Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is something I’m sure has been on the scene for a while, but just like everything, of course, I’m late to the party. So I heard about this process from my good friend Will, Will Smith...from Will Smith’s Instagram account. I was so fascinated after his post about it; I decided to research it for myself. Cryotherapy is the use of extreme cold for medical treatment. It has a ton of benefits including decreasing muscle soreness, spasms, and inflammation. It stimulates collagen in the deeper layers of the skin; it can also help you burn between 500-800 calories a session, boost your metabolism, and increases blood circulation.

The process:

Ok, the whole interaction from start to finish took about 10 minutes total. I walked in this super chic minimalist style spa called Thrive Drip Spa; I was escorted past this living room set up with recliners and IV stands. I was taken to this secluded room, and a nurse greeted me. Jorge, the nurse, informed me that only the Thrive socks, boots, and gloves are to be worn in the cryo chamber. So... yes. I get in the chamber, and first, they blast you with heat to dry off the skin. That part felt amazing like I was a baby chick in an incubator. Suddenly, the tantalizing heat stops and dry ice- like steam fills the chamber. It was such an awkward experience being entirely in the buff talking to the random, but beautiful nurse, Jorge. I felt like a villain from Antartica, every time I would laugh at his jokes smoke would rise from above and put a hazy wall in between us. This cryotherapy session only lasted three minutes, but it felt like forever!

Step 1: Release Toxins

During a 3 minute session around -250° F, blood vessels in your skin’s surface and muscle tissue move towards your core. In the core, the body’s natural filtration system works to remove toxins and inflammatory properties of the blood.

Step 2: Replenish oxygen

After exiting the cryo, filtered blood flows back to the peripheral tissues. Now, cleaner and enriched with oxygen, nutrients, and enzymes – the blood warms and enhances skin and muscles, and range of motion increases.

Step 3: Renew Energy

Over the next 24 hours, the process of restoration occurs, and the body returns to a former and better state or condition with reduced pain and inflammation, and increased energy levels. Recovery times from strenuous workouts and injury are improved and shortened.

Would I recommend?

If you are an athlete I would recommend, I could see where it would help with muscle tension + aid with bounce back after workouts. There are different cryo-intensity levels to match your workout intensity. If you’re not an athlete, I would still recommend trying it, even if it is for fun. It took me a little over an hour to regulate my body temperature, especially in my joints, but you can only benefit from this treatment, so I give it two icy thumbs up.