While in California in 2015, Sadig Anwar was tricked into trying cryotherapy; he’s not a fan of the cold. His father-in-law, suffering from nerve damage, was told to try a treatment that has individuals stand in approximately -130°F for up to three minutes, but was only willing to try it if Anwar would. Anwar, who had two herniated discs and was getting cortisone shots every six months, was told by his wife he was headed to a sauna; it was actually a cryotherapy studio.
Today, the 40-year-old Alpha Cryo owner, who goes by “Sid Frost,” works out twice a day, plays football twice a week, bikes 20 miles on the weekends and hasn’t had a cortisone shot in 3½ years.
Anwar spent two years testing out studios across the country before opening an Arlington lounge that includes compression therapy and an infrared sauna in January 2017. A Tysons Corner location opened this past February and a Clarendon one at the end of April, both studios offering only cryotherapy.
“When you are in the machine, within about 15-20 seconds, your brain sends a signal and your body goes into fight or flight [mode],” Anwar explains. “All the blood from your extremities rushes to your core to protect your vital organs. While that blood is there, the blood gets clean, oxygenated and enriched with nutrients. Your brain identifies every area that’s weak and stabilizes itself, which is why you shake, shiver and burn about 600-800 calories in the process.”
Afterward, Anwar says, some people feel less stressed, sleep better, see improvement in skin conditions and appearance, a reduction of inflammation and even lose weight.
Cryotherapy has not been approved by the FDA and many people are wary of it due to its price (usually $50-$60 per session, but only $39 at Alpha Cryo) and the 2015 death of a woman who, while alone, lost consciousness after breathing in too much nitrogen.
“There are extra precautions taken since that incident,” Anwar says, mentioning that employees, who are in the room with the client, have to push a button on the machine’s exterior every 30 seconds or it will shut off. While in the chamber, participants wear only undergarments and provided socks, shoes and gloves.
“My father-in-law wasn’t the kind of person who wanted to take a risk,” says Anwar, whose Arlington location sees approximately 20-30 people per day. “Every day I walk into my facility it’s a reminder of him.” // alphacryo.com
(May 2018)
