111CRYO Knightsbridge: The Review

Chiara Merullo braves the big chill

It’s a brutal Monday when you face -91° temperatures before your morning flat white. But yet, that fate was thrust open me when I was invited to try the ‘hottest’ new craze. 111CRYO offers three whole minutes inside a subantarctic chamber to shock the body into reaping a range of healthcare benefits including; muscle relaxation, skin tightening, collagen production and calorie burning (500 – 800 per session).

And then there’s the effect on your endorphins. Many people have been known to emerge from the chamber with childlike euphoria and exhilaration. One lady even moved from fits of giggles to full-blown weeping, as her body utilised the best of its rousing hormones. Fast and effective, this is the trend that has got city boys in New York replacing their more questionable kicks for a few healthy, sub-zero minutes at 7am. And now it was my turn.

We are excited to be the first company to bring whole-body Cryotherapy, powered by electricity to the UKDr. Yannis Alexandrides
111CRYO Founder

First things first – the kit. I was told to remove all jewellery (never too helpful to have metal stuck to your frozen skin) and to save my extremities from frost-bite with a face-mask, gloves and duvet slippers. With my remaining body in shorts and a tank top, I was dressed for both the beach and a skiing holiday. Apprehension set in. As an avid sun worshipper, someone that baulks at air conditioning in 25-degree heat – what was I doing? Would I ever recover? More importantly, would my tan freeze off? After all, this is 50 degrees below mercury’s freezing point, anything could happen…

Nonetheless, the door opened and under the 111CRYO teams’ gentle reassurance that I would be monitored throughout, into the atmospheric fog I went. Immediately my heart rate rose and my legs felt the burn of the cold, but I was relieved to note (whilst hopping from foot to foot), that it wasn’t nearly as unbearable as I had imagined. A signal came from the team – one minute to go. Shrugging off the icy frosting that had formed on my skin and hair, I thought I could do this.

Before I knew it, I was waved out and a huge sense of exhilaration swept over me. Immediately, tingly, giddy and significantly rejuvenated (clearly those happy hormones working), I returned to the office a better woman that had risen earlier that morning.

As the day continued, colleagues noted I had a certain glow, and I boasted a smug sense of calmness and alertness. The kind of feeling you have post an incredible workout, but without, well, the workout…

Three minutes of my time and my icy blast had done me wonders — perhaps those city boys were onto something after all.

111CRYO is available at Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge for £95 per treatment.

Facial treatments are also available for £75 using the Regenerative Collection, inspired by Cryotherapy.