I Tried Cryotherapy and It Was Freezing!
Yahoo Beauty editor in chief Bobbi Brown gets frozen for science and beauty. (Photo: Getty)
I had heard a lot about cryotherapy and its many health and beauty benefits. The treatment has been in the news lately because of athletes like LeBron James, who used it to recover between NBA games, and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who has his own chamber. I also hear Yoko Ono is a regular client and Lindsey Lohan just Instagrammed her experience. I heard about cryotherapy from nutritionist Tricia Williams, who recommends it to many of her clients. The treatment originated in Europe, where it was originally used to help with recovery from knee-replacement surgery. Other benefits include better sleep, stress reduction, increased metabolism, inflammation, and improved skin tone. The KryoLife center in Manhattan says the treatment can also help “mitigate depression, improve athletic performance, and reduce the signs of aging.”
Cryotherapy sessions are between one and three minutes, depending on how long you can tolerate the extreme cold. Before you step into a small chamber, you strip down to your undies and don white sport socks, clogs, and wool mittens. Your head is sticking out, so the -264°F cold just zaps your body. The first time, I did just two minutes and 30 seconds, but I did the full three minutes for my additional sessions. It wasn’t painful, just insanely cold. I used mind games like counting or looking to the ceiling to not focus on the freezing temperatures. There is always someone with you to encourage you to stick with it. The immense relief when the machine was turned off was just plain euphoric. I felt great immediately afterward (though I’m not sure if it was just because I wasn’t cold anymore). Seriously, I felt an almost addictive feeling of wellness for most of the day.
I often spoke to the other clients in the waiting room, and I heard a lot of positive feedback, sometimes quite a chatter, actually. Because cryotherapy helps with muscle aches and pains, many clients are athletes. The people who do it seem really devoted. One man had come every day for months and lost 10 pounds — just through cryotherapy, because it raises your metabolism so much.
The center recommends that you do at least 10 sessions within three weeks. I did all 10. I have to admit, I did feel a little less inflamed and my clothes felt a little looser. I had been having pain in my joints, and that definitely subsided. However, now that it has been a few weeks, I think this is something you definitely have to make a commitment to and do regularly if you want to experience all of the many benefits.
Another offering is Kyro-Facial. The good news is that you are fully dressed and lying on a comfortable table. It’s cold on your face, but it’s both comfortable and relaxing. Afterward your skin feels clear and tight and lifted.
I will definitely go back for another session when they open the new location closer to my office. Maybe I’ll do it in the middle of the summer …
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