This place and staff are amazing, knowledgeable, and personable! I enjoy my visits and the exercises/stretches they recommend I do at home until my next session.
Whole Body Cryotherapy
Washington D.C. Whole Body Cryotherapy
Start feeling your best in just 3 minutes! That’s all it takes. Recover faster, heal your injuries, and relieve pain—quickly and safely. Experience the benefits of whole body cryotherapy, the key to better healing.
Tell Me More About Whole Body Cryotherapy
Whole body cryotherapy is a therapeutic application of extremely cold, dry air (between −130°F and −184°F) that aids in recovery and healing.
It was first developed in Japan in the 1970s. Decades of advances followed, and today, it’s used to treat everything from inflammation to sports injuries and arthritis and even skin conditions like psoriasis.
Using cold therapy to treat ailments has been around for much longer— ancient Egyptians used it to treat injuries and inflammation. And in the 19th century, cold therapy was used to control pain and treat cancer.
How Does Cryotherapy Heal My Body?
Cryotherapy stimulates the body’s natural healing abilities to help:
- Reduce inflammation and swelling
- Decrease joint and muscle pain
- Heal injuries
- Restore muscles
- Improve sleeping
- Reverse the signs of aging
What Is the Treatment Like?
You’ll spend up to three minutes standing inside the cryotherapy chamber. There’s no moisture—your body will stay dry during the treatment while you’re surrounded by chilled air.
You might be surprised to learn that a single cryotherapy treatment can burn up to 800 calories, the equivalent of a 45-minute run. Why? Your body has a natural response to freezing and begins working hard to try to heat you up.
Cryotherapy Q&A
A rush of invigorating, very cold air will surround your body. Because your body stays dry, you will not feel as if you are freezing, but you may find the sensation strange at first.
You can wear your undergarments as long as there is no metal (such as an underwire bra). We provide you with protection for your hands and feet, and your face and head are not submerged.
Yes, it’s absolutely safe—the liquid nitrogen chilling agent never touches your skin. There’s also an auto shut-off timer at 3 minutes, and if at any time you feel uncomfortable, you can step out the chamber’s unlocked door.
Although it’s called whole body cryotherapy, your head remains outside of the chamber, and you have the freedom to move around. You can also open the door at any time if you feel uncomfortable.
Cryotherapy releases your body’s endorphins, and you’ll feel alert and energetic for about six to eight hours. Inflammation will decrease within a few minutes or hours, and your body will feel more flexible. This can last for several hours or days. Some people also experience better sleep after cryotherapy.
Whole body cryotherapy is most effective when done regularly. The number of treatments can vary depending on the results you’re looking for—typically two or three a week are sufficient for most people. For professional athletes in the midst of rigorous training, cryotherapy can be done up to twice a day. Some athletes go daily for 10 days and then twice a month afterward.
Cryotherapy is a ‘dry’ cold applied to the surface of your skin to accelerate healing. It works by slowing the blood flow to the injured area to reduce swelling and pain.
An ice bath is a ‘wet’ cold that’s immersive and penetrates deeper. Because there’s moisture on your body, you’ll feel much colder than you would in the dry cold of a cryotherapy chamber.
