A whole new meaning to nippy

My back and shoulder has been bothering me for quite some time.  I reduced it down to being old and joints just breakdown.... however, with all the research and modern medicine happening, surely there's some cool shortcut to rehabilitating my injury.  

A friend of mine who's on this relentless journey of mind and body maximization recently tried cryotherapy. I figured it was worth a try.  Besides, what's good enough for Ted Williams might be interesting enough for me.  

I went to District Cryo in Washington DC.  It's a small shop that had been open for less than a year, which in my mind means the facility was likely still clean and had more modern equipment.

You strip down and wear some pretty thick socks, booties, and insulated gloves.  The pod is cooled to about -200F.  South Pole cold.  That kind of cold was not something I could comprehend.  Having visited Minneapolis in the dead of winter was pretty fucking cold but that was probably around -30F.  Does another -170F make that much of a different.

HELL-THE-FUCK-YES

They only keep you in there (naked) for 3 minutes so you don't, you know, die.  Your skin tingles and you're definitely painfully cold.  But the worst part, that they don't mention, is that your nipples are the biggest casualty.  Mine were so hard they actually felt heavy because any movement was a strain.  I have no idea how men survive with their ding dongs exposed.   I moved around a lot to keep the blood flowing but once your 3 minutes are up, you throw on the robe before you step out of the pod.  

I was super anxious to get the robe back on and when the material grazed my nipples it felt like someone took a saw to them.  My reflex to grab my boob only made it worse.  I had to look down to see if they were bleeding.  Of course when you look down while still in the pod, your head dips into the nitrogen gas (which is what cools the body) and then get light headed.  In pain and now light headed, I stumbled out of the pod.

Apparently you're supposed to feel a sense of euphoria but honestly I think it was the nitrogen gas that simulated that feeling.

Anyway - my shoulder and back still hurts.  I didn't get the deep sleep they said would happen that night.  I still don't understand the excitement around those who Polar Bear (jumping into ice cold water).  I found nothing rejuvenating about it.

All in all, I'm glad I tried it.  Can't say I'm convinced I'd do it again.