Is Contrast Therapy right for you? revitalising, renewing, restoring

Fire & Ice Therapy – Words by Luke Williams (@StanleyDru)

Coming from someone who has had plenty of spa days and indulgent therapies, I can say for certain, there is nothing quite like Fire & Ice. If you are open to something niche and a bit special, then I think contrast therapy will be right up your street, or in this case; up through Ilkley along the gorgeous countryside and nestled amongst on the outskirts of Burley-in-Wharfedale.

Contrast therapy covers thermotherapy, cryotherapy, and light therapy, which in simplistic terms is your heat, cold and light (LED therapy etc) and with the promise of revitalising, renewing, restoring, and recovering in a discreet and relaxing environment, how could I possibly refuse?

The therapy itself it meant to boost the immune system, diminish pain and fatigue and increase body confidence, which as a regular gym goer (who burns the candle from both ends), I thought my body would really enjoy all the benefits that came with this therapy.

When we arrived at Fire & Ice we were greeted by Claire, who was extremely warm and welcoming, a quality which I think is essential when you are exploring something brand new and have no idea of what to expect. Any burning questions we had, Claire was on hand to reassure and explain the process thoroughly, which made us feel extremely comfortable.

We began the first part of the treatment in the thermotherapy pods, complete with LED light therapy and essential oils. We enjoyed a vibration massage whilst sat in the pods and relaxed to the sound of spa music as we were slowly steamed like little dumplings to a HOT 40 degrees Celsius. The LED light therapy and infrared heat used during this therapy are said to invigorate the cellular processes of aging skin, both on the face and body and is known to restore, repair and rejuvenate the skin’s radiance by penetrating the dermis. Also, pure oxygen was introduced to the pod to oxygenate the skin during the heating process, which made my skin feel gorgeously fresh once this part of the therapy was complete.

Once our time was up and we were sufficiently steamed to perfection, we were then prepped for the Cryotherapy room, which looked like a giant fridge freezer. The temperature was as low as -85 degrees Celsius and when we opened the door to get a feel for the temperature the cold air ballooned out in one big frozen cloud, it was genuinely FREEZING! We were given a head band, slippers, and mitts, to protect us, then we were put into the chamber for 3 minutes. Both myself and Tom were able to see the ice particles form on each other’s skin within seconds, which was fascinating to see.

As soon as our time in the frozen chamber was up, our eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, and moustache were covered in ice, which looked amazing (it was like we had walked 10 days in Artic circle) and as we stepped out of the snow cloud and back into the warm room where we started, we both took a huge breath and genuinely felt alive. Considering it was still early in the morning, we felt focused and exhilarated.

Once changed we said our goodbyes and walked along the gorgeous tranquil grounds feeling focused and determined to take on the day. It is so easy to see how some people would want to carry on having this therapy regularly, since the feeling afterwards was extremely euphoric. The process is hard to explain if you have never put your body through two extreme temperatures, but that combined with the relaxing atmosphere and calm surroundings, was utterly amazing. If you have not tried this therapy before, then I urge you to go and meet Claire, I really believe she is on to something BIG and I am so glad we had the chance to try it for ourselves first.

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