Erling Haaland has been on a hot streak the likes of which have scarcely been seen on the planet of football. A once-in-a-generation talent, the Manchester City player racks up hat tricks like he’s a robot designed in a lab to attain goals. Other than pure raw skill, Haaland’s teammates have said that he’s at all times on the lookout for ways to optimise his game, commonly reading scientific papers about improving his body through weight loss program or sleep. One among the biohacking methods he uses to ensure that he’s at peak performance is cryotherapy. In October, it was reported that Haaland splashed out £500,000 on a private cryotherapy chamber for his home in Cheshire.

It’s not only Haaland. Lewis Hamilton goes into the chamber after every race to assist his body get better, and Christiano Ronaldo, Sir Mo Farah, Usain Bolt, LeBron James and Andy Murray all use it as a part of their training. Why am I listing all these athletes? Because while there haven’t been quite a lot of studies done on cryotherapy chambers up to now, and the research that has been done has found mixed results, anecdotally it’s obvious that the perfect athletes on the planet consider that they’ve discovered a option to unlock their body’s highest potential.

But it surely’s not only athletes. ‘Wellness’ has change into increasingly extreme over the previous couple of years, as people swap bath bombs for IV drips, so it’s not surprising that cryotherapy chambers have seen an increase in popularity with many individuals incorporating them into their regular wellness routine. To see what all of the fuss was about, members of the Dazed editorial and social media teams took to the cryo chamber and underwent the deep freeze for ourselves. 

Cryotherapy is a treatment that uses extreme cold temperatures to stimulate a variety of various health advantages including reducing pain and inflammation and supporting joint function. Cold therapy as a option to support health and treat injuries has been used for hundreds of years, from the traditional Egyptians in 2500 BC to Hippocrates in 400 BC Greece. But it surely was the Japanese within the late Nineteen Seventies who originated cryotherapy as we expect of it today, when Dr Toshima Yamaguchi used it to treat conditions including rheumatoid arthritis. Within the late 00s Los Angeles discovered it and the remainder is history.

Cryotherapy encompasses every thing from ice baths to cryosurgery, but on this case we’re talking about whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) where the complete body is immersed in sub -100 celsius temperatures for between two to 4 minutes. The cryo chamber we headed to is situated within the 180 Health Club, a tranquil space where it’s also possible to take fencing lessons, take a look at the infrared sauna and get attached to an IV drip. In your arrival, you might be required to strip all the way down to your socks and bra (in the event you wear a bra) or your bare chest (if you’ve male nipples), and are given some tight shorts, gloves, two hats, a face mask and a few very stylish slippers (not being sarcastic, they’re chic).

Cryotherapy chambers are principally fancy freezers through which temperatures drop to around -110 celsius (colder than the coldest recorded temperature on Earth) with vaporised nitrogen. The intense cold triggers a chemical fight-or-flight response. “It tricks the body into pondering it’s going into hypothermia, but it surely’s not,” Maria Ensabella, the founding father of LondonCryo, told Dazed in 2019. “It’s so the brain can send a message to the bloodstream to rush to the interior organs to guard them. Once there, it gets reoxygenated, replenishes its nutrients and releases endorphins.” 

Alongside reducing pain and inflammation, cryotherapy is alleged to assist with muscle recovery, stiff joints, mood, immune system, metabolism, migraines, nerve irritation, fatigue, insomnia and anxiety, in addition to aesthetic advantages like tightening the skin. A study by Wrocław University in Poland yielded positive results when a gaggle of subjects affected by depression underwent cryotherapy. The report states that “the more serious the mental state of the patients is prior to the cryotherapy, the stronger its effect.”

Once properly attired, you step contained in the first section of the chamber which has temperatures of -60 celsius which allows your body to (somewhat) acclimatise. After 30 seconds, you progress into the second chamber where you might be exposed to the complete -110 degrees for up to a few minutes. The primary time I went into the cryo chamber I had no idea what to anticipate. -110 degrees is a temperature I couldn’t even conceive of. And I’ll say, it wasn’t as bad as I believed it could be. When you give attention to taking deep breaths and also you get used to the sensation of frozen nose hair, it’s kind of smooth sailing.

The primary time I attempted the chamber, I didn’t notice much of a difference in mood or in my body. But this second time, I felt so good when it was over. I used to be stuffed with energy and felt like I used to be able to tackle the world. It’s quite a euphoric feeling and I’m wondering if that might only get stronger with continued use. Unfortunately, at £50 per session (three minutes within the chamber) it’s not something I can incorporate into my routine regularly. But given the possibility, I’d absolutely do it again. And, to various degrees, the remainder of the team felt the identical. Here, they share their experiences.

Halima Jibril, Features Author

“I hate the cold. I’m the form of one who still feels cold in the summertime, even within the scarily warm summers we now have within the UK. So I knew going into the cryo chamber could be a challenge for me. After I got into the primary room of the cryo chamber, I used to be stressed. As a result of my hatred of the cold (and of trying latest things), my mind immediately panicked. It was so rattling cold, but I attempted to give attention to my respiration. This worked while we were in the primary room but after we entered the second room, it was game over for me.

The cold air felt so cold in my lungs it was unbearable. I couldn’t loosen up and absorb the experience because I used to be so shocked by the temperature drop. I used to be (unsurprisingly) the primary one to depart the chamber in my group. After just a few minutes of heating my body up and profusely stating that I’d never go into one other cryo chamber again, my body began to feel different. It’s hard to clarify, but it surely felt like I could take deeper, more profound breaths. I could feel all of the air moving into and out of my lungs in all its fullness. The chronic pain in my legs disappeared (just for just a few hours), but my body felt more open, flexible and pain-free than before going to the cryo chamber. I almost wanted to return after my fairly dramatic exit to elongate the after-effect.”

Habi Diallo, Business Author

“I actually really enjoyed the cryochamber. I obviously knew it was going to be cold but it surely was unbelievably colder than I anticipated. You initially go into shock mode, but when you recover from the actual fact that you would be able to feel the hair in your nose turning into ice cubes it feels quite exhilarating. 

I even have a condition that results in chronic pain in my joints and after we did the chamber I felt immediate relief in most of my joints, particularly my knees. I didn’t feel much pain for the remainder of the day and that alone is enough of a reason for me to try it again. Nonetheless, the thing that surprised me essentially the most was how energised I felt afterwards. I literally felt like I could go for an hour-long run… which I don’t think is a thought that has ever crossed my mind.”

Chester McKee, Social Media Assistant

“I used to be hesitant going into the cryo chamber at first. We pumped ourselves up before heading in expecting the cold to eat us alive but truthfully, once we were in, it was kinda slay and exactly what I needed that day. After getting used to the temperature my body began adjusting to my latest life within the chamber. I took this time to consider deep respiration and relaxing thoughts to remove from the actual fact it was well cold!

“Once I used to be released from the chamber of coldness, I used to be kinda sad. I actually began liking my life there, however the energy I felt once out was unbeatable. I had a latest kick in my step and felt like I could go on a run for miles. It cleared up the headache I used to be affected by and I just felt an all-round sensation of euphoria. I definitely recommend a visit to the chilly box – God knows I needed it.”

Marios Mystidis, Deputy Head of Social

“I used to be quite sceptical going into the cryo chamber to start with as, I’m not gonna lie, chilling in -110ºC doesn’t sound idyllic. Nonetheless, I believed I’d give it a go as the advantages were greater than appealing, plus the session is literally two minutes and you may leave anytime if it’s not for you.

“The primary room was quite nice and crisp, and eased the thought of going into the correct chamber, nonetheless, nothing prepared me mentally or physically for the cold we were about to experience. To be very transparent, the sensation is intense. You do feel your body slowly freezing to a numb state, and although we’re wearing surgical masks I could feel my snot literally freezing. Nonetheless, the staff is alerting you each 30 seconds of how much time you’ve remaining, plus doing it with a friend is kind of entertaining as you’re each yelling into the void about how cold it’s.

“We were capable of finish the session successfully, and after we got here out indeed I felt a rush of energy, very much like the one you’re feeling post-gym. Undecided if it’s something that I’d stick with doing commonly, but I’d defo suggest giving it a go!”

Emily Dinsdale, Art and Photography Editor

“That is the fourth time I’ve been within the cryo-chamber, steadily increasing the duration from two minutes to a few. The primary time I attempted it I went in alone and I felt quite afraid – it’s like stepping onto a planet with a hostile atmosphere… the noise of the freezer, the frozen particles of moisture floating around within the air like mist. You go into shock barely, and I had to actually give attention to my respiration to maintain calm. But once you come out you actually feel euphoric. It reduces inflammation and has tonnes of health advantages and you are feeling quite high and energised on the endorphins and dopamine. The next day, I felt like my skin looked brighter and tighter too.

“It was more fun moving into with Halima, Alex, and Habi – I could see frost forming on their eyelashes. When were in there, we were repeating something we’d been told, ‘that is the coldest place on Earth’ and it was form of invigorating to think we were enduring this unearthly cold, even when it was for only a transient jiffy.”