Fairfield's New Cryotherapy Biz Brings A Cool Twist To Wellness

FAIRFIELD, CT — There are many routes to a healthy body, but a new franchise opening at 665 Commerce Drive in Fairfield offers a somewhat unique alternative to wellness techniques.

The Houston, Texas-based iCRYO is officially part of the local landscape as of Saturday, led by Tracey Miller and her husband, Gregg Miller, who, for many years, has owned and operated the nearby Miller Nissan dealership.

“This is the first iCRYO in the state,” Tracey Miller said. “And we are slated to open five more in Fairfield County.”

Miller, a registered nurse from the area with around 30 years of experience, has found an ideal outlet for her passion for health and care through this unique business.

“I was always on the side of helping people with their illness,” she said. “I wanted to now be on the side of helping people with their wellness.”

The facility offers various forms of cryotherapy, as well as intravenous infusions, which Miller is licensed to administer, including vitamins and minerals.

“When you take vitamins orally, you’re probably getting about 30 percent of them,” Miller said.

Cryotherapy, meanwhile, is the use of extreme cold to treat various diseases and skin conditions in particular.

“It helps to detoxify your body,” Miller said. “It helps with pain and inflammation, and it’s great for your skin.”

She explained that in the “whole body” cryo approach — which involves spending several minutes in a sauna-like cold chamber — the goal is to drop the body’s outer temperature by 30 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Your core temperature remains the same,” she said, forcing the blood to the core areas and creating a “fight or flight” response mode for the affected areas, increasing oxygen when the blood is rush back out to one’s extremities.

She said other benefits include increased white blood cells, an augmented immune system, an increase in serotonin, which improves mood, and an increase in the hormone melatonin, which improves sleep.

“When you come out you get this overall euphoria feeling because we increased your endorphins, and you really just come out feeling refreshed, revitalized,” Miller said.

Some people, she said, enjoy doing it daily, if possible, both to relieve pain and inflammation, and to release the buildup of toxins.

For others, there are more targeted opportunities with cryotherapy, with the technique known as compression therapy applied directly to hurt limbs and body areas.

The facility also offers “cryo slimming,” which involves both facial toning and the targeted loss of fat through what Miller said is a permanent technique known as apoptosis.

The technique for using cryotherapy was first used by Dr. Toshima Yamaguchi of Japan in 1978, originally for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

“People in Fairfield County are really into health and wellness,” Miller said. “And for us just being embedded in the community, we know this is a great addition to Fairfield.”

For more information, visit icryo.com/location/fairfield-ct.