“Why would you do that?” is the reply I got from a friend when I texted her that I was on my way to a cryotherapy session. I shrugged, suspecting that’s a fairly common reaction from those that have never tried cold treatments.

Think what you will about standing naked in a -85°C chamber for two minutes straight (up to three minutes after your first session). But this treatment has become a fascination for many, and there is research to back it up.

While endorsements from some of the most admired Hollywood actresses certainly help put cryotherapy on the wellness map (cue Sienna Miller and Jennifer Aniston), cold treatments aren’t exactly new. Athletes have been plunging into ice baths for decades (dating back to the 1960s!) to speed up recovery and reduce inflammation.

Maria Ensabella opened her first LondonCryo eight years ago. Now, with three clinics open across London (City, Belgravia, and St. John’s Wood), it was time to put pen into paper and immortalise the benefits so many of her clients get to experience in her new book, Reinventing Cool.

Reinventing Cool: A new cryotherapy bible

“I feel a lot of people still don’t know about cryotherapy,” Maria shares. “ I have done all the studies and have real life cases, so I thought it was time for someone to put a guide for everybody out there, including other clinics across the world.”

The book is designed for everyone: wellness professionals, spa owners, fitness enthusiasts, and curious first-timers. The only thing you can’t get from the book is the experience of cryo itself.

So, what do two minutes of freezing cold feel like? And—most importantly—what does the experience really do for your body?

Before the cold

LondonCryo offers many wellness treatments, but infrared sauna is typically paired with whole body cryotherapy for the full hot-and-cold effect. So before my cryotherapy session, I had the pleasure to fully unwind in a private room with my own infrared sauna.

I stayed in the sauna for about 25 minutes (veterans can handle up to 45). While the heat did start to build up, it wasn’t the suffocating blast you get from traditional saunas—it was much slower and deeper.

Now, if you think a 10km run or a CrossFit session makes you sweat – you are in for a treat. You will sweat so much that you’re given an electrolyte-rich drink to rehydrate. And then comes the best part.

The two coldest minutes of my life

We can all agree that stepping into -85°C air in nothing but socks and slippers isn’t your average Friday afternoon activity. But was I excited to try it out.

As I stepped into the cabin, it started to fill with a dry mist of cold vapor. Your head, chest, and arms need to stay outside the cabin, so the platform you step in automatically adjusts to your height—lifting you just enough to keep your upper body above the cold fog.

The cold clung to me and my skin prickled, but after a few seconds, it actually stopped feeling aggressive and started to feel oddly invigorating. My mind went into focus mode and I almost made peace with the controlled discomfort that comes from the temperature shock.

Though I admit counting down the last 10 seconds, the entire two minutes weren’t nearly as painful as they look to be. Stepping out, I felt a refreshing burst of energy, which Maria says is a typical immediate effect.

The benefits of cryotherapy

“If there’s one thing everybody gets from doing one session of cryo is they have a great night’s sleep,” Maria shares. But there are more benefits to the body than just instant or same-day effects.

Those that have autoimmune diseases, for example, start to feel less pain after a few months of regular sessions (four to five sessions a week). “It lowers cortisol levels so people feel less stress. And the magic thing about it, it also helps to lower inflammation in the body.”

That was the case of a LondonCryo client who suffers from spondyloarthritis (arthritis of the spine). After enduring 20 years of chronic pain, she decided to try cryotherapy a few days a week. “It is a godsend and I want to cry with joy at the relief. I don’t like taking drugs for the pain, so this truly does feel like a miracle.“

This cold treatment is also highly effective for treating injuries. One LondonCryo client, who broke her ankle during a skiing trip, found immediate relief after combining cryotherapy with hyperbaric treatments. The swelling and inflammation reduced, and she was able to get back to skiing 8 weeks later pain free.

Of course, the benefits of whole body cryotherapy come with a price tag – on average, a session can cost anywhere from £60 to £150 depending on location. It adds up if you are looking to do multiple sessions, but clinics often offer membership deals or set packages.

For example, LondonCryo has a “fire and ice” package available for £99 (Infrared and cryo combined) and, if you’re a new client, you can try a cryo session for £59. You can also sign up to their membership programme, which starts at £149 and includes credits to four core services, including cryo, infrared sauna and more (the choice is yours) as well as discounts on other services. You can find more info here.

There’s also an alternative for those seeking similar cold effects at a typically lower price point: the ice bath. Ice baths are everywhere, and they are especially popular among athletes. But they’re more different from cryotherapy than you might think.

“An ice bath helps you build resilience. You’re going to feel amazing and much more alert. It’s also great for your immune system and internal defenses, ” Maria shares. “But the only thing is it doesn’t help to lower inflammation in the body. That’s the bonus and the magic of cryo. It reaches minus one hundred degrees very fast.”

Mind over matter

For those worried about the two-minute freezing experience, Maria assures that it is more mind over matter. “You’ll get really cold, but once you step outside, that’s when the magic happens. Your blood cells open up, so all that oxygenated blood will float to areas where you’ve got muscle soreness sense or any inflammation in the body.” That’s the feeling that, according to Maria, everybody comes back for.

There are very few cases where cryo isn’t recommended, including for pregnant women, individuals with high blood pressure, those with a pacemaker, or those with circulation issues such as Raynaud’s disease.

As for the ideal frequency of the treatment, in Maria’s words, “everyone has their cryo journey” so it very much depends on your health needs and goals.

“If you are someone who’s having trouble sleeping, we would advise you to come four or five times a week and come in the afternoon. That’s best’s time because the physiological effects of cryo will happen for the next three hours.”

One session will give you a good night’s sleep, but if you’re doing it for wellness and for recovery and longevity, then you need to do it over a period of time.

Freezing our way to better health

The benefits of cryotherapy can be as simple as post-workout recovery or energy boosting, but this treatment is clearly effective for long-term health concerns too, including autoimmune conditions and chronic inflammation.

So why not embed cryotherapy into our routines in the same way we schedule in a gym session? That’s the vision Maria has for the future. “I’d like people to incorporate cryo into their life the same way they do having a gym membership or doing sauna.”

As more research comes out, this cold therapy could eventually move beyond wellness clinics and find its place in hospitals and medical treatments, too. Until then, it’s still the coolest way to give your body a reset—literally.