Cryotherapy is quickly becoming one of the hottest fitness and wellness trends in the US. As the whole body cryo industry continues to grow, it is important to note the differences in the type and quality of experiences available. When cryotherapy was first introduced to the United States, the only real option was to use nitrogen tanks or Cryosaunas to achieve the ultra low temps required for cryotherapy. Recently, advances in technology have allowed for safer and more efficient ways to provide cryotherapy, namely, using electricity to produce cold, refrigerated air, similar to a large freezer. Electric systems are walk in rooms that can hold 1-5 people and the air is safe to breathe. There are several things to consider when deciding which method of cryotherapy you want to experience or purchase. Both types of systems will give you results, but be sure to try both methods and research the manufacturers before you buy!
There are many reasons why we highly recommend electric cryotherapy, but when it comes to electric VS nitrogen what are the main differences?
The most obvious difference between the two, is electric cryotherapy uses freshly oxygenated cool air to fill the chamber with no risk of exposure to harmful gas. Nitrogen cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen to cool the chamber, which has a forced air-cooling effect from the feet up, with the clients head outside of the tank, and ventilation is required.
With electric cryotherapy, you are able to expose your entire body to the ultra-low temperatures which results in true whole body cooling. Again, this is because you are in a refrigerated cooled air chamber which is completely safe to breathe. Studies have found that with the whole body exposure there are more positive reactions which stem from activating the CNS (Central Nervous System). With nitrogen cryotherapy, you have to keep your head and chest above the treatment area, because the chamber is full of nitrogen and it can be very dangerous when inhaled. This type of partial body is certainly still beneficial but partial cooling targets lower body extremities and yields less bodily reactions. Because liquid nitrogen is dangerous when exposed to it, there are some concerns with it comes to nitrogen cryotherapy chambers. Some have reported forced air burns, light headedness, and respiratory issues. Electric cryotherapy on the other hand, has a safety database of 500,000+ treatments with zero incidents.
When it comes to the use of cryotherapy, electric and nitrogen chambers are both beneficial but will create a different experience. The nitrogen chamber can only hold one person at a time, wither close supervision and little to no clothing. With the electric chamber, it can be more of a social experience as it allows for more than one person at a time (with our larger chambers like the SUMMIT & C4 allowing groups).
As we discussed in our previous blog post “How much does a Cryotherapy chamber cost?” the price point and overall cost of ownership for electric and nitrogen are also different. The electric chamber has a higher upfront cost but will cost you much less to run as you only need to consider the additional cost to your electrical bill, which is usually less than $20/day based on 10 hours of daily use of the chamber. There is no true fixed cost per session associated with electric cryotherapy chambers so it allows for easy scalability and increased profit margins as you grow. Whereas the nitrogen chamber has a much lower upfront cost but has operating costs to consider. With the nitrogen chamber comes the cost of the liquid nitrogen to run the chamber. Nitrogen cryotherapy systems come with fixed costs per session and can significantly negatively affect profit margin. Keeping in mind the cost of nitrogen will be an added expense for every session as long as you are operating the chamber. There are many manufactures of nitrogen chambers which allows for multiple independent operators and variable services nationwide. With electric there are only a couple options on the market currently, and CryoBuilt is the leader in this industry with a reliable product and consistent service nationwide.
Here at CryoBuilt, our chambers are built to be 100% electric and we are the largest manufacturer of electric whole body cryotherapy systems in the USA. We use safe and reliable refrigerated cooled, oxygenated air to keep our cryotherapy chambers at ultra-low temperatures. Whether you are just using a cryotherapy chamber or considering owning one, it is beneficial to understand the difference between the electric and nitrogen treatments. Backed by research, facts and experience, we would recommend electric whole body cryotherapy time and again, but we will let you be the judge!