Cryotherapy: What To Expect

This year, I’ve been really into shopping around for different & fun health and fitness experiences, to see what works for me. Recently, I tried out a new procedure that I’m officially obsessed with. I’m sure you read the title and know exactly what I’m talking about: Cryotherapy.

First of all, I’ll explain why I wanted to give this a try in the first place. Cryotherapy is amazing for sore muscles & joints; which I’ve been dealing with due to exercise, stress, and being on my feet all day. I wanted to give it a try to see if it helped at all with the pain I’ve been experiencing.

If you’re not sure what exactly whole body cryotherapy is, prepare yourself: it’s cold! To be frank, you get in a -250 degree tube for 3 minutes. As crazy as that sounds, it’s not unbearable. Your body acts as though it is literally freezing, so your blood starts to pool in the center of your body. Once you step out after 3 minutes, your blood rushes back into the rest of your body and sends adrenaline and endorphins to your brain.

I want to explain my experience with you guys, in case you’re interested in giving it a go yourself! First of all, price. Prices obviously differ depending on where you live and what facility you go to, so browse around for the one that works best for you! Most places will/should give you discount for your first session. A typical session in the Indianapolis area is around $45, especially at a professional sports medicine clinic. I went to Cryotherapy Indy.

Now, what to expect once you arrive for your first session. After signing a waiver, you’ll be brought back to your Cryotherapy room by one of their specialists. Make sure you mention it’s your first time, just so you make sure to make all the proper precautions! You then will strip down and slip on one of their provided robes. It is up to you whether you wear undergarments, I was told it didn’t matter either way! You then need to wear gloves, socks and sandals to protect yourself from the extreme temperatures. Even if there’s a tiny bit of moisture on your socks from the start of your day, make sure to change into ones they have provided for you. I’m sure you can guess what happens to any sort of moisture at -250 degrees!

Once I was changed and ready, the specialist stepped back into the room and had me step into the machine.

I’m not sure if this is the case at all places, but the specialist stayed in the room with me the entire session, in order to run the machine.

Once you step in, you lose the robe and the session begins! The platform that you stand on raises up the perfect height so that your neck and face are coming out the top of all the liquid nitrogen. From then on, the temperature is obviously extremely cold but to be honest, it’s not that bad! I think the adrenaline, and having the woman to talk to and distract me, made the time fly by!

After the 3 minutes is up, you get your robe back and step out. I kid you not, all the pain in my knees, shins & wrist vanished. Cryotherapy reduces inflammation and accelerates healing in your muscles. I truly felt the effects instantly and the pain stayed away until the next time I trained, of course.

Another reason why I want to continue to go to cryotherapy is that it has amazing beauty & anti-aging benefits! It increases your metabolism and is estimated that you burn 500-800 calories in one single, 3 minute, session. It also detoxifies, accelerates your skin’s rejuvenation process, firms your skin & increases collagen production. Sign me up!

Have you ever tried Cryotherapy before? I’m officially hooked!