I used my Groupon for the cryotherapy session at CryoNC and it was what I was expecting based on what I read on their website. The setup was inside of a Chiropractor’s office not too far away from where my PT session was right before. The technician, Garrett, met me immediately with a welcoming smile and handshake and processed me in very quickly. After completing the “if-you-die-don’t-sue-us” waiver, I was then directed to a little room to change into shorts/boxers, put on thick socks and little slipper shoes. I provided the shorts, they provided the footwear. Then I was guided over to the cryo chamber and it was adjusted for my height using different thickness of foam pads to stand on. Then I was given two oven mitt looking gloves and the door was closed.
There were two large tanks of liquid nitrogen behind the device that fed gas into and around my body. At first it felt like walking into a commercial walk in freezer, then it got colder, and colder, and at a minute and a half, it was REALLY COLD. The session is usually 3 minutes and once I knew that I was at the halfway point, I settled in and owned it.
So, I didn’t die and there was no frostbite. Garrett said that 3 minutes is the max time allowed, however there was 3 levels to choose from. This was level 1…..I can’t wait to see what level 3 is like! Using an infrared thermometer pointed at my leg, I reported at 65 degree skin temperature.
While getting dressed, I noticed my skin was red, mostly around the top of my waistline where I have a little extra body fat. Nothing serious and no discomfort.
Garrett said they offer a “Freeze and Squeeze” option which combines the Cryo session with some time in the leg compression therapy Normatec device. I figured I had a few minutes and my legs could use some extra love after the increased miles lately. Definitely will put this in my toolbox for when training miles ramp up.
While in the squeeze, Groupon alerted me to the option of buying the Cryro session deal again. I talked to Garrett about purchasing directly from him instead. Groupon gets a pretty hefty cut, I rather him get the most from my purchase. 3 more sessions bought!
I was warmed up before the 15 minutes were up and as the day progressed I felt really, really good. It was a nice warm feeling that usually comes after hot yoga. Seems counter intuitive, but I guess getting really cold, makes you warm. There is some interesting information in the book that I started about brown fat and how it it used to generate heat. Brown fat also uses white fat more directly as a fuel source. This is good to know and I will schedule my 3 other sessions to try and maximize that burn.