Whole-body cryotherapy, localised cold, and structured hot-and-cold contrast protocols. Mostly used by people training hard enough to need an actual recovery plan rather than an occasional treat.
Whole-body cryotherapy is brief - typically two to three minutes in a chamber at extreme cold, in minimal clothing with dry socks, gloves and ear covering provided. You stay in verbal contact with staff for the entire session and can end it at any moment. Localised work uses a directed applicator on one joint or muscle group and takes a few minutes more.
Uncontrolled hypertension, significant cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease, Raynaud's, cold urticaria, cryoglobulinaemia, pregnancy and severe peripheral neuropathy are all reasons we would decline. Alcohol beforehand is a hard no. Skin must be completely dry going in, which is why we do not run cryo immediately after a shower or a swim.
Cold exposure straight after resistance training may blunt some of the adaptation you were training for - that is a real finding and worth planning around rather than ignoring. We will ask what your training week looks like and place sessions where they help rather than where they happen to be free.
Alternating heat and cold in a structured sequence is a different tool from cold alone, and for a lot of people it is the more comfortable and more sustainable one. If the chamber is not for you, say so - contrast work is not a consolation prize.
8306 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 777, Beverly Hills, CA 90211