Whole Body, Local or Facial Cryotherapy - Which One Do You Actually Need

“Cryotherapy” tends to get used as if it’s one single treatment, but we actually offer three genuinely different versions, each built around a different goal.

If you’ve been trying to work out which one actually fits what you’re after, here’s a proper, honest comparison.

Whole Body Cryotherapy

Whole Body Cryotherapy is the one most people picture when they think of cryotherapy, standing in a cold chamber for a few minutes, dry sub-zero air rather than water, gloves and socks provided throughout. Sessions run between 3.5 and 6 minutes.

The effect is systemic, your whole body responds, blood shunts toward your core during the cold and rushes back out to your limbs once you warm up, giving you a genuine lift in alertness and a full-body sense of reset.

It’s the right choice if what you’re after is a fast energy boost, general recovery support after training, or simply a full reset when you’re feeling generally run down rather than dealing with one specific problem area.

Local Cryotherapy

Local cryotherapy is a targeted version of the same principle, aimed at one specific area rather than your whole body. A therapist directs a controlled stream of cold air onto a particular joint or muscle, a stiff shoulder, a sore knee, a tight calf, for around 5 to 10 minutes.

This is the right choice when you know exactly where the problem is and don’t need, or want, the full-body experience. It’s more precise than whole body cryotherapy for a specific area, without the broader systemic effect that comes with the full chamber.

Cryotherapy Facial

Cryotherapy Facial applies the same cold-exposure principle to your face and neck specifically, using a gentle, continuous cooling breeze rather than the intensity of the full chamber or the local treatment. Sessions run 10 to 15 minutes.

This is aimed at circulation and complexion rather than muscle or joint recovery, easing puffiness and leaving skin looking brighter, without any of the intensity associated with the other two options. It’s the right choice if your goal is specifically about how your skin looks and feels, rather than physical recovery.

Comparing the Three Directly

Can You Combine Them?

Yes, and it’s genuinely common. Someone dealing with general fatigue and a specific knee complaint might reasonably book whole body cryotherapy for the systemic reset and follow it with local cryotherapy for the knee specifically.

Similarly, a cryotherapy facial pairs well as a finishing touch after either of the other two, since it’s gentle enough not to compete with what you’ve just done.

A Simple Way to Decide

If you’re after a fast, general reset and don’t have one specific complaint driving the visit, whole body cryotherapy is the obvious starting point.

If you know exactly which joint or muscle is bothering you and want focused attention there, local cryotherapy is the better fit.

And if your goal is specifically about your complexion rather than physical recovery, the cryotherapy facial is built exactly for that.

None of these choices are permanent. Plenty of our clients use different types depending on what a given week looks like, whole body after an intense training block, local when a specific niggle flares up, facial before something they want to look their best for.

Book Your Session

If you’re still not sure which type genuinely fits what you’re dealing with, that’s exactly what a consultation is for.

Talk it through with our team and we’ll point you toward the right starting point.