A Business Owner’s Insight into the Cold Therapy Industry

Meet Madeline Lovell – Impact Cryotherapy customer and co-owner of Celsius Cryotherapy.  Madeline is a young entrepreneur with a strong passion for fitness and wellness. She leads the Celsius Cryotherapy team in St. Louis and helps oversee Celsius’ additional location in Seattle.

We spent some time with Madeline to hear more about her personal journey with cryotherapy and what she thinks the cryo market will look like in the future. Let’s hear what she has to say:

The Story Begins

I’ve always wanted to pursue a career that allows me to help others and make a difference. More recently, I have become interested in injury recovery – I studied exercise science in college and have actively been looking for new ways to help others recover post-workout.

My father, who was exposed to the concept at work, introduced me to whole body cryotherapy. I was intrigued and began my own research. My research told me that cryotherapy originated in Japan as a treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis and was later brought it to the United States by athletes to aid in their recovery. This was the type of therapy I was looking to build a business around. I then quickly realized that my city had a huge need and market for cryo thus motivating my family and me to start Celsius Cryotherapy in St. Louis, MO.

Choosing a Cryo Vendor

As our business is centered around cryotherapy, we needed to find a cryotherapy machine that provided an optimal cold therapy experience for our customers. We conducted thorough research on all cryo machines on the market and found that the Impact Cryotherapy cryosauna was by far the best machine available. It is a superior product and has outstanding service and maintenance offerings. Additionally, during our research period, we experienced all cryosaunas – the Impact cryotherapy machine definitely gets the coldest. We also very much appreciated the fact that it is manufactured in the United States.

Before opening our store in November of 2017, we utilized a mobile cryotherapy trailer that housed an Impact cryosauna. The mobile trailer allowed us to build awareness about our business 2 months prior to opening. We traveled to local gyms and spas around the area to provide cryotherapy sessions to potential Celsius clientele.

Once we were open, we began offering additional wellness services alongside cryotherapy such as NormaTec compression and infrared therapy sessions. Cryotherapy is the most well-received service and by far my favorite – even though, at first, a lot of people are skeptical at how standing in a cold chamber for 2-3 minutes could have so many benefits. I’ll admit, I was skeptical as well but I have seen the benefits first hand. I didn’t think I needed fixing by cryotherapy, but it has changed my life and I’ve seen so many people feel the same way.

I have been most surprised at how quickly cryotherapy works for people. There is an instant relief for a lot of chronic pain and suffering. I see lots of tears of joy and hugs from clients who suffer from chronic pain feeling some relief for the first time in a long time.

Cryotherapy isn’t just for athletes and those with chronic pain, however, it truly has benefits for everyone.  We have a lot of older clients who have found a lot of relief in cryotherapy for their joint and muscle aches. In addition, we have clients who use cryotherapy to help alleviate their skin conditions such as acne, blemishes, eczema, psoriasis, and more.

The Future

Cryotherapy is the next phase of wellness and fitness – and Impact Cryotherapy is pioneering the way. Over the last 10 years fitness and boutique health have exploded and in the past 8, cryotherapy has emerged as one of the fastest and most beneficial wellness techniques. People are noticing the importance of their body and health – and research is pointing towards the importance of recovery in active lifestyles.

As the demand for cryotherapy increases, more and more cryo businesses will emerge.

It truly does not take a lot of manpower to operate a cryo and wellness store. Yes, it takes a lot of patience to start a business from the ground up – patience in the process, the people, and in yourself. Fortunately, the cryotherapy community is very helpful across the country. You can learn a lot by just reaching out to other cryotherapy businesses to learn what has worked or not worked for them. You’ll have your highs and you are going to have your lows. The balance is going to come from the strong, confident, uplifting clients who walk in the door. At the end of the day, it’s a very rewarding business to be in – we get to help people, see growth and change lives.