A health and athletic spa offering cryotherapy treatments will open in mid-June in the Westover Square Shopping Center at 3501 Hyridge Drive.
Cryo Body Works will offer massage and cryosauna treatments, which is a walk-in sauna that uses cold vapor to release endorphins, collagen and anti-inflammatory proteins in the skin by exposing a person to temperatures of -240 degrees for three minutes or less, owner Caulen Lauria said.
Benefits of body cryotherapy include pain relief, faster recovery from injuries and healthier and firmer skin, he said. Cryotherapy can also improve sleep, increase energy and provide anti-inflammation in the body.
"The services of course are definitely for athletes and because this treatment is quite profound and revolutionary, it really has benefits for anybody seeking better general health," he said. "The primary benefits fall into the categories of recovery, health and beauty."
Body cryotherapy was developed in 1978 and is used by professional athletes such as NBA basketball players from the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks, he said.
"The immediate effect is your skin receptors realize that your body is being put into an extremely cold temperature so it pulls all of your blood to your visceral organs," he said. "By doing that, it's picking up a lot more oxygen and nutrients. That gets resupplied throughout your body in places where it doesn't normally have the ability to go."
Lauria, a California native, is an athlete and entrepreneur and has a background in working with Formula One drivers and Paralympic athletes. In the months after opening, he plans to offer Swedish, deep tissue and sports massage. He said he was attracted to the location for the business because of the visibility from MoPac.
A single session of body cryotherapy is $55, and Cryo Body Works will have packages for multiple session treatments. Lauria will offer a grand opening special of $35 for a customer's first cryotherapy session. Appointments may be made on the website at www.cryobodyworks.com or by calling 512-522-0221.
