We Tried Cryotherapy And Froze Our Titties Off To See If It Was Worth It

What's cooler than being cool? Standing in a tank in your knickers because it'll boost your metabolism.

Hi there! We're Jemima and Tahlia, and honestly all we want in life is to be Real Housewives.

Instagram: @jemimaskelley

Usually that just involves drinking wine and complaining about things. And that wine is often $5 swill, so honestly our bar is set pretty low.

But occasionally, we do enjoy some of the ~finer~ things in life. When we had the chance to try out cryotherapy, you best believe we took it.

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Basically, cryotherapy uses extremely cold temperatures to help muscle recovery, boost metabolism, increase endorphins, and flush toxins out of the skin and muscles. It's generally used by athletes to treat and prevent injuries, though recently it's become popular in mainstream circles for weight loss and anti-ageing skin treatment. Also it's apparently a miracle-cure for jet lag and hangovers. That's probably what piqued our interest, tbh.

You step inside a tank-type thing, and are exposed to air that is about -150ºC for two to three minutes. This causes your body to increase blood flow to your organs, and flushes your red blood cells with oxygen, nutrients, and enzymes. Once your body warms up after the session, the enriched blood goes back to the muscles and skin, and basically cures you of everything.

Honestly, it all sounded a bit far-fetched, but we'd seen a lot of praise for cryotherapy online so surely it's got to be good?

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We visited Cryo, in Edgecliff, who suggested that we should do three sessions over about a week to feel ~maximum impact~. They have some clients who come in every single week, mainly to reap the energy-boosting benefits of the treatment.

Going into it, we were pretty nervous. Minus 150 degrees is pretty fucking cold. Considering we live in Sydney, we complain whenever the temperature dips below 15ºC. We were also skeptical as hell, but ready to get our housewife on and be convinced.

The tank itself is very high-tech, and even has a platform that can be raised or lowered, in case you're a short-ass like Tahls.

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And it is COLD, guys. (Obviously.)

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Though it's not as cold as we expected it to be. Because it's a dry cold, it doesn't quite seep into your skin and lungs the way it does on a cold day in the snow. It's not even as cold as going swimming at the beach in winter.

It's almost kinda nice, in a "this is refreshing as hell but at least it will be over in two minutes"-type cold.

But did it work?

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WELL. We both definitely felt an energy boost directly after the sessions, though that may have just been the cold shock waking us up.

Before one of the sessions, Jemima had really sore feet from wearing heels to a wedding over the weekend. Within a couple hours of cryotherapy though, the pain had totally gone which was impressive. The same thing happened for Tahlia the next time we went.

Also Jemima had really sore leg muscles after a hike and really hoped that Cryo would cure her so she didn't have to hobble around all day. Unfortunately, it didn't act as a miracle cure, though that might be something that needed a couple sessions to really target.

Would we recommend it? Well, it sure was fun. And it certainly did boost our energy and help with minor joint and muscle pain. It is a pretty pricey activity though (three sessions is $225), so we won't be going back weekly.

But, how sound is the science behind it?

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Physiotherapist and Allied Health Coordinator at East Sydney Hospital, Tayla Dumbrell, says that cryotherapy can work for muscle pain in small, targeted doses. Usually though, this only works when administered by a health professional, and is followed up with other treatment plans. In hospitals, it's delivered via a small "ice pack"-type thing filled with cooling chemicals.

Exercise physiologist Drew Harrisberg says cryotherapy can be compared to cold water therapy, which has been proven to increase immune function and blood flow, while decreasing pain and inflammation. Drew told BuzzFeed: "Adaptations take time. Unless you do it regularly, you’re simply not providing the body with enough of a stimulus to make the physiological and metabolic adaptations required to see improvements to your overall health and well-being."

So basically, going for a cold ocean swim in the mornings a couple times a week will have more of an effect than going to cryotherapy every now and then. Though it doesn't sound nearly as fun.

So there you have it! Are we Real Housewives now?

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Stay tuned for our new zero-calorie cocktail lines!

You can find out more about Cryo and book online here.

BuzzFeed received cryotherapy sessions free of charge, but with no obligation to provide a positive review.