It was a Friday morning and, instead of coffee, I woke up with a 3-minute session in a -240 degrees Fahrenheit nitrogen chamber.

And it was awesome.

“We are in an era where people are interested in taking preventative health into their own hands,” said Andy, owner of Restore Hyper Wellness + Cryotherapy along with Michele Ayers. “In the sports performance world there is so much emphasis on recovery now. Same with the chronic pain world—we see people looking for healthy, effective alternatives to prescriptions.”

I stopped by this new wellness destination in Lancaster to chat with the team and become a refreshed, frozen human popsicle via their super-chilly full body cryotherapy.

Check out our go-to guide on Restore and see my first-hand frozen experience below!

The Details: What You Need To Know

Restore Hyper Wellness + Cryotherapy opened its doors early 2018. The mission is to offer cutting edge health services that produce dramatic results, make people feel better, help hyper stimulate the body’s natural defense mechanisms, and provide options to encourage holistic wellness.

The Restore team ensured that the services offered are simple to access, and that they will help along the way.

“We really wanted to be that venue that’s accessible to anyone,” said Andy. “Whether that’s an athlete, or someone who needs some extra relief or recovery, we wanted it to be open. We are the most affordable in the market for many of the services. From the way we buy our nitrogen, to every piece of eqiuptment in here—we keep the cost minimal so we can pass that along to the customer.”

Located at 100 Rohrerstown Road, Building 6 Suite A, Restore takes appointments and walk-ins. Many of the packages can be used for one-time sessions, multiple sessions, or special week-long deals. There is even a program specifically for high school student athletes so, for a special lower price, they can experience these effective recovery services.

“We encourage a wellness that really benefits people,” said Michele. “It gets people feeling better faster.”

The Restore team consists of owners Michele and Andy Ayers, nursing staff, and other professionals ready to help and offer these services in a friendly, relaxed environment.

Restore Puts The Hype In Hyper-Wellness

Before I froze, I signed some paperwork to make sure I was ready to experience the Cryotherapy session and then got an epic tour of all the great options offered at Restore Hyper Wellness + Cryotherapy! There is considerable hype around these effective recovery and health services—and for good reason!

• Cryotherapy
  • There are a variety of options for cryotherapy—whole body (which I tried!), facial, and local. Each treatment is composed of an allotted amount of time (3 minutes for whole body) where the body is exposed to temperatures as low as -240 degrees Fahrenheit. Whole body focuses on reducing inflammation, releasing endorphins that help alleviate pain, boosting energy and metabolism, and increasing the body’s natural healing abilities. Local Cryo can be applied to a very specific region.
• IV Drip
  • Helps with hydration. Over 75% of Americans are in a state of chronic dehydration, and this system helps provide essential and effective hydration featuring a custom cocktail of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients vital to a healthy body.
• Hyperbaric
  • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a method where guests can lie in a comfortable, relaxed pressurized chamber while breathing pure oxygen. This therapy causes your body/cells to hold up to 10 times more oxygen. Because of this, your body can effectively heal faster—whether it’s from a sports injury or to help fight off an impeding physical ailment.
• Infrared Sauna
  • This special infrared sauna uses infrared light to heat your body instead of just the air in the space. This ensures a much more comfortable experience. Guests can also choose different colors that produce a variety of effects (some increase circulation, others enhance a sense of calm).
• Compression Therapy
  • Compression Therapy uses the NormaTec Recovery System to maximize recovery for athletes, and non-athletes too. It uses a special technology that compresses your body and combines unique massaging techniques to maximize circulation.
• Micronutrient Testing
  • This type of blood testing examines how your body is functioning within white blood cells in a comprehensive report that includes results from several weeks.

Ready, Freeze!

It was then finally time to freeze! The frigid experience was moments away and I was so ready. I consistently feel like my body temp is a thousand degrees Fahrenheight (that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea—I am always so hot) and this chilly chamber sounded like my kind of atmosphere.

The chamber looked straight out of Star Wars (which is also awesome) and it buzzed at it prepped for my session.

I had to first change into a robe, special socks, shoes, and mittens (a nice little touch) before entering the dramatic waterfall of nitrogen mist sprawling out from the chamber and onto the floor.

The time had arrived!

I stepped into the frigid temperatures and instantly felt the cold rush of air sweep up my body. It was a fascinating 3-minute adventure—Andy chatted with me me about what I was experiencing, giving me insight into why this type of therapy is helpful, what sensations I’d be feeling, and why.

My favorite quote was when he reassured me that just because my body felt like it was freezing to death, “doesn’t mean it is.” Definitely good to know!

Honestly, the session was amazing. It was refreshing and absolutely invigorating. It’s difficult to explain how much it transformed my mental clarity and just made me feel incredible all around. Andy explained that, due to the 3-minute session and what my body experienced, I’d burn 500-800 calories the remainder of the day. Score!

Seriously, you need to check this out—it is a true experience that you need to try first-hand. I’ve already booked a repeat visit!

Get Restored

Post-freeze recap: this place is super cool (pun intended). There are so many options here that I can’t wait to try in addition to another Cryotherapy experience. With so many packages, it’s simple to test services offered to see what can benefit you the most and what could really impact, and cultivate, your wellness.

“Choosing these services is preventative and proactive,” said Andy. “I didn’t know how good I could feel, and with these different services I feel great—and that’s pretty cool.”

“Growing older, you sometimes  get to a point where you think ‘this is just how I am supposed to feel’ and settle being uncomfortable,” added Michele. “But with these services, you can feel how you are supposed to really feel in a healthy way.”

To feel fresh or frozen, you know where you need to visit. Hours are Sunday 12-4pm, Monday-Friday 10am-7pm, and Saturday 9am-5pm.

Explore Restore Hyper Wellness + Cryotherapy on their website, follow them on Facebook and Instagram, and get ready to enhance wellness—and have a blast while doing it. I sure did!