Class: Silver M-Cryo 

Location: CryoZone Santa Monica

Work-out: Cryotherapy

Difficulty: N/A

Next day soreness: 0

Duration: 2.5 min in the chamber, entire session is about 10 min

Sweat Level: No sweat

Parking: metered street parking

Amenities:  swag for purchase, gloves, boots provided

Requirements for class: no lotions or moisture (including sweat) on body

This is the second time I’ve done cryotherapy and I still haven’t decided if I’m sold on the effects. Mainly because people who feel results claim that you have to go back for several sessions, and I hate the cold so much that the idea of continuously subjecting my self to -240 degree temperature is not at all appealing.

Cryotherapy is supposed to reduce muscle inflammation, improve body circulation, boost metabolism and more. Read more on it here and here. However, the practice is still so new that many of these claims have not been fully tested and verified by the medical community. Did I have any adverse effects after my sessions? No. Did I feel better? Hard to say. However, I did feel extra hungry afterwards, so maybe the metabolism-boosting part can be verified by my personal experience.

As for CryoZone specifically, the facilities were clean and the staff were very nice. They allow a friend to go into the chamber with you, and they talk to you the entire time so you don’t have to think about how cold you are and how many seconds are left in the chamber. When you do your session, you strip down to your underwear and put on gloves and boots to keep your hands and feet warm, and then step into the chamber. There is a platform you stand on that adjusts to leave only your head outside of the chamber. Then, the machine cools down the chamber to about -240 degrees Fahrenheit, and you wait it out for about 2.5 minutes. I was told that the Silver-M style is best for beginners; the temperature gets lower but the intensity of the cold is less on the skin. CryoZone also offers another type –  Black Impact, which feels more biting on the skin, but the temperature doesn’t get as cold because it feels more intense. I opted for Silver since I am a baby when it comes to cold. If you’re curious about it, CryoZone is available on ClassPass, which is great. However, I would do my research before going to decide if it’s right for you!