As Time Out Sydney’s resident wellness enthusiast (though notably less actually well than our marathon-running Travel and News Editor – I blame my Martini addiction), I’m lucky enough to have hopped my way around a good portion of the city’s day spas and self-care studios. So when the invite came through to be frozen to -140°C in the name of health, I jumped at the chance.
Cryo Stay Young, the athlete-approved cryotherapy brand, operates five studios in Sydney, bringing the world’s only TGA-approved cryotherapy equipment to the Harbour City. I find the Double Bay outpost up a set of stairs in an unassuming back street, and am greeted warmly by the studio manager Ana, who’s living out her life’s calling helping people to feel their best.
“I had bad skin when I was younger, and just don’t want anyone to have to feel the way I did – I love helping people feel good about themselves, it just makes me so happy,” she explains as she shows me around the studio.
Each sparkling white-washed room is home to a different futuristic set-up: from infrared saunas and sculpting machines to hyperbaric chambers, a red light therapy bed and even an incontinence chair to help people rebuild their pelvic floor after birth, surgery or sickness.
I’m there for the headline experience, so change into the cryo kit (smurf-blue shorts, vest, socks and gloves) and prepare to be frozen. If you’re new to the trend, cryotherapy is essentially controlled freezing of the body. The treatment – thought to boost recovery, reduce inflammation and strengthen immunity – involves stepping into a futuristic, smoke-filled chamber, where temperatures plunge to around -140°C. Here, the body’s natural thermoregulation response kicks in – blood rushes to your core to preserve heat, then recirculates post-session, delivering a flush of oxygen and nutrients. During my three minute session, I dance on the spot to high-tempo songs that Ana plays through the speakers, and though it feels cold (obvs), it’s not unpleasant. To a round of applause and a glowing grin from Ana, I step out of the ice and into the room and am flooded with a sense of elation.
“That’s the endorphins.” Ana explains. “After a cryo session, you either want to run a marathon or take a nap – and you’ll sleep so well tonight.”
I can’t officially claim to have witnessed any of the major physical benefits (yet), but there are few other experiences I can think of that have so rapidly boosted my mood.
I’m not the only Sydney resident with an obsession with hacking my health. According to research from the Global Wellness Institute, Australians spend an average of $4,824 per year on wellness, and as the country’s appetite for “biohacking” continues to evolve, cryotherapy has emerged as the next frontier. In case you were wondering, it doesn't come cheap – single sessions cost $99, with packages making each session more affordable. And while $99 is a lot of money for most of us, Ana tells me that she has athletes and ageing locals visiting every week to help manage inflammation and pain and aid recovery. If I had the money to spare on that kind of endorphin hit, I'd be making it a weekly ritual too.
Keen? You can learn more and book over here.
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