Nervous about your first cryotherapy session? Read this.

Almost everyone is nervous before their first session, and almost everyone walks out laughing. Three minutes at -110°C sounds extreme, but the cold is dry, the chamber has a door you can open yourself, and a member of the team is with you the whole time. You will feel it. It is a strong stimulus, not a dangerous one. Here is exactly what happens, so nothing on the day is a surprise.

Before you step in

Your first visit starts at reception with a short health screening. It is a form and a conversation, not a test. It checks for the handful of conditions where cold exposure is a bad idea, such as certain heart problems, uncontrolled high blood pressure, Raynaud's, or a cold allergy. If anything applies, the team talks it through with you. It takes five minutes.

Then you change. What you wear:

• Underwear or swimwear. Cotton is fine. Bare skin is the point.
• Gloves, thick socks and a headband. Reception hands these out. Fingers, toes and ears feel cold first, so they get covered.
• Dry skin. No lotion, no sweat, no wet hair. Moisture makes the cold bite more. Towel off properly if you have just trained.
• No jewellery. Metal gets cold fast. Take off rings, watches, earrings and piercings you can remove.

The chamber is electric and cools dry air to -110°C. There is no liquid nitrogen. Nothing touches your skin except cold air.

What the cold actually feels like, second by second

0 to 15 seconds. You step in and the first thing you notice is your breath. Your body takes a sharp inhale. That is a reflex and it passes. Most people say: this is fine.

15 to 60 seconds. The cold arrives on your skin properly. Your thighs, forearms and shoulders start to tingle. Your breathing wants to go fast and shallow. This is the moment to take control of it: breathe in through your nose for four counts, out through your mouth for six. Keep moving your fingers and toes.

1 to 2 minutes. This is the steady part. The tingle becomes a strong, even cold across the whole body. It does not keep getting worse. Your breathing settles into a rhythm. Some people close their eyes. Some chat with the team through the window.

2 to 3 minutes. The last minute is the mental one. Your skin is as cold as it will get, and your brain is now fully awake. The team calls the last thirty seconds. Then the door opens.

Underneath, it is well measured: skin temperature drops by around 12°C, core temperature barely moves. Cryotherapy works at the surface and through your nervous system, not deep inside.

You can step out at any second. The door is not locked. Nobody will think less of you, and you can try again next week.

The first minutes afterwards

You walk out and the room feels tropical. Your skin is pink and tingling as blood comes back to the surface. Within a minute or two, most people feel a wave of warmth and a clear, slightly buzzy alertness. Some people feel a little wobbly for a moment. Sit down, breathe, take a glass of water. By the time you have changed, you are warm again and usually in a good mood.

Common worries, answered honestly

Will I be able to breathe?

Yes. The air is cold and dry, and the first breath feels sharp, but there is nothing wrong with it. Breathe through your nose if you can. If you have asthma, mention it on the screening and bring your inhaler.

I get claustrophobic.

The chamber is a small room, not a tube. Your head is above the top and you can see the team and the room. The door opens from the inside. You are in control of when you leave.

Is it safe?

A 2023 international scoping review of safety, covering countries with well over a million sessions a year, found serious problems to be very rare when the protocol is followed. The common complaints were shivering, headache and light-headedness, all short lived. A 2014 review in the Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine reached the same conclusion. Skin injury is only a risk if skin is wet or jewellery is left on, which is why we check both.

What about my skin?

It goes red and tingles, then settles. Lasting redness or itching is rare and worth mentioning to the team.

What if I cannot last three minutes?

Then you step out. Plenty of people do two minutes the first time. Your second session will feel much easier, because the surprise is gone.

How it fits into a week at Freezlab

Your first session is a single, 3 credits or €25. Most people find that the second and third sessions are where it stops being scary and starts being the best part of the week. The Trial Membership gives you 50 or 100 credits for one month, which is enough to build a twice-weekly habit and add Red Light Therapy or the massage chair afterwards. Read the first visit page for the practical details, the cryotherapy page for the science, and then book your first session.

Freezlab does not diagnose, treat or cure medical conditions. If you are unsure whether a therapy suits you, talk to your doctor.