Why I Go Subzero: Everything You Need to Know about Cryo

Cryotherapy, also known as “cold therapy” is when you expose your body to extremely cold temperatures for several minutes. It has recently taken the wellness world by storm, and for good reason. Cryotherapy is one of the best things we can do for our bodies. I love getting treatment either after a tough a workout, if I’ve had a few too many Nedi Martinis the night before, or if I’m just feeling a little bit run down. However, there are a lot of questions surrounding this treatment, which is why I will tell you everything you need to know about, from what the benefits are, how often you should do it, and where you can get the best cryo treatments in NYC.

Benefits of Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy has countless benefits, and no matter what your wellness goal is, cryotherapy can pretty much help you achieve it.  

Exposure to cold therapy raises a hormone called norepinephrine by 300%, which drops cortisol levels (the stress hormone that shuts down the immune system). Lowering chronic stress can reduce your chances of getting a respiratory tract infection, improve your overall mood, and provide you with increased energy.

Cryotherapy also increases antioxidant levels in the blood, which can have benefits on your skin and decrease inflammation, which can lower chronic pain.  Additionally, the extreme cold can help with weight loss, as reheating the body is said to burn 500-800 calories.

How Often You Should Get Cryo

Just like going to the gym once is not going to make a big difference in your life, it’s the same idea with cryo. Even though going once is likely to make you feel great for the rest of that day (decreased inflammation, relief from muscle soreness, increased energy), if you want to see the long term benefits that cryo can offer, it is best to go more regularly. Everyone is different, so how often you should go varies from person to person. However, cryotherapy is most effective when it’s used as a relatively continuous treatment. So I recommend that you make it a habit, whether it is once a month or once a week.  

Best Places in NYC

Cryofuel  – located in Tribeca, Cryofuel offers full body cryo, cryo facials, and their famous “CryoSkin 2.0 slimming” treatment that will naturally destroy fat cells. If you buy one Full Body Cryo session you get one free!

Quick Cryo – also located in Tribeca, QuickCryo is a gorgeous facility and has the softest robes. They offer local and full body cryo, but they also have an oxygen bar that I like to do before cryotherapy, as it amplifies the effects and helps eliminate free radicals.

Advanced Cryo NYC– they have two convenient locations – one in SoHo in and the other at Astor. Advanced Cryo is great for their competitive pricing and wonderful service.