On a recent trip to Scotland, the model Vivien Solari, 45, swam every day, sometimes twice a day, in beautifully clear and crisp water of around 46 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Solari, who is known for her work for designers like Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, and Burberry, swam in Loch Linnhe, rubbing shoulders with seals. But more often you’ll find her carving through the waves of the strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland England, where she has lived for 22 years.
Her skin has the kind of glow that looks like she is intravenously fed Hailey Bieber x Erewhon collagen smoothies. “To be immersed in something powerful and wild is often a humbling experience,” Solari says. “The water demands your respect, but it is nurturing too.
It helps me to reconnect with the nature within myself.” It’s Solari’s inspiring words that I am thinking about as I stare blankly at the underwhelming gray plastic blow-up plunge tub in front of me, yet to be assembled. It’s true, my curiosity is awakened, but it’s a little more pedestrian than Solari’s.
Mine is more about whether I can persuade someone else to pump up the world of pain that sits before me into a tublike shape. Then there’s the troublesome question of whether the elastic in the swimsuit tucked at the back of my wardrobe has perished. Never mind the fact that it’s pouring with rain outside, and I have an Australian and a Norwegian—known for being robust, vital, outdoorsy sorts of people—coming to stay this.
