The worst thing about seeking wellness in a -60ºC chamber wearing shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt is that it’s only the warm up. After 30 seconds in this frosty antechamber, you will enter a -120ºC cryochamber for an immersion into cold as you’ve never experienced, - even in a Toronto winter. As the lowest recorded temperature on earth is -89.2 °C (in Vostok, Antarctica), cryotherapy is an extreme form of wellness indeed.
What is it?
Whole-body cryotherapy is one of the latest medical spa treatments cropping up in health-conscious Europe. Originally, developed for Eastern European athletes to improve their performance, it has now filtered down to the mainstream population, appealing to those seeking treatment for a variety of problems ranging from arthritis and joint pain to cellulite and even erectile dysfunction.
Head to Slovakia
While Poprad, a city of 55,000 at the base of the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia, may seem an unlikely place for a state-of-the-art cryotherapy centre, Slovakia’s spa industry is surprisingly well-developed. The CryoTherapy Clinic is one of the largest cryo centres in the world, and certainly one of the most glamorous. Attached to AquaCity, a thermal waterpark and hotel complex, the cryo clinic opened in 2006 and has been attracting spa-goers ever since – especially, for some reason, those from Poland.
The benefits
The positive effect of cold temperatures has long been documented. Think ice packs, for example, used to reduce pain and swelling. Cryotherapy, in particular, increases blood flow which combats inflammation, enhances lymph flow and, most fun of all, produces endorphins.
What to expect?
The sleek wood-lined cryochamber resembles a sauna, minus the heater and benches. But don’t be fooled, the arctic air is so cold it stings. Your time is carefully regulated and supervised ... as it should be - two to three minutes is beneficial. Somewhere around eight minutes you would lose coordination; around ten you would die. Don’t panic, though. There’s nothing stopping you from pushing the door open and running out.
How does the body react?
While you are definitely going to shiver, your time in the cryo chamber is so quick that your core isn’t drastically affected. In fact, in such a short time, skin temperature drops to around 2°C, while body temperature only drops by between 0.1°C and 0.2°C.
And then what?
Afterwards, you head to the gym for a requisite 20-minute work, designed to get the blood moving and flush out the free radicals that your cells have released. The effect is immediately energizing, though for long-term benefits a series of 7 sessions is necessary.
The bottom line?
It's the coolest new treatment around.
Where to Stay:
AquaCity offers three onsite accommodation options: the boutique chic 4-star Hotel AquaCity Mountain View, the 3-star AquaCity Seasons and AquaCity Victoria Apartments. All offer free entrance to the water park. Cryotherapy sessions are an additional fee. www.aquacityresort.com
How to get there:
Toronto travellers will need to connect in either London or New York to get to Bratislava. Poprad is approx 4 hours from Bratislava by train and 6.5 from Vienna. For train info visit www.raileurope.com.
Now available in Canada!
There's no denying that Slovakia is a long way to travel from Toronto, but the new Sparkling Hill Resort near Kelowna, B.C. has brought crotherapy one step closer to home.
Comments
Love those fetching outfits...great article!
brrr
Sounds cool...good to know you're not locked in with a timer, though!
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