Opinion on a cryotherapy session at Centre One in Tours (France)

While looking for a place to do a sauna session, I discovered by chance the wellness center Centre One which offers cryotherapy sessions at an affordable rate. The opportunity or never to test the experience of the great cold at a temperature of around -100°C!

What is cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy or “cold therapy” consists of applying intense cold to a pathological area or even the entire body. Cryotherapy offers many health benefits and isn’tably used to promote physical recovery (high-level athletes have been using it for several years), to soothe pain, to promote blood circulation, to improve skin quality and even to eliminate fat.

My session at Centre One

After making an appointment a few days before by phone, I went to Centre One

I’m a little surprised to discover that the cryotherapy machine is located in the locker room area, whereas I imagined it in a small isolated room. Nothing very serious, I am welcomed by the person in charge of the place who makes me fill a small medical questionnaire

He then uses a device to measure my blood pressure and heart rate, which is quite reassuring about the seriousness of the establishment

Then I go to the locker room to put on my shorts, they lend me a pair of socks to put on top of mine and a pair of gloves

The person in charge then explains to me how this 3-minute session will take place. I will enter a kind of hermetic shower cubicle from which only my head will protrude. For a first session, we limit ourselves to lowering the temperature to “only” -110°C whereas we can normally go down to -140°C.

I settle down and here I go, I climb a small step whose height adjusts so that the head protrudes from the cabin. The person in charge starts the machine and the cold starts to be felt. Honestly I was expecting a more violent thermal shock. The absence of humidity and wind makes it quite bearable. By way of comparison, I find it more difficult to dive in water at 15°C after a sauna session at 100°C

If it’s quite bearable, it’s still quite cold. The person in charge is present at all times to make sure that everything is fine. Even if I wear gloves, my hand is very cold and he advises me to raise my arms so that they are outside the shower

3 minutes is very fast and it’s already over, I feel great when I finish the session.

Small misunderstanding on the rate

I came to Centre One on a Monday evening to enjoy “Cryo recup”, the session at 29 € instead of 40 €. After my session, when it was time to pay, the person in charge asked me for 40 €. When I didn’t understand, he explained that the first session was 40 € and the following sessions were 29 €. Being well aware that the prospectus was very confusing, he kindly accepted to apply the 29 € rate.

But you are now warned, the fee for the first cryotherapy session is 40 €.

My opinion on cryotherapy

I really enjoyed this discovery session and am quite convinced of the benefits that the cold generates. I could see myself doing a session on a regular basis.

However, I see two drawbacks:

• Moving around for only 3 minutes of treatment is a bit frustrating.
• I find it expensive, to have the cheapest possible session, you have to commit to one session per week for 6 months. The session then costs 21 €, which is… 7 € per minute!

An interesting alternative is the “recovery circuit”: for 50 €, you have access to the sauna / hammam area and finish with a cryotherapy session. I would see myself doing a circuit of this type every month if I lived in the area