The first day (or two) after a workout is always the hardest. Here, we scoured three different centres offering the latest post-exercise recovery that’s good for your body.
CryoFit Asia: Whole Body Cryotherapy
CryoFit Asia is one of the first whole body cryotherapy centres in KL. Founded by former professional marathon runner Jean-Pierre Lautredoux, this centre originally catered to professional athletes with sport injuries. Over time, it has steadily built up a customer base who return for services such as full-body cryotherapy, localised cryotherapy, NormaTec recovery treatment and even cryofacials.
Essentially, cryotherapy engulfs the body in extremely cold temperatures ranging from –140C to –180C in a rotating chamber overflowing with liquid nitrogen for three minutes to flush toxins and enrich red blood cells with oxygen, nutrients, and enzymes. Exposure to extremely cold temperatures activates the body’s fight or fight response, which diverts blood flow from extremities (like the arms and legs) to vital organs to protect them from freezing. Meanwhile, blood leaves any inflamed and injured areas.
Upon returning to normal temperatures, re-oxygenated blood pumps through the body, leaving you feeling revitalised and refreshed. The treatment’s anti-inflammatory properties result in faster muscle recovery after workouts, enabling you to continue your normal exercise schedule without additional strain. The only rule: keep your head bobbing above the chamber to avoid dizziness. Fret not, this treatment isn’t new – many professional athletes and celebrities have used it for years to recover from injuries and for health purposes. If it’s good enough for the Welsh national rugby team, Cristiano Ronaldo and Floyd Mayweather Jr, it must be doing something right.
Be Urban Wellness: Oxygen Therapy
Famous amongst Hollywood stars and professional athletes, oxygen therapy is slated to promote healing up to four times faster and build peak performance. Originally developed to treat serious illnesses like diabetes, the treatment exposes the body to 100 percent pure oxygen (the air we breathe contains about 20 percent, by comparison) and is proven to help treat all sorts of ailments; oxygen therapy can be used to reduce stress, boost immunity and improve brain power to prevent ageing.
The oxygen chamber at Be Urban Wellness looks a bit like a submarine, with little portholes along both sides so you don’t feel too claustrophobic. In fact, the first few minutes is almost like being at sea as the chamber fills with oxygen and wobbles into shape around you. You need to spend at least an hour inside the chamber for the oxygen to reach all your cells; as for how often you undergo this treatment, well it depends on what you’re hoping to gain.
Once inside, you’ll feel relaxed and drowsy, which is to be expected apparently – your body starts to detox after just one session. The intense amount of oxygen that’s delivered to your body through a single 60-minute session is enough to give you an energy boost, and help with heat fatigue and change of routine for full body rejuvenation.
ZeroGravity Float Centre: Floatation Therapy
At ZeroGravity Float Centre in Plaza Damas, visitors can embark on a unique wellness journey of their own by dipping into their very own “dreampods”. Each floatation tank is filled with an Epsom salt solution (approximately 500kg of the salt is used for a foot of water) that’s heated to skin temperature, allowing you to experience weightlessness in an environment that’s almost completely free of external stimuli.
Floatation therapy offers a wide range of health benefits. “It helps lower cortisol (stress hormones) and your heart rate, and relieves muscle tension. It also encourages the release of endorphins and dopamine levels,” explains Melissa Ng, owner of ZeroGravity Float Centre. Fun fact: floating stimulates theta brainwaves, allowing you to fall into a deep meditative state and achieve ultimate relaxation. Even active guys who play sports or gym regularly stand to benefit from floatation therapy as it promotes athletic recovery, Ng points out. “Floating also encourages blood circulation and detoxification while enhancing mental clarity and performance visualisation,” she says, highlighting that it’s been adopted by professional athletes like basketball player Stephen Curry and elite military units like the US Air Force.
