Feel The Freeze: KULA Recovery Founder Nick Blair

In a world where the fast-paced demands of modern life often leave little time for self-care, one entrepreneur is redefining recovery with a splash of ice-cold water – literally.

Meet Nick Blair, the founder of KULA Recovery, a Dubai-based business that offers ice baths and cold water therapy solutions, which, while being niche practices once upon a time, have since surged into mainstream wellness, becoming a favorite among athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and wellness seekers.

As research continues to validate its advantages, cold water therapy is celebrated for promoting faster recovery, improving sleep, and boosting mental resilience, making it a go-to holistic approach for physical and mental well-being.

“KULA Recovery was born from my love of ice baths,” Blair tells Inc. Arabia. “I loved the mental and physical boost I got from them, but I didn’t have the time to drive to an ice bath center and pay per usage, and the only options on the market at the time were extremely expensive.”

Blair thus launched KULA Recovery in 2023 as a provider of affordable and effective cold plunge technology, and the enterprise has managed to swiftly establish itself as a wellness industry leader, with it closing over US$1.2 million in sales in its first year alone, with clients spanning the UAE, UK, Italy, Qatar, and Kenya.

While its client list includes notable UAE-based brands like Warehouse Gym, Gymnation, J Club at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Erth Abu Dhabi, FISIO Clinics, Afrofit Kenya, 1847 Men’s Salons, and more, KULA Recovery is also the official ice bath supplier for major fitness events in the country, including the Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Race and the Dubai CrossFit Championships.

A former athlete, Blair’s vision for KULA Recovery was shaped by both his professional and personal life experiences. “As an entrepreneur who also recently became a dad, I need to be super switched on and focused when I’m working, and for me, a daily cold plunge is better than coffee!” Blair shares. “That rush I get when I jump in really fires me up for the day."

KULA Recovery is the Middle East’s leading supplier of premium ice baths and cold water therapy solutions. 

While cold water therapy initially rose to popularity among athletes, it has since grown to attract fitness and wellness enthusiasts as well. (Indeed, Blair notes, “When I first started KULA Recovery, I thought it would be only for fitness-crazy people – but it’s really not!”) Cold water therapy has been said to trigger vasoconstriction, forcing blood to organs and initiating the release of endorphins. This process reportedly reduces inflammation, alleviates muscle soreness, and promotes faster pre- and post-workout recovery.

Cold water therapy advocates also claim that it enhances blood circulation, strengthens cardiovascular health, and improves sleep by regulating body temperature. Regular cold plunges are also said to strengthen the immune system by stimulating white blood cell production, thereby increasing the body’s resilience against illnesses.

Exposure to cold water also activates the vagus nerve, which could boost mental clarity and emotional balance, and even alleviate symptoms of depression. Blair himself lauds ice baths for their ability to boost mental resilience, saying, “It’s not natural to want to jump into zero degrees water when you first wake up and it’s dark outside – but I’ve found if I can smash through this, everything else in my day feels easier!”

All that said, Blair makes it clear that he and his team at KULA Recovery do not claim to be doctors, or to have a magic solution to cure health issues. “However, our customers have reported huge changes in their mental health in terms of their mood and motivation,” he says. “Scientifically, research by Cleveland Clinic reveals that submerging your body in cold water increases dopamine concentrations by 250 percent. Dopamine is known as the ‘feel-good’ hormone, because of the key role it plays in regulating mood.”

Such benefits point to cold water therapy continuing to be a growing trend, particularly in hospitality and fitness spaces – and it is something that KULA Recovery aims to capitalize on. “Our biggest growth area is supplying cold plunges to hotels and spas,” Blair reveals. “Research has shown that travelers are now booking hotels based on whether they have a cold plunge and/or sauna in the spa! Our vision is that seeing a cold plunge in your hotel or gym will become as normal as seeing a sauna.”

So, what sets KULA Recovery’s chillers apart? In addition to being an affordable option with on-ground servicing and maintenance in the UAE, Blair points out that because they’re built for the region, they can deal with the extreme heat that is typical of the GCC region at large, where temperatures can reach a scorching 50°C.

“Some of our customers like to have their ice baths outside, and so, instead of telling them it’s not possible, we worked with our manufacturers to develop the region’s most durable chillers that can sustain temperatures way above the UAE summer heat,” Blair says. “Not only can they operate outside, but they can also cool the water to zero degrees, creating floating ice – a welcome respite from the heat of summer!”

Reflecting on his journey building KULA Recovery, Blair emphasizes financial discipline as being a cornerstone of his business philosophy. “One of my favorite sayings is ‘revenue is vanity, profit is sanity,” he shares. “Your business can make a ton of revenue, but if you’ve got a negative EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), it’s never going to be an attractive proposition for investors or buyers further down the line… Keeping track of finances is key, not overspending – which, when you are passionate and want the best for your business, is hard not to do!”

KULA Recovery is not Blair’s first entrepreneurial endeavor – he had previously founded the fitness-centered events, Dubai Muscle Show and Dubai Active, before selling the business in 2021 for $7 million to Italian Exhibition Group, a joint stock company listed on Euronext Milan, a regulated market organized and managed by Borsa Italiana.

According to Blair, that sale process has completely reshaped how he thinks about building businesses. “One of the reasons for the success of the Dubai Muscle Show and Dubai Active was my passion and love for what I do,” Blair tells Inc. Arabia. “You can’t fake passion – I was living and breathing fitness before I started a fitness exhibition. So, I was the customer. I wanted to build an event that I would want to attend myself.”

Blair is operating with a similar frame of mind when it comes to his current entrepreneurial endeavor. “It is the same idea with KULA Recovery,” he declares. “I wanted to create a brand that, [even] if it wasn’t my company, I would 100 percent buy an ice bath from it, and [I’d] think that it was a cool brand.” And judging by the manner in which KULA Recovery has taken off since its launch, it’s clear that Blair isn’t the only one sold on the concept – a promising sign for what’s to come.

Pictured on image is KULA Recovery founder Nick Blair. All photos courtesy of KULA Recovery.

This article first appeared in the January/February issue of Inc. Arabia magazine. To read the full issue online, click here.