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> “It’s such a strange service — who wants to be in the cold? You need to hear about it from someone you trust,” said Michael Garrett, the head of Reboot, a spa

> “It’s such a strange service — who wants to be in the cold? You need to hear about it from someone you trust,” said Michael Garrett, the head of Reboot, a spa that offers cryotherapy around the Bay Area. (Cryotherapy is when you make yourself get cold.) Love the author's snark. >He said the cold therapy gives him a high, as blood rushes to his head and chest, and he believes practitioners are addicted. “I’m addicted straight up, it’s a high and I love it,” Mr. Garrett said. I never understood paying for cryotherapy - can't the same be accomplished by a cold shower? I definitely love a good cold shower occasionally, seems cold enough to get the blood rush effect (recommended to me by my cardiologist for this exact reason).

_bxg1 8y ago
I think it's on a whole other level of cold. People have died from cryotherapy. And of course, not-dying is part of the service (hopefully) being provided.
joelrunyon 8y ago
Personally, you feel cold showers + ice baths you feel wayyyy more physiologically than cryo. Cryo isn't bad if you only have 3 minutes, but if you run the numbers on cryo + add in the tech appeal angle - it's a GREAT business.
fwip 8y ago
When you pay for something, you justify to yourself why it's better than a free or cheap alternative. "I'm really glad I paid extra for USB-C, it's so nice to plug it in the right way the first try." I can't remember the exact phrase for this, maybe "cost bias?" Related to, but distinct from, the sunk-cost fallacy.
sxates 8y ago
If you live in the Bay Area, I think a quick dip in the ocean will do similar things for free.
RandallBrown 8y ago
I think cryotherapy generally provides temperatures well below those found in nature. Whether or not that actually does something beneficial is another question, but it's different than a cold shower. I would like to try it sometime just to see how it feels.

_bxg1 8y ago

I think it's on a whole other level of cold. People have died from cryotherapy. And of course, not-dying is part of the service (hopefully) being provided.

joelrunyon 8y ago

Personally, you feel cold showers + ice baths you feel wayyyy more physiologically than cryo. Cryo isn't bad if you only have 3 minutes, but if you run the numbers on cryo + add in the tech appeal angle - it's a GREAT business.

fwip 8y ago

When you pay for something, you justify to yourself why it's better than a free or cheap alternative. "I'm really glad I paid extra for USB-C, it's so nice to plug it in the right way the first try." I can't remember the exact phrase for this, maybe "cost bias?" Related to, but distinct from, the sunk-cost fallacy.

sxates 8y ago

If you live in the Bay Area, I think a quick dip in the ocean will do similar things for free.

RandallBrown 8y ago

I think cryotherapy generally provides temperatures well below those found in nature. Whether or not that actually does something beneficial is another question, but it's different than a cold shower. I would like to try it sometime just to see how it feels.