Why I Recommend Cryotherapy

This past weekend I decided to do Cryotherapy. I was inspired to do this by one of my friends who is working on accomplishing items on her bucket list. For those of you who don’t know what cryotherapy is, I’ll break it down. Cryotherapy is a type of cold therapy where your body is immersed in sub-zero temperatures. It’s basically an extreme ice bath. If you’ve every put an ice pack or frozen peas on your body, you’ve experienced a form of cold therapy. Except with this, you stand in a freezing chamber with your head poking out.

The cryosauna reaches it’s cold temperature from compressed nitrous oxide gas. To reap all the benefits you must submerge yourself inside for 3 minutes in order to enter the hibernation process. Hibernation is a natural process of re-setting the body during cold temperatures. Essentially, cryotherapy allows your body to heal itself. Did you know that your body can naturally health itself from certain ailments if it is placed in the right environment?

Here’s how it works.

When you show up, you begin with signing a waiver. Next the cryotechnician explains what you need to wear and how the process works. Both men and women are allowed to keep their underwear on, everything else comes off. They provide you with two layers of gloves, thick socks and slippers to put on in order to avoid frostbite. Because yes, it’s that freezing!! Next you put your robe on and wait for the attendant to prep the chamber. The cryotechnician will then ask you what level you want it on. There’s three levels. The first one is -134ºF, the second level is -165ºF and the third level is -184ºF. I decided to go with level one. Some of my friends went with the second and third levels.

Entering the Cryosauna…

As you wait the adrenaline begins to rush. Next thing you know the attendant opens the door and brisk cold air hits you. You take your robe off and enter. The first 30 seconds is shocking. It feels like blizzard winds are slapping your skin. It’s colder than anything I’ve ever experienced and I went to college in Ithaca, NY! You’re instructed to move around in order to for the cold air to reach your full body. Although that’s not the easiest task when your legs feel numb.

I decided to dance inside to make it through. The legs are the most painful. The upper body wasn’t too bad. After I hit the half way point, I felt energized. My friends were cheering me on. I felt like I was conquering this thing. Then the coldest point occurred, the last 30 seconds!!! At that point, my skin was tingling, it felt like pins and needles were literally penetrating my skin. 3…2…1…finally it’s over!

After the Cryosauna…

When I stepped out, I struggled to put my arms through the sleeves because my skin was freezing. I just wrapped the rope around me and got dressed. I felt so accomplished afterwards, like I aced an exam or something! It took about an hour for my skin to feel warmed up.

What are the benefits?

Cryotherapy is an effective alternative to ice baths for people seeking improved health and faster recovery. It can also burn anywhere from 400 to 600 calories from three minutes in the chamber.  Turns out throwing your body into survival mode is a serious workout. It can decrease muscle soreness, pain, reduce swelling and inflammation, improve sleep, boost energy, accelerate metabolism, strengthen your immune system, increase endorphins, mitigate anxiety and depression, improve skin, and relieve joint disorders, rheumatoid diseases etc. It does all of this by triggering the body’s natural fight or flight response.

Would I do it again?

Before my cryotherapy session, I’d been having consistent shin pain from running over the past few months. After cryotherapy, my pain has gone away. For people who work out frequently or suffer from pains, I highly suggest you try cryotherapy. It is safe to frequent cryotherapy daily. However, I don’t see myself doing that. I plan to do a session every couple months because it was such an invigorating experience. As I’m on a quest to do more things that scare me, this was definitely an awesome thing to challenge myself to complete.

For those of you ready and convinced to try cryotherapy, I recommend going to where I went. I went to Freeze, located in Westchester, NY. They have amazing specials and great staff. Check out their Instagram for deals! I only paid $25 for this experience and this can get pricey at other places. $25 for a 3 minute reinvigoration is well worth it!