Cryotherapy is the cool thing to do lately (pun intended), and it seems to be attracting a lot of buzz. This past weekend I had my first cryotherapy session, and after posting about it on social media, I received a ton of questions about cryo. What was it like? What are the benefits? Was it really cold?
The back story…
I’ve been hearing about cryotherapy for a few years now and have wanted to try it out. Whole body cryotherapy has been known to be very effective for athletic recovery and muscle repair, reduction of chronic pain and inflammation, and an overall enhancement of health and wellness. I don’t suffer from any major aches or pains, just normal soreness from my workouts. Chris on the other hand… he’s been a mess. Two weeks ago, he tore his hamstring and for as long as I’ve known him has suffered from a bad lower back.
I’ll be very honest with you all, I was extremely nervous and skeptical of cryotherapy. I’m really big on forming my own opinion on things so I made sure I didn’t read too much about other people’s experiences. I, of course, checked to see if it was safe, and basically that’s all the research I did. I figured if some of my friends have done it and are still alive… why not give it a try?! I went into this with zero expectations.
Here’s the process…
We checked in, signed a waiver, and then headed into changing rooms. We remove all clothing (except men keep their boxers on) and jewelry from the neck down. Then, we put on a robe, tall knee-high socks, special shoes, and a pair of gloves. Literally, that is all you wear.
Once the machine reached a certain temperature, Chu (the owner who is super helpful assisted us) instructed me to walk inside, and in the privacy of the “tank’s” door being closed, I took off my robe and handed it over the top of the machine. Next, Chu, asked me to duck my head and he put this lid with a cutout over me for my head to pop through. Then, I stood there for 3 minutes as the temperature dropped and dropped and dropped.
Oh boy, does it get COLD. My entire body was shivering & my teeth were chattering like crazy! I started doing a little dance while in the machine and talking to Chris and Chu since he was running the machine. Had I not had those distractions, oh lord, it would have been very difficult for me to get through this.
After the 3 minutes were up, Chu opened the lid, handed me my robe, and instructed me to push the machine door open once I was decent. I kid you not- I’ve NEVER put on an article of clothing so quickly in my entire life. 3 minutes doesn’t sound like a long time, but when you’re completely naked (YES NAKED! Haha) in sub zero temperatures, you feel every second of it.
Post Cryotherapy….
I felt what I would describe as an endorphin rush. I definitely had a tingling sensation all over my body + an increase in energy. The cold feeling did linger for a bit, but maybe only for 5 minutes.
Normally, after your cryotherapy treatment, you go get dressed back in your clothes and head home. Since I planned on doing a blog post about my experience, Chu, showed us the rest of District Cryo so I could snap a few photos. Since Chris and I love trying anything that could possibly benefit our health, this tour turned into us doing this Normatec leg treatment for 60 minutes followed up by 40 minutes in their infrared sauna. We LOVED both of these treatments!
Would I do it again?
Absolutely. I liked it A LOT, more than I thought I would, and loved how I felt afterwards. One thing that I really enjoyed about the experience was that it benefitted both my body (I woke up the next day not remotely sore after a grueling work out) and my mind. I enjoyed it so much I did it all again the very next day. I’m really glad I did it again because it didn’t feel AS cold as the day before although it was the same freezing temperature.
Thank you District Cryo for having us! If you’d like more information about their services be sure to check them out online.
I would love to know if you have tried Cryotherapy, Normatec, or Infrared sauna! If you have, what did you think? What did you like or not like about it? Make sure to leave your comments below!
I want to try it I heard a lot bout and I haven’t done much research but. I need to check into it because we have one hear in Columbus G.A…
It sure caught my attention when you said that cryotherapy is extremely cold and that if you hadn’t talked to the person operating the machine, you wouldn’t be able to get through it. My sister is pretty resistant to cold, or at least that is what I would use to describe her. She even walks outside with only a sweatshirt on during the winter. I am sure she will be able to withstand this cryotherapy thing. Anyway, thank you for the info.
I have been interested in giving cryotherapy a try for a while now since I have heard that it benefits the body a lot. That is why I looked it up and saw your article. You mentioned that you have never put on a piece of clothing as fast as you did after your three-minute cryotherapy. That must mean that it’s very cold. Anyway, I will be sure to give it a try since I know I can deal with the cold easily.