Cold chambers are booming. This brings refreshment at minus 110 degrees Celsius.

Three minutes at minus 110 degrees Celsius, and the world is a different place: At least, that's the message conveyed by the cold chamber operators who operate a growing number of fitness and wellness studios. Spending time in the cold is supposed to promote regeneration and performance, relieve pain and depression, make weight loss easier, and even make you look better. But does freezing really do that much good?

"Of course, the cold room isn't a cabinet of curiosities," says Jenny Kalt, who runs the Vitalfabrik in Rüti (ZH). "But it can help you achieve your goals." Since 2021, the Vitalfabrik has housed a full-body cold chamber, which professional athletes also regularly use.

Visitors experience a three-stage experience in the minus 110 degree Celsius chamber. This temperature is designed to provide the maximum therapeutic effect. In the first chamber, the body dries completely at minus 10 degrees Celsius for 30 seconds. In the second chamber, it acclimates to the cold for another 30 seconds at minus 60 degrees Celsius. And then it gets serious: In the final chamber, where users are expected to stay for two to three minutes, the temperature is minus 110 degrees Celsius.

Participants enter the chamber wearing dry swimwear. The respiratory tract, fingers, feet, and ears are protected from the cold with a mask, socks and shoes, gloves, and a headband. Jenny Kalt is always in visual contact and connected to the chamber via microphone. She encourages, distracts, and motivates her clients to help them persevere.

Because at minus 110 degrees Celsius, it can take your breath away, says Kalt. Some people hold their breath in shock, start hyperventilating, and forget to exhale. "I breathe with them, and after ten seconds, most people have adjusted again."

To many people, what's being described probably sounds like stress at first – and that's part of the concept. The body is exposed to a strong stimulus. This accelerates breathing, and blood pressure rises. "Through the strong stimulus, the body learns to cope with the distress and develops defense mechanisms," says Kalt. This activates self-healing. Furthermore, overcoming exposure to the cold is also said to strengthen the mind. "Staying in the chamber clears the mind."

Treating the body with cold is nothing new. Even the ancient Egyptians are said to have used cold to treat illnesses or injuries. For the Romans, the so-called frigidarium was part of the classic thermal baths. In this cool room, often equipped with a cold water basin , people refreshed themselves after sweating or bathing in warm water.

In the mid-19th century, Pastor Sebastian Kneipp read a book about the power of water and its effects on the body. Weakened by a lung disease, he treated himself with baths in the cold Danube River – and was thus cured. His water cure is still used today. The modern cold chamber was developed in the late 1970s by the Japanese rheumatologist Toshiro Yamauchi to treat inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis with temperatures as low as minus 180 degrees Celsius. From there, so-called cryotherapy spread to other countries.

Some professional athletes also use cold applications today to optimize their recovery. "The benefits are hardly scientifically proven," says Stefan Sannwald. He is Chief Physician of Sports Medicine and Deputy Director of the Swiss Olympic Medical Center at the Schulthess Clinic in Zurich. In his role, he oversees several professional sports teams. "A lot of it is based on subjective well-being," says Sannwald.

However, this is very often the case in sports medicine. The effects of supplementary measures are difficult to objectively demonstrate, as the physical conditions of different athletes vary greatly. Therefore, it is difficult to form comparable research groups. However, one thing is certain: performance improvement still works through training and adequate recovery . "If you feel good after exercising in a cold lake or spending time in a cryogenic chamber, you should do it," says Sannwald.

The anti-inflammatory and decongestant effects of cold have been proven, because, among other things, it constricts blood vessels. It also inhibits pain. This can also aid recovery. However, the sports physician is clear: "You can train successfully without a cold chamber." The cold chamber can be a small piece of the puzzle in the overall system that makes athletes successful. Anyone who wants to test whether cold supports training should do so over a certain period of time and observe the effects on well-being and the results.

Jenny Kalt also emphasizes that a one-time stay in the cold chamber doesn't provide long-term benefits. "It's like a workout that you have to do regularly, just like exercise." The cold takes the body out of its comfort zone , and that's precisely where development occurs.

Although exposure to cold is said to have many health benefits, it is stressful for the body. Therefore, there are contraindications that prevent you from entering a cold chamber: Anyone suffering from acute high blood pressure, infections, respiratory or heart diseases should consult a doctor before going into the cold. Caution is also advised in cases of acute inflammation of the kidneys or urinary tract, fever, epilepsy, pregnancy, or open wounds. People with claustrophobia may also feel unwell in the chamber. After extreme physical exertion, you should also give your body a break before subjecting it to the cold again.

Reputable providers require customers to complete a health questionnaire on their first visit. At Vitalfabrik, Jenny Kalt measures her visitors' blood pressure before entering the cryogenic chamber. If it doesn't drop to a normal range after a certain amount of time, she refuses to allow them to enter the cryogenic chamber, as blood pressure increases there.

A few also shy away from standing in the first or second chamber, even if there's nothing medically wrong with going into the coldest chamber. "That's a small minority, though," says Kalt. Those who find it difficult to overcome this or are unsure whether the stay will do them any good should start slowly and stay in the cold for just a minute. But: "Minus 110 degrees sounds much worse than it is," says Kalt.