Time to chill
It’s time to chill out and test cryotherapy: the latest health trend to be sweeping the nation
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to become a human ice cube? Well now you can find out thanks to cryotherapy, a new form of treatment that uses liquid nitrogen and ultra-cold temperatures to help patients recover from injury, fight pain and increase their general wellbeing. Originally invented in Japan, these treatments have recently boomed in the USA and are now available this side of the Atlantic too, with everyone from top-level athletes to stay-at-home mums having a go.
LondonCryo is one of the first places in the UK to offer full-body treatments. Here, I’m asked to strip down to my underwear and climb into a large chamber that resembles something out of a science-fiction film. It is, in fact, a special padded refrigeration tank in which liquid nitrogen is used to quickly plunge the occupant into temperatures of -130C. Sessions only last a maximum of three minutes, but after a few seconds my teeth start to chatter uncontrollably.
‘Your body is now entering what we call fight-or-flight mode,’ explains LondonCryo founder Maria Ensabella. ‘When the temperature inside the chamber drops under -110C, the body is tricked into thinking it’s going into hypothermia. That’s when survival mode kicks in. This reoxygenates the blood, replenishes it with nutrients, flushes out toxins and releases endorphins – the feel-good hormones.’
It is thought cryotherapy could offer many health benefits – although none are scientifically proven. Some claim it aids soft tissue repair, and can help with pain management for chronic diseases such as arthritis by reducing inflammation. There are even suggestions it could boost your immune system when you first catch a cold, or help with weight loss.
When my three minutes are up, I exit the chamber in a cloud of vapour and wrap myself in a robe. I feel relieved to be back at room temperature, and my body quickly warms back up. I’m aware of a surging heat in my chest, as well as tingling skin. It’s not an unpleasant sensation, and for the rest of the day I feel full of energy.
Currently there are only a few cryotherapy centres in the UK, but Ensabella says there are plans for more to open across the country. The potential benefits this form of treatment offers are attractive but, regardless, getting frozen a unique experience. There’s no denying that I’m forever more one of the cool kids…
