the idea of mystic wellness that the brand usually packages into exorbitantly-priced products.

Ana Hito, Goop’s food editor, sums up the series’ mission statement when she says, “This is probably the most insane thing that I’ve been asked to do for Goop -- is to jump in the most cold water in a bathing suit in the middle of the winter. So yeah. Here I am.” And if you have a hard time buying it, just repeat phrases like "Family is nature", "Tree is nature", "We are one" and, of course, "Alchemist of Life".

‘The Goop Lab’ is available for viewing on Netflix.