4 ways to warm up a cold day on LI

These winter days can leave a chill that's hard to shake. And finding ways to warm up on the coldest days can be tough.

There's always hot soup. What about a warming massage? A hot pepper can warm up the whole body, too. How about holding yoga poses in a room that hits about 100 degrees?

"People are more inclined to try it in the winter, because it's a wonderful way to warm up," says Yolanda Nash, co-owner of HotYoga4You in Rockville Centre, where rooms are kept hot and humid, just like in the tropics.

Here are some places where it's cool to be hot.

1 SOME LIKE YOGA HOT

Hot yoga sessions not only steep the body in heat, but in 30-40 percent humidity as well. The idea is to warm up the muscles for better stretches and to clean toxins through the skin, according to Nash.

"Breathing gets better and you grow tolerant of the heat," Nash says.

The heat also is good for physical therapeutic reasons, such as easing arthritis or other joint issues, improving range of motion, she says.

WHEN|WHERE Open seven days with 36 classes a week. 274 Merrick Rd., second floor, Rockville Centre. (Other affiliated hot yoga studios in Carle Place and Locust Valley)

INFO 516-432-7777, bikramyogarvc.com

COST $20 drop in, many beginner specials and discounts

2 WARM STONES AT THE SPA

The use of hot stones, which are warmed before being placed on the skin, is a way to relax the body.

"Stones relieve stress, relax muscles, ease aches and pains, and flush toxins," says Loretta Servidio, spa director at East Wind Spa and Studio, which -- like many spas -- incorporates stones into several treatments for the face, body, hands and feet.

The spa also has saunas and steam rooms in both its men's and women's locker rooms -- another way to warm up the body and soul.

WHEN|WHERE By appointment (closed Wednesday), 5720 Rte. 25A, Wading River

INFO 631-846-2339, eastwindlongisland.com

COST $135 for a 50-minute warm stone facial or hot stone massage; sauna and steam room access included with a service, or pay $20 facility fee

3 HOT SOUP ON A COLD DAY

It's quintessential, really. Hot soup keeps a body warm on a cold winter's day.

One place you're sure to find a soup to suit your taste is the NY Soup Exchange, where six or seven soups are prepared daily.

Owner Ken D. Kaplan says there is always at least one poultry, seafood, stew-type and soup du jour, as well as a vegan choice.

While slurping hot soup is physically warming, owner Ken D. Kaplan says "there's a psychological factor" to having a bowl after coming in from the cold.

In the winter chill, "people gravitate toward it," he says.

WHEN|WHERE 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, 945 Franklin Ave., Garden City

INFO 516-742-7687, nysoupexchange.com

COST Less than $9 for soup and sandwich

4 SET YOUR TONGUE ON FIRE

OK, not really. But if you try out the hot sauces at Pepperheads, you could warm yourself right into a sweat. With more than 1,000 varieties, there's every type of hot. In fact, owner Bruce "Professor Pepperhead" Passarelli says he has customers sign a waiver for some products, largely to let people know these items are really spicy. Really, really spicy. "People like it hot," says Passarelli. "It's like a cult."

The shop also sells spicy pickles, snap peas, peanut butter, even mayonnaise. It carries two of the hottest peppers known: the Ghost Pepper from India and Scorpion Pepper from Trinidad.

WHEN|WHERE Noon-6 p.m. weekends, Harbor Square Mall, 134 Main St., Port Jefferson

INFO 631-476-9236, pepperheads-hotsauces.com