Cryofacial Review: I Got -154° Nitrogen Gas Blasted on My Face

clean market nyc — Clean Market is a luxury wellness center in NYC that offers treatments such as cryotherapy and vitamin IV drips. Katie Warren/Business Insider

2019-01-28T15:15:00Z

Clean Market is a luxury wellness center in New York City that offers treatments such as cryotherapy, infrared saunas, and vitamin IV drips.
It also sells wellness and beauty supplements, and treats like CBD smoothies.
I got a $55 cryofacial, where a technician blew -154° nitrogen gas on my face for about 12 minutes.
It was the strangest spa treatment I've ever gotten, but I would definitely do it again.

With wellness increasingly viewed as the ultimate luxury, treatments like cryotherapy — where athletes and models expose their bodies to super-cold temperatures to soothe sore muscles and boost metabolism — are becoming more and more popular.

I visited Clean Market, a luxury wellness center in New York City that offers services such as cryotherapy and vitamin IV drips, to see what the hype was all about and to try a cryofacial, where a technician blows -154° nitrogen gas on your face for 12 minutes to supposedly give you better skin.

I got the $209 "Facial Detox" package, which includes an infrared sauna session, cryofacial, and NutriGlow IV drip, but the cryofacial by itself costs $55. Whole-body cryotherapy, for context, is $85 for two to three minutes.

Clean Market owner Lily Kunin told Business Insider that the majority of customers are neighborhood regulars who want to feel their best, boost energy and immunity, reduce stress, and increase their metabolism. She noted that the center has also had clients including NFL quarterbacks, Victoria's Secret Angels, and Real Housewives.

Here's what it was like to get a cryofacial.

Clean Market is a luxury wellness center in New York City that offers services including cryotherapy, vitamin IV drips, infrared saunas, and smoothies infused with boosters such as collagen and CBD.

Source: Clean Market

I went to get a cryofacial, a $55 treatment where a stream of -154° nitrogen gas is blasted on your face and neck for about 12 minutes. It's supposed to reduce inflammation, puffiness, and dark circles, and "tighten and brighten" skin, according to Clean Market.

Danielle soaking in her lunch break cryofacial. A cool stream of -154° air is circulated on your face for 12 minutes. Benefits: treats issue damage, induces cell rejuvenation, improves skin tone, and reduces the ongoing effects of aging. Try our 10-pack to see the glow. ✨ #CleanMarket

A post shared by Clean Market (@clean.market) on Nov 29, 2018 at 10:31am PSTNov 29, 2018 at 10:31am PST

Source: Clean Market

For my cryofacial, I sat in a massage chair in a small, private room. I was only wearing eye makeup, but I was told that it wasn't necessary to remove foundation or any makeup for the treatment.

The spa technician wheeled in the mobile cryofacial machine. I was bit apprehensive about the treatment at this point; having freezing gas blown on my face in the wintertime didn't exactly seem pleasant. I was fully expecting it to be shocking and somewhat uncomfortable.

I closed my eyes as instructed. When the technician turned on the machine and started the cryofacial, I found it was surprisingly soothing. The nitrogen gas didn't feel unbearably cold as I'd expected. It just felt like a cool, gentle stream of air massaging my face. The technician had me wear a headband to keep my ears warm.

The cryofacial took about 12 minutes, during which time the technician moved the handheld device slowly around all areas of my face and neck. She never held it still in one place, so I didn't feel like I was about to get frostbite. A blue light followed the stream of gas. My skin felt wet at times even though it actually wasn't. It was a strange feeling.

Toward the end, my face did start to feel cold and the nitrogen gas started to feel less soothing — but then it was over. Had the cryofacial lasted much longer than 12 minutes, I think my face would've started to feel uncomfortable.

I noticed an immediate difference in my skin after the cryofacial. A publicist had told me the cryofacial would give me that "post-ski glow" — and that's exactly how I'd describe it.

Here's my face before the cryofacial ...

... and after. While I think a greater effect would be seen after a few cryofacials, my skin felt noticeably smoother, and it had more of a glow. I couldn't stop touching my skin on the way home.

The sauna session and vitamin IV drip were also meant to give me glowing skin, but the cryofacial gave me the most noticeable results. While it is pricey for such a quick treatment, if I had a spare $55 and wanted to give my face some love for a special occasion, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

I got -154° nitrogen gas blasted on my face for 12 minutes to get 'tighter, brighter skin,' and it was the strangest spa treatment I've ever had

Clean Market is a luxury wellness center in New York City that offers services including cryotherapy, vitamin IV drips, infrared saunas, and smoothies infused with boosters such as collagen and CBD.

I went to get a cryofacial, a $55 treatment where a stream of -154° nitrogen gas is blasted on your face and neck for about 12 minutes. It's supposed to reduce inflammation, puffiness, and dark circles, and "tighten and brighten" skin, according to Clean Market.

For my cryofacial, I sat in a massage chair in a small, private room. I was only wearing eye makeup, but I was told that it wasn't necessary to remove foundation or any makeup for the treatment.

The spa technician wheeled in the mobile cryofacial machine. I was bit apprehensive about the treatment at this point; having freezing gas blown on my face in the wintertime didn't exactly seem pleasant. I was fully expecting it to be shocking and somewhat uncomfortable.

Toward the end, my face did start to feel cold and the nitrogen gas started to feel less soothing — but then it was over. Had the cryofacial lasted much longer than 12 minutes, I think my face would've started to feel uncomfortable.

I noticed an immediate difference in my skin after the cryofacial. A publicist had told me the cryofacial would give me that "post-ski glow" — and that's exactly how I'd describe it.

Here's my face before the cryofacial ...

... and after. While I think a greater effect would be seen after a few cryofacials, my skin felt noticeably smoother, and it had more of a glow. I couldn't stop touching my skin on the way home.

The sauna session and vitamin IV drip were also meant to give me glowing skin, but the cryofacial gave me the most noticeable results. While it is pricey for such a quick treatment, if I had a spare $55 and wanted to give my face some love for a special occasion, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

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I got -154° nitrogen gas blasted on my face for 12 minutes to get 'tighter, brighter skin,' and it was the strangest spa treatment I've ever had

Clean Market is a luxury wellness center in New York City that offers services including cryotherapy, vitamin IV drips, infrared saunas, and smoothies infused with boosters such as collagen and CBD.

I went to get a cryofacial, a $55 treatment where a stream of -154° nitrogen gas is blasted on your face and neck for about 12 minutes. It's supposed to reduce inflammation, puffiness, and dark circles, and "tighten and brighten" skin, according to Clean Market.

While whole-body cryotherapy can be done on a daily basis, according to Clean Market owner Lily Kunin, cryofacials shouldn't be a daily treatment. "For a cryofacial, I only recommend up to a few times per week, because it is very powerful," Kunin told Business Insider.

For my cryofacial, I sat in a massage chair in a small, private room. I was only wearing eye makeup, but I was told that it wasn't necessary to remove foundation or any makeup for the treatment.

The spa technician wheeled in the mobile cryofacial machine. I was bit apprehensive about the treatment at this point; having freezing gas blown on my face in the wintertime didn't exactly seem pleasant. I was fully expecting it to be shocking and somewhat uncomfortable.

Toward the end, my face did start to feel cold and the nitrogen gas started to feel less soothing — but then it was over. Had the cryofacial lasted much longer than 12 minutes, I think my face would've started to feel uncomfortable.

I noticed an immediate difference in my skin after the cryofacial. A publicist had told me the cryofacial would give me that "post-ski glow" — and that's exactly how I'd describe it.

Here's my face before the cryofacial ...

... and after. While I think a greater effect would be seen after a few cryofacials, my skin felt noticeably smoother, and it had more of a glow. I couldn't stop touching my skin on the way home.

The sauna session and vitamin IV drip were also meant to give me glowing skin, but the cryofacial gave me the most noticeable results. While it is pricey for such a quick treatment, if I had a spare $55 and wanted to give my face some love for a special occasion, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

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