I Gave Myself a Bella- and Hailey-Inspired Ice Bath Facial Every Day for 2 Weeks—the Results Say Everything

There I was, mentally floating away at Jess Bowers's facial studio, a private, speakeasy-like slice of West Village heaven. After my coveted hour with the aesthetician—which was nothing short of dreamy, let me tell you—I gabbed with Bowers about the products and treatments she's loving at the moment. Her answer? A gentle exfoliating jelly (which I added to my cart immediately) and a simple, at-home technique—one that doesn't require any fancy tools.

Honestly, ice bath facials will completely transform your skin, she told me. Try it for two weeks and you won't even believe the results. It's as if she unlocked some sort of synchronicity, because I kept seeing these at-home ice bath facials everywhere. They were featured in Hailey Bieber's Met Gala prep, present in Bella Hadid's on-set beauty routine, and popping up all over my TikTok feed, so I decided to finally give Bowers's two-week experiment a whirl—and true to her word, I'm blown away by my skin's response. Scroll ahead to see the magic, along with every celeb-endorsed detail to know.

What Is an Ice Bath Facial?

An ice bath facial is exactly what it sounds like: dunking your face in ice water. Think of it like a cold plunge for just your face; rather than throwing on a swimsuit and finding a tub to submerge your whole body, you're simply dipping your face into a large bowl for a few seconds at a time. It's quick, relatively easy, and boasts similar skin benefits to a full-on plunge. (More on that later!)

To be clear, in no way am I saying that Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber invented the ice water facial. Aestheticians and makeup artists have been championing the technique for years, praising its abilities to reduce puffiness and inflammation and tighten the skin. Psychologists have even cited it as a quick DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) technique, as it naturally slows down your heart rate and has a calming effect on the body. Not to mention that cold water immersion itself is an ancient practice with roots in many cultures.

No, dunking your face in ice water is certainly not a "new" or "trendy" habit; but that being said, it has made an appearance on my TikTok feed more than ever as a form of skin prep, made even buzzier with each celebrity endorsement. Essentially: I've known about ice bath facials for ages—but Hadid and Bieber (plus Bowers) inspired me to finally try it for myself.

Benefits for Skin

First and foremost, ice water reduces inflammation, redness, and puffiness. It does so by a process called vasoconstriction, aka constricting your blood vessels to result in less blood flow—and, thus, swelling. It's the same logic of placing ice on an injury: Limiting blood flow to the area generally reduces inflammation and pain. Even if your face isn't experiencing acute inflammation, the icy temperature dials down any sort of puffiness lingering underneath the surface. "This can vary depending on your diet," notes Bowers. "Say you eat a lot of salty foods or consume alcohol—you may see a faster result of de-puffing the skin."

According to Bowers, the ice bath also helps tighten pores and actually brighten the skin as your blood circulation starts warming back up. Not to mention, "It wakes you up," she says. There's nothing like an ice-cold dunk to shake away any trace of grogginess!