Austin Cryotherapy Treatments Offer Pain, Allergy Relief With Frigid Cold

whole body cryotherapy session at Recovery Zone

Hands and feet are protected during a whole body cryotherapy session (Credit: Recovery Zone)

Never in my wildest dreams did I think standing in negative 240 degrees – nekkid – would make me feel so good.

People in Austin are annoyingly healthy. We run, spin, swim and bootcamp. With a physically active lifestyle, though, comes injuries. I had a running injury that cost me hundreds of dollars in physical therapy (which didn’t work), so I asked my favorite instructor at Castle Hill Fitness what I should do. “Try cryotherapy,” she told me.

I found a location near me on West 6th Street, Recovery Zone Cryo, and tried it out. Then I raved about how good I felt to anyone who’d listen. (Mind you, my running injury was going on two years and I was finally finding relief. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops.) Below are some questions friends asked about my cool experience, along with my answers.

Is Cryotherapy Painful?

L-R: Pro BMXers Dennis Enarson, Chase Hawk, Russ Barone and Recovery Zone owner, Justin Smith
(Credit: Recovery Zone)

No, cryotherapy doesn’t hurt. It’s more of a shocking feeling. Apparently, in temps that frigid, all the blood in your body rushes to your heart and brain in order to keep you alive. So I temporarily lost feeling everywhere else. Isn’t biology grand?

How Much and How Long?

There are multiple cryotherapy businesses in town, which makes for a bit of friendly competition regarding price. I paid $45 at Recovery Zone for a whole body session. I also did a localized treatment, which was $25. Most cryo studios offer memberships and discounts for groups.

What Happened Afterwards?

Austinot Editor Brittany Highland tried cryo therapy at Austin's first cryo studio,

Austinot Editor Brittany Highland tried cryotherapy at Austin’s first cryo sauna, CryoStudio of Austin

I got all the tingles after my session. And I was hungry…borderline hangry. That’s because a three-minute cryo session can burn 500-700 calories. I also got goosebumps all day long (which was kind of fun) and slept like a rock. If you do cryo on a regular basis (a couple times per week), you may experience faster muscle recovery, cellulite reduction and relief from allergies when you do cryo facials. To learn more about the science behind cryotherapy, check out Brittany’s post from 2012, “I Withstood 220 Degrees Below Zero at CryoStudio of Austin.”

Appointments are easy to schedule because sessions are only a few minutes long (three minutes for whole-body, five to eight minutes for localized sessions). Recovery Zone is offering a free first-time client special, too. Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

@ATX_Adrienne wants to know:

Have you tried cryotherapy in Austin yet?