Hicran
December 3, 2009

Visitors to Finland can now experience the rush of a new energising spa treatment – at 110º below zero.

The Finnish Haikko Spa, located 50km east of Helsinki, has turned an old pain-relieving method into a revitalising spa treatment subjecting the body to extremely cold conditions and causing the skin’s surface temperature to drop down to between 3 and 4 degrees centigrade.

The use of low temperatures in medical therapy is known as cryotherapy. Initially developed in Japan in the late 1800s to provide pain relief for conditions such as rheumatism, sports physicians have since rediscovered the method and have started applying it in routine treatments and sports therapy. Health specialists, particularly in Eastern Europe, then started to recognise the positive effects on a range of health problems such as insomnia, stress and skin conditions.

Spa visitors Guests are advised to wear a swimming costume and protective headgear, mittens, socks and slippers provided by the spa. The treatment involves walking through two insulated rooms with temperatures of -30 and -60°C before entering the super cool treatment room where temperatures will drop down to -110°C. Here guests will spend from between one to three minutes, depending on the specific recommended treatment.

Temperature receptors in the skin send messages to the brain communicating the low temperatures. This triggers reactions in the circulatory, endocrine, immune and central nervous systems which gives a distinctive physical rush.

The first session promises to leave you feeling energetic, enhances sleep and reduces muscle tension. For certain ailments, a series of three of more treatments is recommended for more permanent results.