What Is Cryotherapy, and Why Is Everyone Doing It?

Walk through the recovery studio at MAC on almost any morning and you'll see someone step out of a chamber, arms crossed, grinning like they just did something slightly reckless. That's whole-body cryotherapy, and it's the most talked-about service in the building. If you've heard the word from a training partner or scrolled past a video of someone standing in a cloud of frozen air and wondered whether it's worth your time, here's the plain-English answer.

What cryotherapy actually is

Whole-body cryotherapy is a short, controlled exposure to extremely cold, dry air. At MAC, a session runs 2 to 3 minutes inside a chamber that drops the surrounding air temperature far below anything you'd feel outside in winter. The key word is dry. Because there's no moisture in the air, the cold doesn't sink into your skin the way a cold pool or an ice bath does. Most people describe it as intense but tolerable, and it's over before your body has time to really argue with you about it.

How it works on your body

When your skin hits that cold air, your blood vessels constrict, pulling blood away from your extremities and toward your core. The moment you step out and warm back up, those vessels open back up and blood rushes back through your muscles and joints. That rebound in circulation is where a lot of the reported benefit comes from. Many people report less soreness and stiffness in the hours after training, and some notice a genuine mood lift, likely tied to the release of endorphins that cold exposure triggers. Research on cryotherapy is still developing, but the pattern reported by regular users is consistent: reduced inflammation, faster-feeling recovery, and a noticeable mental reset.

Whole-body vs. localized: what's the difference

MAC's recovery studio offers both, and they solve different problems. Whole-body cryotherapy treats your entire system at once, which is why it's popular after a heavy training week or a long run when everything feels beat up. Localized cryotherapy uses a handheld device to blast cold air directly at one spot, like a cranky shoulder, an aggravated knee, or a lower back that's been tight for weeks. If you've got a specific trouble area, localized treatment lets a staff member focus the cold exactly where you need it instead of cooling your whole body to get to one joint.

Who it's for

You don't have to be training for a competition to get something out of this. In practice, the people who use the recovery studio most are:

• Lifters managing soreness between heavy sessions so they can keep training hard without falling behind on recovery.
• Runners dealing with the pounding that comes from mileage, especially in the weeks before a race.
• Weekend athletes who play pickup basketball or rec league sports and feel it more on Monday than they used to.
• Desk workers with a nagging shoulder, hip, or lower back that never quite loosens up.
• People chasing better sleep, since many members tell us a session earlier in the day leaves them calmer that night.

What your first session at MAC feels like

If you've never tried it, here's exactly what happens when you book a cryotherapy session at MAC:

1. You check in at the recovery studio and a staff member walks you through the process, no guesswork involved.
2. You're given gloves, socks, and slippers to protect your extremities, since those are the areas most sensitive to the cold.
3. You step into the chamber, which comes up to about neck height, and a three-minute timer starts. A staff member stays with you the entire time.
4. When the timer ends, you step out, move around, and warm up naturally within a couple of minutes.

Most people describe the feeling afterward as clear-headed and a little energized, similar to the lift you get after a cold shower but without the shivering that lasts the rest of the day.

"The cryotherapy and red light therapy alone are worth the membership. MAC is in a completely different league."Google review

Safety first

Cryotherapy isn't the right fit for everyone. It's generally not recommended for pregnant women, people with uncontrolled high blood pressure or certain heart conditions, and anyone with a cold sensitivity condition like Raynaud's. If you have a medical condition or you're unsure whether cryotherapy is appropriate for you, talk to your physician before your first session.

How often should you go

There's no universal rule here. Some members come in two or three times a week as a regular part of their routine, especially during heavy training blocks. Others save it for the day after a tough leg workout or a long weekend of activity. If you're new to it, start with a session or two and pay attention to how your body responds before settling into a schedule that fits your training and your budget.

How to get cryotherapy at MAC

Diamond members get four recovery sessions included every month, which covers cryotherapy along with the rest of the recovery studio. If you're on Peak or Legacy, recovery sessions are available as an add-on any time you want one. And whichever tier you join, your first recovery session is free, so you can find out for yourself what the buzz is about before you commit to anything.