I walked into a cryotherapy center last year for my first session. The technician — who looked about 22 — handed me a waiver, pointed at the chamber, and said, "Get in. Three minutes. You'll feel great."
No health history. No questions about medications. No mention of contraindications. Just a waiver and a thumb's up.
I walked out. Not because I was scared of the cold. Because I'm a chemist, and when someone puts me in a chamber that drops to -250°F without asking if I have Raynaud's disease, cardiovascular issues, or cold urticaria, they don't take their job seriously enough for me to trust them with my body.
I found a better center. The experience was completely different. And that gap — between the "cryo lounge" and the legitimate clinic — is the reason I'm writing this.
What Actually Happens During Whole-Body Cryotherapy
Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) exposes your body to extremely cold air — typically nitrogen-cooled to -150°F to -300°F — for 2-4 minutes. Your head either stays above the chamber (in a cryosauna) or is fully enclosed (in a walk-in cryochamber with progressive cooling rooms).
The physiological response is a rapid vasoconstriction of surface blood vessels, followed by a massive vasodilation when you exit. Your body releases norepinephrine — a 2000 European study (PMID: 10751106) documented a 200-300% increase in norepinephrine after cold exposure — which is the neurotransmitter behind the mood elevation and alertness you feel post-session. Anti-inflammatory cytokine profiles shift as well, with IL-10 (anti-inflammatory) increasing and IL-2 and IL-8 (pro-inflammatory) decreasing (PMID: 20524715).
A 2021 review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (PMID: 33670813) summarized the clinical evidence: the strongest data supports WBC for exercise recovery, pain reduction in inflammatory conditions (particularly rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia), and mood improvement. The evidence for "fat burning" and "anti-aging" is weak to nonexistent.
Cryosauna vs. Walk-In Cryochamber: It Matters
There are two fundamentally different types of cryotherapy equipment, and most consumers don't know the difference.
Cryosauna (single-person, head-out): Your body enters a cylindrical chamber while your head stays above the rim. These use liquid nitrogen to cool the air around you. The temperature is extremely low (-200 to -300°F), but your head — and therefore your core temperature sensors — is at room temperature. Most of the physiological response is peripheral (skin and surface vessels).
Walk-in cryochamber (electric, full-body): You walk into a room — usually through two or three progressively colder antechambers. These use electric cooling (no nitrogen). Temperatures are typically -166°F to -220°F. Your entire body, including your head, is exposed. The thermal stress reaches the hypothalamus directly, triggering a stronger central nervous system response.
The research distinction matters. Most European clinical studies — where the evidence is strongest — used walk-in electric cryochambers. Most U.S. centers use nitrogen cryosaunas, which are cheaper to install and operate. They're not equivalent, and any center claiming they are isn't being honest about the literature.
The 7-Point Checklist Before You Book
After visiting 11 cryotherapy centers across five states, here's what separates the good from the sketchy:
1. Health screening. Before your first session, someone should ask about: cardiovascular conditions, Raynaud's disease, cold urticaria, uncontrolled hypertension, seizure disorders, pregnancy, deep vein thrombosis, and current medications. If they skip this, leave. A 2019 safety review in the European Journal of Applied Physiology (PMID: 30357531) documented adverse events primarily in patients with unscreened contraindications.
2. Staffing credentials. The technician operating the chamber should have formal training — not just the manufacturer's one-day orientation. Ask what their certification covers. In states without cryotherapy-specific regulation (most of them), this is entirely self-governed, which means your due diligence is the only quality control.
3. Equipment maintenance records. Cryosaunas require regular maintenance — nitrogen systems need pressure checks, temperature calibration, and safety valve testing. Ask when the equipment was last serviced. If they can't tell you, that's a problem.
4. Emergency protocols. What happens if you become dizzy, pass out, or have an adverse reaction? Is there a panic button? Is someone physically present the entire time? In 2015, a cryotherapy center employee died after entering a cryosauna unattended after hours. Supervision isn't optional.
5. Temperature verification. The chamber should have an accessible temperature display. If you can't see the actual temperature during your session, you have no way to verify what you're being exposed to.
6. Clothing protocol. You should be provided or instructed to wear dry socks, gloves or mittens, ear protection, and a face mask (for walk-in chambers). Underwear is standard. Wet skin or wet clothing dramatically increases cold injury risk. If the center doesn't discuss clothing requirements, they're not managing safety properly.
7. Transparent pricing with no high-pressure upselling. Session prices should be posted — typically $40-$85 for a single session. Package deals are fine. "You need to come three times a week for a month minimum" without any assessment of your response is a sales tactic, not a clinical recommendation.
How Often Should You Go?
The research protocols vary, but most clinical studies used 10-20 sessions over 2-4 weeks for specific conditions. For general wellness and recovery, 2-3 sessions per week is common among regular users.
My honest take: start with a single session. See how your body responds over the next 24-48 hours. If you feel good — improved mood, reduced soreness, better sleep — try a short series of 5-10 sessions before committing to a monthly package. Some people respond dramatically. Others notice very little. There's no way to know without trying, and anyone who guarantees results before your first session is selling, not advising.
The Cost Question
Single session: $40-$85
Monthly unlimited: $200-$400
Packages (5-10 sessions): $175-$500
Insurance coverage: No. Cryotherapy is not covered by any major insurance plan for general wellness. Some plans may cover it for specific medical conditions (like rheumatoid arthritis) with physician documentation, but this is rare and requires appeals.
At BestDosage, we've mapped over 2,000 cryotherapy centers nationwide with quality scores covering equipment type, staffing credentials, safety protocols, and pricing. Because when the temperature hits -250°F, you want to be confident the people running the show know exactly what they're doing.
Browse cryotherapy centers near you →
I'm Chad. Your chemist.