Treatment of tHe montH Cryotherapy Are freezing cold temperatures the answer to dropping a few kilos?

t first glance, cryotherapy sounds more like a form of torture than a spa treatment – how would you like to stand in a tubed-shaped chamber, pretty much naked, in temperatures of -140°C? Not tempted? What about if we told you it can improve your sleep, reduce inflammation after exercise and help you shed up to 800 calories in just three minutes? Sounds great, eh?

Cryo is the name of the company that wants to give you the chills. It’s been successful up the road in Dubai, where it has several branches, and has now opened its first outlet in the capital at Abu Dhabi Country Club. Cryo’s promise of a quick fix will certainly lure in those of you short of time, but does it actually work? After five sessions, we’d say yes, and we don’t know. Cryo promises to do many things – it can help with pain relief, combat insomnia, soothe eczema and improve your immune system and organ function. It can boost circulation and increase energy levels by releasing endorphins thanks to a blast of dry, nitrogen mist.

The treatment is non-invasive, although you can only wear a set of underwear and some special shoes, socks and mitts when you enter the machine. Not surprisingly, it gets more than a little brisk in there and towards the end of a session What’s On was fidgeting with discomfort from the cold – we recommend you get the therapist to distract you by talking to you for the three minutes, which seem to take an eternity to pass as you get colder and colder. We certainly felt like it reduced muscle inflamation after each session and gave us a boost for the rest of the day, but we still need some convincing of its weight-loss benefits.

Abu Dhabi Country Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, daily 10am to 10pm, Dhs350. Tel: (02) 6677736. Taxi: Abu Dhabi Country Club. ae.cryo.com