Most everyone has heard of saunas and their mind-body healing and relaxation benefits, but Konnie Komarovsky has opened a new business in Carmel, IN, that offers a variety of services, including a chilly take on the traditionally steamy sauna.
According to CurrentinCarmel.com, the name of the business is A Better You Wellness. Komarovsky, the owner, is a former coach who’s spent time helping athletes develop and recover their bodies.
To help them take this to the next level, Komarovsky decided to open this new venture. The facility offers services such as sensory deprivation float sessions, infrared saunas, and a cryo-sauna.
That last one is something you may not have ever heard of before. There were approximately 21 million households in the U.S. that owned a spa, pool, or hot tub in spring of 2014, but chances are not many of them were of the cryo variety.
Cryo-saunas use cryogenic cold temperatures instead of the traditional hot steam to alleviate pain and reduce inflammation. The process is as futuristic sounding as the name suggests.
The person receiving cryogenic sauna treatment enters a chamber that is subsequently filled with liquid nitrogen gas. This liquid gas can reach temperatures as cold as negative 240 degrees.
The whole procedure only lasts two or three minutes. The process was originally developed to treat arthritis, but now, in addition to treating pain and inflammation, it can also help tighten skin and collagen production.
If a full-body experience sounds like a little too much for some people, visitors to A Better You Wellness can also receive locally administered cryo-therapy, which sort of like an extreme version of icing.
“It’s a new version of a wellness facility,” Komarovsky said. “What you can accomplish with 30 minutes of icing, we can accomplish in five minutes, and it’s much more effective.”
Another unique service Komarovsky has are float sessions. This involves floating in a chamber of 10 inches of water with 900 pounds of Epsom salt in complete darkness and silence.
“It allows the person to float in a weightless state and once the pressure is not on the body then the blood can flow through the body evenly,” he said. “It’s the most relaxing thing you could do for an hour.”