New Bedford Man Discovers Why You Should Never Do This to Your Feet

Sometimes, curiosity really does almost kill the cat.

While watching the recent NFL playoff game between the L.A. Rams and the Chicago Bears, it was casually mentioned that Rams players were battling brutal cold temperatures by sprinkling cayenne pepper inside their cleats to help keep their feet warm. The idea, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center: cayenne contains capsaicin, which increases blood flow, especially in sensitive areas like the feet, where blood vessels are everywhere to combat pain and stiff joints.

I remember thinking, “Huh. I’ve never heard of that before, but scientifically? That kind of checks out.”

Fast forward to Tuesday, January 20, 2026, a day where the wind chill on the SouthCoast was downright disrespectful. Naturally, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to test the theory myself.

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Science Experiment: Questionable From the Start

Back at the station, I enlisted Michael Rock to do the honors while Michaela Johnson took video for "scientific research." He generously sprinkled powdered cayenne pepper directly onto my feet and into my socks.

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And then… nothing.

No heat, no tingling, and no chemical reaction of any kind.

“What a crock,” Rock declared. Honestly, I agreed.

The Plot Twist Came Later

Here’s where things took a turn.

I completely forgot to wash the cayenne off and headed to the gym a couple hours later. Once my workout got going and my blood started pumping, I noticed something strange: my feet were warming up way more than usual. Still, nothing alarming, so I powered through.

Big mistake.

Enter the Sauna (a.k.a. The Bad Decision Chamber)

Post-workout, I hopped into an infrared dry sauna for a little detox. Within minutes, the situation went from “interesting” to full-blown emergency.

The sauna reached a whopping 148 degrees Fahrenheit. My feet started swelling, the heat intensified, and it felt like fire ants were actively eating my skin.

READ MORE: The Weirdest Feet You’ll Ever See

The pain kept building until I finally bailed, sprinted to wash my feet, and plunged them into an ice bath just to survive. Only after submerging my feet in a 30-degree water did the pain finally subside.

The Moral of the Story

My feet are fine. There's no permanent damage or burns and I've learned a valuable lesson.

Just because you see someone else doing something—especially something that sounds questionable right out of the gate—doesn’t mean you should try it yourself. And yes, I’m talking to myself here, too.

Curiosity might not actually kill the cat, but it’ll absolutely set your feet on fire.

Consider this your warning.