I Tried Cryotherapy | Here's What I Thought

March 4, 2018 - 

One of my favorite things about living in the city, is that there’s always something new to do. I love finding new restaurants and cute coffee shops, trying out different workout classes, and most recently I’ve really been into trying out different health and fitness treatments. Over the past few months, I’ve seen lots of buzz around something called cryotherapy, so over the weekend I decided to see for myself what it’s all about.

Essentially, cryotherapy is a three minute long treatment, during which you stand in a very cold full body chamber. Oh and by cold I mean -250ºf… yikes! It’s like a revamped version on an ice bath: way colder, but for less time. This process draws blood to the heart and vital organs, which allows it to become more oxygenated and nutrient-dense. Once the blood is pumped back through the body, it reduces inflammation, improves muscle tissue recovery, boosts the immune system and metabolism, and can help with insomnia. All good outcomes, but it still sounds pretty scary!

I was inclined to try this treatment because I deal with a lot of pain due to inflammation in my joints, as well as insomnia. Most of this is just due to stress, but as a college student stress is pretty much inevitable, so I’m always looking for ways to manage it.

So, on Friday morning I headed to cryofuel, a health spa in lower Manhattan, and gave it a go.

MY EXPERIENCE //

I was greeted at the door by two super friendly employees, who helped me get all signed in and answered any questions that I had. Then, I went to the dressing room and changed into a robe and some really funky looking shoes and gloves, and was ready to start the treatment. Ok so I’m not even going to try to sugarcoat this. It’s cold – like the kind of cold that takes your breath away. But it’s also only a three minute treatment, so it is bearable.

THE RESULTS //

After I finished, I warmed up really quickly and immediately noticed that my neck and back (two problem areas for me) felt really good. I also felt very refreshed and energized. After I left, I pretty much went about my normal daily routine, making sure to remain conscious of how I was feeling throughout the day. I’m not sure if this had anything to do with cryotherapy, but I was exhausted at the end of the day – I crashed at like 8:30. I got in bed early and slept so well.

Cryotherapy is supposed to help with insomnia, and this was definitely the most noticeable outcome for me. Lately, I’ve had a really hard time falling asleep, and wake up a few times throughout the night, but after the treatment, I had a really good night’s sleep (which was so needed)

FINAL VERDICT //

Cryotherapy definitely isn’t cheap, but it’s also not that expensive compared to some of the other treatments out there. So will I be going back every week? Probably not, but it’s definitely worth going in every now and then if you’re looking to treat yourself.

-sb