Therapies / Evidence notes
Cryotherapy (whole-body vs localized)
ThriveHop’s cryo filter is for venues that publish a cryotherapy chamber or cabin. Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) in the trial literature is brief exposure to extremely cold dry air (often below −100 °C for about 2–4 minutes) in a chamber. Partial-body cryotherapy (PBC) uses a different setup (for example a nitrogen cabin that leaves the head out). Localized cryotherapy is ice packs or similar on one area. Cold-water immersion is water, not air — see the cold-plunge page.
What the papers measured
Cochrane found very little high-quality evidence that WBC reduces muscle soreness. Other papers review small athlete studies, distinguish WBC from PBC, and list contraindications. That is not evidence that a listed cryo session treats disease.
Evidence, with citations
Every claim below links to PubMed and, when available, the DOI or PMC full text. We do not cite blogs or unverified papers.
Cochrane: insufficient evidence that WBC reduces soreness
Cochrane systematic review (4 small RCTs, GRADE very low)
Costello et al. included four laboratory RCTs in 64 mostly young men. WBC was extreme cold dry air below −100 °C for two to four minutes. Evidence that WBC lowers self-reported muscle soreness versus rest was graded very low quality; confidence intervals also allowed no difference or an effect favoring control. There was no evidence in women or elite athletes in that review, and no active surveillance of predefined adverse events. The authors said exposure to extreme temperature is a potential hazard and that more research must report harms.
Limitation. Cannot support marketing claims that a listed cryo chamber “recovers athletes” or treats soreness as a medical therapy.
Journal sources for this claim
Costello JT, Baker PR, Minett GM, Bieuzen F, Stewart IB, Bleakley C (2015). Whole-body cryotherapy (extreme cold air exposure) for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. PubMed · DOI · PMC full text
Air cools skin; it does not equal an ice pack or a plunge
Narrative review of controlled trials
Bleakley et al. reviewed controlled WBC studies (ten reports, mostly athletes under 35). They note that WBC creates a large temperature gradient but that air’s poor thermal conductivity limits subcutaneous and core cooling. They found weak evidence for some physiological changes, small randomized studies with better subjective recovery but little functional recovery benefit, and argued that cheaper local ice or cold-water immersion can offer comparable physiological and clinical effects until better research exists.
Limitation. Small, young, athletic samples. “Comparable to cheaper cold” undercuts premium-chamber marketing, and still is not a treatment claim.
Journal sources for this claim
Bleakley CM, Bieuzen F, Davison GW, Costello JT (2014). Whole-body cryotherapy: empirical evidence and theoretical perspectives. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine. PubMed · DOI · PMC full text
Athlete-focused review: use is growing faster than the evidence
Narrative review of athlete WBC literature
Lombardi, Ziemann, and Banfi reviewed WBC literature in athletes from 2010 onward, covering proposed anti-inflammatory and recovery uses. They wrote that rapidly increasing use is not always based on scientific assumptions and safety standards, and that biochemical changes are not always appreciable even when subjective scores improve.
Limitation. Not a Cochrane-grade evidence rating. Not a trial of a listed U.S. studio. Not a metabolic-disease treatment.
Journal sources for this claim
Lombardi G, Ziemann E, Banfi G (2017). Whole-Body Cryotherapy in Athletes: From Therapy to Stimulation. An Updated Review of the Literature. Frontiers in Physiology. PubMed · DOI · PMC full text
WBC is not a nitrogen cabin — and safety reports exist
International consortium scoping review of safety reports
Legrand et al. scoped safety reports on true whole-body cryotherapy and distinguished it from partial-body cryotherapy (PBC), which they say is often mistaken for WBC (for example extreme cold nitrogen vapor with the head out). They identified five case reports and two RCTs documenting 16 adverse events, and discussed public-health safety concerns that had been raised. Their interpretation is that many risks can be reduced by following contraindications; that is the authors’ view, not a ThriveHop safety rating and not FDA approval.
Limitation. Scoping review of sparse adverse-event literature, not a large safety trial. Venues are not clinics. Ask a clinician if cryo is appropriate for you.
Journal sources for this claim
Legrand FD, Dugué B, Costello J, Bleakley C, Miller E, Broatch JR, Polidori G, Lubkowska A, Louis J, Lombardi G, Bieuzen F, Capodaglio P (2023). Evaluating safety risks of whole-body cryotherapy/cryostimulation (WBC): a scoping review from an international consortium. European Journal of Medical Research. PubMed · DOI · PMC full text
Expert panel: WBC has absolute and temporary contraindications
Delphi consensus position paper after systematic search
Capodaglio et al. used a systematic search plus a two-round Delphi process with European clinicians to publish a consensus list of absolute and temporal contraindications to whole-body cryostimulation. The existence of a contraindications list is the point for a directory: this exposure is not for everyone, and a listed gym session is not individualized medical care.
Limitation. Consensus is not a substitute for your own clinician. ThriveHop does not screen guests or clear contraindications.
Journal sources for this claim
Capodaglio P, Alito A, Duguè BM, Bouzigon R, Lombardi G, Miller ED, Verme F, Modaffari G, Piterà P, Ziemann E, Fontana JM (2025). Contraindications to Whole-Body Cryostimulation (WBC). A position paper from the WBC Working Group of the International Institute of Refrigeration and the multidisciplinary expert panel. Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences. PubMed · DOI · PMC full text
What this is not
- WBC is not an ice bath. Marketing that mixes the two is mixing different exposures.
- Cochrane’s “insufficient evidence” is the opposite of a performance guarantee.
- ThriveHop does not claim FDA approval. Safety papers we cite discuss adverse-event reports and contraindications; they are not a clearance to use cryo.
Cryotherapy near you
ThriveHop lists venues that publish this machine on their own site. Compare listings, then book with them.
Related
Reference list
Costello JT, Baker PR, Minett GM, Bieuzen F, Stewart IB, Bleakley C (2015). Whole-body cryotherapy (extreme cold air exposure) for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. PubMed · DOI · PMC full text
Bleakley CM, Bieuzen F, Davison GW, Costello JT (2014). Whole-body cryotherapy: empirical evidence and theoretical perspectives. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine. PubMed · DOI · PMC full text
Lombardi G, Ziemann E, Banfi G (2017). Whole-Body Cryotherapy in Athletes: From Therapy to Stimulation. An Updated Review of the Literature. Frontiers in Physiology. PubMed · DOI · PMC full text
Legrand FD, Dugué B, Costello J, Bleakley C, Miller E, Broatch JR, Polidori G, Lubkowska A, Louis J, Lombardi G, Bieuzen F, Capodaglio P (2023). Evaluating safety risks of whole-body cryotherapy/cryostimulation (WBC): a scoping review from an international consortium. European Journal of Medical Research. PubMed · DOI · PMC full text
Capodaglio P, Alito A, Duguè BM, Bouzigon R, Lombardi G, Miller ED, Verme F, Modaffari G, Piterà P, Ziemann E, Fontana JM (2025). Contraindications to Whole-Body Cryostimulation (WBC). A position paper from the WBC Working Group of the International Institute of Refrigeration and the multidisciplinary expert panel. Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences. PubMed · DOI · PMC full text