Bloomfield Hills Couple Chill Way Out with New Business

A new business in Birmingham’s recently redeveloped Palladium Building offers an Arctic-like streaking experience, but it isn’t for thrill seekers.

Rather, Cryo Balance, Michigan’s first whole-body cryotherapy treatment center, offers therapeutic treatment for muscle injuries and other medical conditions.

But, baby, is it ever cold in there – minus-264 degrees Fahrenheit, to be precise.

“I would describe it as a modern-day ice bath,” Yvette Tabangay Nafso, co-owner of Cryo Balance, told Hometownlife.com. “This is a more comfortable version and a lot more potent, because it’s much colder.”

Cryotherapy began in Japan in the 1970s, but is rapidly growing in the United States. Athletes like Cleveland Cavaliers NBA star LeBron James have used it to help recover from sports injuries, Nafso said, explaining that she and her husband, A.J., decided to open a cryotherapy center in Birmingham after learning about the treatment in New York City.

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“We tried it, loved it and I started booking sessions every time we went to Manhattan,” said Nafso, who grew up in Bloomfield Hills and runs a dental practice there with her husband. “We decided we needed to bring this back to Michigan, so we started doing our homework.”

New clients are screened for heart disease and high blood pressure, because cryotherapy isn’t recommended for individuals with those medical conditions. Once cleared, clients enter the chamber in their underwear or jogging shorts, as well as socks or slippers provided by the salon, and nitrogen gas pumped into the booth brings the temperature down to the desired minus-264 degrees Fahrenheit mark within seconds. The client’s head remains outside the chamber during the three-minute treatment.

“You also get an endorphin release, which has an immediate analgesic effect,” Nafso said.

More than one treatment over a 48p to 72-hour span is recommended for maximum benefits.

Cryotherapy can also be used to burn calories in case you skipped the gym, according to the business’ Facebook page, which says 500 to 800 calories can be be burned in a three-minute treatment.

Cryo Balance is the latest tenant in the Palladium Building.

Others opening in the near future include Bianchi’s Salon and Lucido Fine Jewelry, according to John Heiney, executive director of the Principal Shopping District in Birmingham,

The building also houses Emagine Palladium and its companion Ironwood Grill, as well as two other restaurants, Au Cochon and Arthur Arthur Avenue.

» Photo via Cryo Balance Facebook page.