While top athletes are always looking for ways to improve performance and recover from training and competition, these methods don’t always make it to the general public. However, one approach is not only a favorite of world-class athletes and celebrities, but also used by regular people around the world. It’s cryotherapy.
Full-body cryotherapy treatments last a maximum of three minutes, during which you enter an ultra-low temperature (-120°C to -196°C) cabin that uses liquid nitrogen to cool the surface of your body for a short time. The body’s response to these low temperatures improves recovery from injuries, speeds up metabolism, and stimulates the production of endorphins.
Cryotherapy has been gaining fans around the world, but one of the only places in Japan where you can try it for yourself is Cryo Tokyo in Azabu Juban. The company’s executive manager, Michael Suwa, knows first-hand how well the treatments work. Suwa was a middleweight boxer who fought for nearly two decades and picked up six belts in bouts around the world. When he found himself battling shoulder and joint pain about seven years ago, he tried several methods to find relief, from massage to acupuncture. Nothing seemed to work. So, when he happened across a YouTube video of boxer Floyd Mayweather talking about his experience with cryotherapy, his interest was piqued.
There was only one place where he could try the treatment in Tokyo at the time. Even though he said it was expensive, he was amazed by cryotherapy’s efficacy in treating his pain. He thought it would be a natural fit for athletes and regular people alike. As he was helping to run boxing gyms in Tokyo, he consulted with the owner of these gyms about getting started with a cryotherapy treatment center in Tokyo to help the fighters recover faster. Cryo Tokyo was born.
Power Packed
Over the six years the salon has been in business, Suwa has seen the treatment help boxers recover faster from injuries—even broken bones. But while Cryo Tokyo has its origins with helping athletes, Suwa explains that about 80 percent of their clients are just regular people coming in for a variety of treatments. Because the ultra-low temperatures cause the body to burn up to 800 calories after a three-minute session, some clients use it for weight loss. Others come to treat knee or back pain, and in some cases, it has been relieved within three to five visits. Because the treatment also stimulates endorphins, some clients swear by it to relieve stress and improve mood overall.
Suwa points out that, because clients can be in and out of the salon within 15 minutes, a cryotherapy session is something that can easily be done during a lunch break, between errands, or right after work. In addition to the full-body treatments, Cryo Tokyo also offers treatments that use ultra-cold temperatures in a targeted way, which can be used to focus on specific aches and pains, or even be used for unique facials.
GoConnect members who are interested in trying the treatment for themselves can take advantage of a special campaign that lets them get three whole-body cryotherapy sessions in one week for the price of two.
As Suwa explains, at this affordable price, it’s something that anyone can try, whatever your needs may be: “Whether you’re feeling some aches and pains that haven’t gone away, or want to relieve some stress, cryotherapy offers amazing benefits. And even for people who don’t have any issues but want to feel more energized before a big day, the difference it can make will really surprise you.”
You can find out more about Cryo Tokyo’s campaign here.
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