The F Word
Posted by Jason Kindig on Tue, Jan 17, 2012 @ 03:50 PM
Ahh the F word. Freeze. What were you thinking it was? I think it's time to get that mind of yours out of the gutter.
I’ve always said how I love my job. Besides getting to be a Dallas photographer, I am constantly out and about, plus I get to experience all kinds of different things, be it people, food, or something else entirely. This post fits the latter description. A little while back I was assigned to photograph a cryosauna. Yes, if you take the two parts of that word that is indeed what was going on. I had the opportunity to photograph a deep-freezing sauna that uses liquid nitrogen to make you incredibly cold.
When I called Dr. Jeff Johnson, who is one of a few people in the country that has one of these machines, he described its appearance as a giant red bull can. He was spot on, though I’ve never seen a red bull can quite this cold. When I arrived at his chiropractic practice, the Dallas photographer in me became very excited, as the machine was super space age, complete with color-changing LED lights and fog rolling out of it. To be honest, it felt like something that would have been on the Jetson’s, though Rosie the robot was nowhere to be found.
I never would have though that giving your body a flash-freeze would have so many benefits. Sure it works great for the peas and pizzas I get at Target, but a person? Apparently there are tons of great things going on. For instance, it works great on cellulite, gets your blood pumping, and can even reduce anxiety and depression. There are plenty of professional athletes that use cryosauna technology to aid in muscle recovery, including our very own Dallas Mavericks. You also get a huge adrenaline rush, and your body can burn fat and calories.
Now I was kind of nervous in trying it, but I had to give it a shot, especially after learning that most of the benefits come from thinking your body is dying. Once your immune system kicks in, it is game on. So after I finished my official Dallas photographer business, it was time to get special socks and gloves on (to prevent frostbite), and head into the chamber. I situated myself in the cryosauna, and got to have some music rocking as well, this was going to be fun! Jeff slowly cranked down the temperature, it was an interesting experience to say the least. It started out cool, then cold, then really cold with a bit of teeth chattering beginning to set in. Two minutes is a long time when you are being immersed in liquid nitrogen gas. Thankfully I am an extremely manly Dallas photographer, so it wasn’t so bad. I only cried once.
Any way, it was a very different experience, as I’ve never subjected my body to temperatures below 200 degrees Fahrenheit, plus I had such a rush for the rest of the day. I also kept burning calories for the next few hours. It was totally worth trying, you guys should check it out sometime if you can. Enjoy!
