Elite athletes need their recovery time. They need to feed their muscles, restore and relax post training and events. To do so, they often utilise a range of therapeutic techniques from infra-red saunas to hyperbolic oxygen chambers and cryotherapy.
I was invited to Pinnacle Health in Parramatta (they also have a clinic in Double Bay) to try a range of services. Their customer service was tip top. From the moment of entry, to saying goodbye, we were taken good care of. The lovely Liz gave us some naturopathic herbs to facilitate relaxation and to open up the sinuses. This, she advised, would maximise the experience.
I got to try their mineral-infused floating pod for deep relaxation, their salt room, cryotherapy, infrared sauna and hyperbolic oxygen tank. All making me feel both more relaxed and at ease, but with energy and clarity.
The infrared sauna included a 60 minute sauna experience at temperatures up to 60 degrees.
Following the infrared sauna, I climbed into the cryotherapy tank for a couple of minutes at minus 120 degrees Celsius. The experience felt amost Nordic; like I had experienced a Finnish sauna and snow run. Alive, energised and focused was the result. I'd do it again. Next time, I hope to do a full three minutes at -180.
Floating pods are becoming increasingly popular. Mineral salts brought in from Israel create a dead sea experience. You simply float while sleeping in the pod. The world stops as you have that much-needed alone time. The salt aids relaxation and has a range of therapeutic benefits to the skin. The salt room is a much cleaner, neater version where you just sit and relax. A magazine can be taken in. Or you can just simply switch off and let your mind wander. I used both and loved them equally, but found the floating pod meant I was scrubbing salt from my hair for a while. You could simply wear a shower cap though.
Finally, I got to try the hyperbolic oxygen chamber. I could lie down on the mattress inside and relax. Due to the slight pressure, you may need to equalise, but this is no more than what you'd experience on a flight.
Despite taking a magazine in, I ended up falling asleep. Oxygen does that to us.
At Pinnacle Health, be prepared to feel relaxed and rejuvenated. If the naturopathic herbs don't do the trick, then any one of the treatments will.