We use cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen every single day in the office; it is used to remove lesions on the skin, such as actinic keratoses (precancerous lesions), warts, seborrheic keratoses (annoying growths on the skin that may become itchy and bothersome) and even brown spots that we wish to remove cosmetically.  So when we noticed that a cryotherapy business opened in our neighborhood, we knew we had to check it out.  What are the potential benefits of cryotherapy for the entire body?  Can cryotherapy provide cosmetic benefit without treating as strongly as we do in the office (i.e. without the downtime)?  How on earth can a cryotherapy business be situated right next door to a popular near beauty salon?

We are so grateful that Jack from Halo Cryotherapy (in Minnetonka and Edina, MN) invited us in to learn more.  At Halo Cryotherapy, they perform full body and localized cryotherapy, plus they perform the legendary Cryofacial.  We tried out both cryotherapy to the body and the facial treatment – stay tuned for more information on our Cryofacial experience (spoiler: we loved it)… this post is all about the full body cryo that we tried!

Brooke was brave enough to strip down to cotton socks, undergarments and gloves and step into the Cryosauna.  She felt quite cold during the 2-3 minute treatment, but never once uncomfortable.  Whole body cryotherapy at Halo doesn’t include your head – it just kind of sticks out above the cryosauna the whole time – which we found helped to prevent claustrophobia – it also helped that the door remained unlocked and, should she have wanted to, Brooke could have walked right out at anytime! During the treatment, the skin’s surface temperature drops to between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit – in fact, they measure your skin with a fancy little monitoring device just before entering the chamber and immediately after getting out, to confirm that you got the full benefit of the treatment.

The drop in skin temperature stimulates a response in the body, which causes vasoconstriction (decreased blood flow.)  As temperatures in the body rises again, vasodilation occurs and increased blood flow is actually experienced.  Blah blah science talk, we know – what does this mean?! It means that the thermoregulators in your skin talk to your body to ultimately increase blood flow, and therefore oxygenation in different parts of the body.  This response may help to decrease inflammation, promote healing, release ‘feel good’ hormones, and decrease muscle soreness.

Interestingly, it makes sense for Halo Cryotherapy’s Edina location to be right next to a beauty salon – until Brooke tried the treatment, we didn’t realize that it was totally dry!  Her hair looked exactly the same when she came out as when she went in (we know you are looking for the important info!) Halo’s Minnetonka location is within a workout facility, another obvious fit (since cryotherapy may help to improve muscle healing and decrease soreness.)

Whole body cryotherapy was originally introduced to decrease inflammation in the joints to improve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.  We bring you this information on cryotherapy because it is fascinating and exciting – we do not intend to provide medical advice and do not recommend cryotherapy for management of medical conditions.  Of course, speak with your doctor before trying it if you have any of the medical conditions listed here.

We love that there are numerous applications of a similar treatment; cryotherapy in this case.  While our cryotherapy treatment is generally colder and more localized, and has different goals and objectives (and a whole lot of science and proven medicine behind it, of course), we are so intrigued by whole body cryotherapy and can’t wait to get back in that cryosauna to see if it can help with muscle repair and soreness in particular!

More information on our Cryofacial experience coming soon!

Halo Cryotherapy was kind enough to offer YOU a free whole body cryotherapy session – if you let them know that The Skin Sisters sent you!