Glacial Cryotherapy and Wellness

Local Business Spotlight - Glacial Cryotherapy

I don’t care much for paid endorsements and I never have. 30 years in the radio business and I accepted one endorsement contract from a meat company. My compensation? $150.00 worth of free beef a month for 6 months. I had to buy a separate freezer to store it all. By the way, it was the best hormone free beef I have ever tasted.

I especially don’t care for some guy with a microphone telling me that I’d have better luck with the ladies if I spent $8,000.00 on hair plugs. I’m bald, I can deal with it. Luxury automobiles, better pillows, a better way to watch television therefore spending even less time outside with your children, some “celebrities” will endorse anything.

I get it, in some cases it’s much needed additional income. But are you seriously going to rush out and buy a certain vacuum because the lady who provides you with daily traffic reports insists it’s the “best vacuum in the whole world”? No! Most likely when yours breaks, you’ll buy the most affordable model available. So why do corporations insist on product endorsement? That I don’t know. What I do know is that if a friend, coworker or family member tells me something works…I’m all ears.

At 57 years of age, I am no longer in prime physical condition. Ok, so I was never in “prime” physical condition, but there was a time when my muscles didn’t ache constantly. There was also a time when my bones didn’t creak, my back wasn’t sore and I slept soundly each night. That is no longer the case. The fact of the matter is I’m pretty hard on my body. Like many of you reading this I work long days and don’t always eat the most nutritious foods. I also suffer from severe pain in my left leg due to a fairly significant varicose vein. I’ve been to my doctor, orthopedic surgeons, had sonograms and taken more Ibuprofen than is recommended. Unfortunately, until now nothing had worked.

Let me be completely transparent and tell you that other than receiving two free visits at Glacial Cryotherapy, I am not receiving any compensation for writing this article. My initial intent was to begin a series focusing on local businesses owned and operated by fellow Shoreline Residents. These people are our neighbors, their children attend the same schools as ours, they shop at the same businesses, eat at the same restaurants and support the local economy.

Glacial Cryotherapy is located in the upper parking lot of the Lake Forest Park Town Center, has been in business for almost a year and is owned and operated by Nicolle Gulick and Kathy Haynes. I’ve known Kathy and her husband Norm since I first coached their son in T-ball, almost 20 years ago.

So exactly what is Cryotherapy and why do I appear to be “endorsing” it?

It has long been an accepted practice to treat inflamed areas of the body by applying ice. Ice packs, ice baths, ice patches, etc., athletic trainers have been using ice to treat bruised muscles for a century or more. When applied to a specific area of the body, ice speeds up the bodies’ recovery process. I know, you’re not an athlete, but that doesn’t mean your body doesn’t require constant rejuvenation.

First introduced back in the 1970s by Japanese researcher Dr. Toshima Yamauchi to treat rheumatoid arthritis and relieve pain, “Whole-body Cryo” targets your entire body using liquid nitrogen so that the healing process can occur in more than one area at a time.

Cryotherapy is what enables Lebron James to continue to be one of the world’s premier athletes. A proponent of the therapy, he has had a chamber in his home for quite some time. But Cryotherapy isn’t just for multimillion-dollar celebrities. It is affordable and I can tell you from experience, it works.

Let me be clear, I don’t expect you to visit Glacial Cryotherapy on my recommendation. I do however insist that you believe me when I say I’ve not taken 1 Ibuprofen since visiting almost a week ago and I’ve slept better than I have in many, many nights. No “Restless Leg Syndrome” and the inflammation in my left leg has decreased significantly. All this while waiting to hear back from my Family Practitioner on when she can “squeeze me in" for a follow-up appointment.

Also available at Glacial Cryotherapy is the NormaTec Recovery PULSE System. Because I am on my feet all day, this dynamic compression device designed for recovery and rehab is what impressed me the most. The system uses compressed air to massage your limbs (arms, legs and hips) and mobilize the toxic fluids stored in your muscles. After my first visit, the results were unbelievable. Jokingly, I accused Kathy of practicing “Voodoo Medicine” but the fact is, it’s science.

As with any type of physical therapy, one visit isn’t going to cure everything that ails you and eating a sensible diet and drinking lots of water are still highly recommended for any type of recovery, but I can almost guarantee that with one whole-body cryotherapy session, you will notice a visible difference in your overall energy level.

You may recall that my father was one of those “rub some dirt on it” guys and I grew being told to just “walk it off”? Well, I can honestly say that since visiting Glacial Cryotherapy walking it off is no longer nearly as difficult.