What would you like to know about Cryotherapy?
Most Popular Questions
Cryotherapy is a fast and healthy process that accelerates the body’s natural recovery while improving overall wellbeing and energising the body. Cryotherapy is a dry, noninvasive, process that lowers a person’s skin temperature to 5ºC during a session of up to 180 seconds. Whilst inside the Cryo Sauna, the body is enveloped by mist pulsating at a temperature of -140ºC.
When it’s time for treatment, a client will strip down to the undergarments in our private changing rooms and then put on warm mittens & slippers to protect the most vulnerable extremities from the threat of frostbite, as well as a robe.
When the client steps into the cryo sauna for their treatment, the door will shut and the floor will be raised until the client’s head is exposed. That’s when the three-minute treatment begins and the ultra-cooled nitrogen gas is released, triggering thermoreceptors in the dermis which sends electrical impulses to the brain and central nervous system, sending the body into “Survival Mode”. This process sends hyper-oxygenated and nutritious blood to the body’s vital organs in its core.
When the three minutes are up, the client steps out of the chamber and the body immediately begins to warm up to its natural temperature. Vasodilation begins, sending the oxygenated and nutritious blood back out to the body’s periphery. This process provides the body with extra nutrients, rids the body of toxins, produces collagen and activates the body’s natural cell regeneration cycle to produce newer, healthier cells. The end results: a reduction in discomfort & pain in areas of inflammation.
He first started using freezing treatments on his arthritis patients for pain management. What Dr. Yamaguchi found was that his patients experienced a significant reduction in soreness and joint pain after the drastic temperature decrease of the outer layers of skin.
These patients experienced a huge release of endorphins as a result of the cold treatment, leading to a reduced sensitivity to pain and decreased inflammation. Throughout the 1980s, Dr. Yamaguchi and his team found that exposure to rapid, short-term freezing temperatures produce a non-invasive approach to effectively managing pain.
Cold bath cryotherapy has been around since ancient times, but it was only in the 1970s that the application of cold by ice bladder, or cold spray, began to interest scientists. The Japanese were the first to develop a scientific methodology to evaluate the results obtained by lowering the skin temperature: it was a Japanese doctor, Dr. Yamaguchi, who developed the cryotherapy chamber in 1978, a chamber where the temperature dropped to -164°C thanks to the injection of nitrogen air.
He first started using freezing treatments on his arthritis patients for pain management. What Dr. Yamaguchi found was that his patients experienced a significant reduction in soreness and joint pain after the drastic temperature decrease of the outer layers of skin.
These patients experienced a huge release of endorphins as a result of the cold treatment, leading to a reduced sensitivity to pain and decreased inflammation. Throughout the 1980s, Dr. Yamaguchi and his team found that exposure to rapid, short-term freezing temperatures produce a non-invasive approach to effectively managing pain.
Men: Dry socks, slippers, gloves (provided by Apollo Cryo) and your briefs/shorts.
Women: Dry socks, slippers, gloves (provided by Apollo Cryo) and your undergarments or bathing suit. Don’t worry because one of our certified operators will ensure you are wearing proper attire.
Benefits & Results
It doesn’t take very long to start experiencing the benefits of Cryotherapy. During the first few moments your brain releases endorphins and adrenaline into your body as your skin temperature drops down.
The Cryotherapy chamber here in Apollo Cryo provides short-term results in just three minutes. After treatment your capillaries expand delivering oxygen-rich and nutrient dense blood throughout the body. This greatly increases the speed of recovery. Users feel this as a pleasant tingling sensation and the effects can last six to eight hours.
Whole Body Cryotherapy stimulates the body to release endorphins, the hormones that make us feel alert and energetic. The energising effects from each session typically last six to eight hours post treatment. The more treatments you do in close succession, the longer the endorphin high lasts. Many clients also report improvements in their sleep quality after Cryotherapy. Muscle aches and stiff joints also feel a sense of relief.
Either! Cryotherapy before exercise or a race/event will heighten both your physical and mental performance by improving blood flow and oxygenation, boosting the metabolic rate and activating adrenaline and endorphin release. You will have more energy, stamina and less pain.
Several people, including A-list celebrities (whose job it is to look youthful) use cryotherapy as part of their anti-aging regimens since it helps with cellular regeneration, collagen production and circulation.
Once you leave the cryosauna, your newly-enriched oxygenated blood courses through your body, which helps the body’s natural ability to produce collagen.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body, found in muscles, bones, skin and tendons. It’s what makes our skin elastic (youthful!), strong and helps regenerate new skin cells. As we age, our collagen production slows down. Toxins like smoking and sun exposure also deplete collagen levels.
For best results it is recommended that client’s get Cryotherapy 2 to 3 times per week. It is safe to do up to 2 cryotherapy treatments per day but is only recommended for those in heavy training or rehabilitation.
Not exactly! Cryotherapy takes only 3 minutes vs an ice bath which can take anywhere from 15-20. Cryotherapy gets down to -184-degrees Fahrenheit, while an ice bath doesn’t make it below 50-degrees unless you were to sit in it for close to 30 minutes! Also, Cryotherapy uses dry cold to reduce the skin’s temperature while an ice bath uses wet cold which can cause muscle tissue to congeal making them pretty immobile.
Side Effects & queries
Not to worry! Since the cold from Whole Body Cryotherapy only penetrates the surface of the skin, you will experience a chill to the outer surface of your body. Your vital organs, muscles and tissues will all remain at their normal body temperature. Cryotherapy improves circulation throughout the body and stimulates production of brown fat, so your future ability to tolerate cold should improve.
No. The immediate cold impact of the cryotherapy will raise the internal body temperature for a short period of time. The stimulation of the immune system can help decrease the severity and frequency of future colds.
Yes. Cryotherapy involves dry, hyper-cooled air flowing over the skin surface, so the process never freezes skin tissues, muscles or organs. The result is only a “feeling” of being cold. The body is being tricked into believing that this extreme cold is life threatening. Cryotherapy is a dry cold with no moisture and tolerable even to those who consider themselves cold intolerant. Towards the end of the treatment, you may get a “pins and needles” sensation like it is falling asleep which will dissipate after the treatment.
During a session, your head remains above the top rim of the cabin to allow constant communication with the certified operator. Cryotherapy is a very safe and beneficial experience – you can wear your own undergarments and dry socks and Apollo will provide you with protective gloves and slippers keep you safe. Our staff will be on-hand to ensure your experience is the best it can be!
Cooled Nitrogen gas is very dry, so the feeling is not comparable to very cool water — it actually feels less uncomfortable and cold for this reason. The process of Cryotherapy never freezes the skin or soft tissue; the sensation of coldness is what actually drives the systemic response.
There a few things which may inhibit your ability to use cryotherapy. These include but are not limited to; pregnancy, high blood pressure, recent heart attacks, cardiovascular disease, lung disorders and others. If your are unsure, consult your doctor before booking a session.
