What is cryotherapy? Does cryotherapy work? Why people are choosing to be ‘frozen alive’

I avoid the cold at all costs. I'm what you'd call "nesh." I don't do cold.

Yet somehow here I was about to step into an arctic chamber in Cryo Lyf, the salon upstairs in Butterfly Aesthetics in Wakefield.

It meant voluntarily subjecting myself to three to five minutes of ice-cold nitrogen being fired at my body.

As if I wasn't fearful enough, the owner, Claire Shaw, instructed me to place special shoes, gloves, and a scarf on to avoid 'frostbite' like injuries. Even my underwired bra could prove hazardous due to the cold air blasting onto the wire.

The cryo chamber sounds scarier than it is. It looks like standing sunbed except once you step in, your head pokes out the top of it.

I stripped down to my underwear with my protective shoes, gloves, and scarf on.

After pushing a few buttons I stepped inside for it to "chill" me in every sense.

I've often wished to have a Bernard's Watch to pause time but now I wanted a time machine to go three minutes into the future. Each second felt like a minute. After 20 seconds I was tempted to give up but it was all in my mind (so I’m told).

My arctic shock temperature was at -147 degrees Celsius. After that point at two minutes, it was bearable. Everyone's body can stand different temperatures up to -160 degrees Celsius for extremely short periods.

My session ended shortly after three minutes.

What are the results of cryotherapy?

It felt exhilarating. As if I'd been in a cold plunge pool or swam in ice water. It was more refreshing than a strong coffee. It’s like wild swimming ramped up.

I guess it’s the age-old sports recovery tool of putting an ice pack on an injury but this is for your whole body. A lot of rugby players swear by it.

To me, in the beauty and wellness industry, this is similar to the plunge pool trend where you submerge yourself in icy water.

Cryotherapy certainly ramped up my fight-or-flight mode and boosted my energy. I can see why it works for elite athletes. As much as I like to convince myself I’m an athlete, my professional sporting days are over.

I'm definitely too ‘nesh’ to endure this as a regular treatment although I can see why certain people use it as a time-efficient recovery tool.