Our first ever Cryo Therapy at The Istana Bali
It doesn’t happen every day to get closed into a chamber at -110 degrees Celsius for several minutes, naked (bikini and shorts only). Frosty hair, eyelashes and hair skin, this experience had something truly unique to tell, especially when it’s done from the hot humid environment of Indonesia, not in Antarctica.
Let’s break down our great experience at The Istana, as we highly recommend you to join this fantastic opportunity if you visit Bali.
What’s cryotherapy and what are the main benefits?
Electric cryotherapy chambers are fully enclosed, walk-in rooms designed to expose the human body to ultra low temperatures for 2–3 minutes resulting in various therapeutic and health benefits.
The purpose of cryotherapy is to trigger the body’s natural response to the extreme cold. Upon entering the cryo chamber, the extreme cold temperatures elicit a fight or flight response, causing increased levels of dopamine and Norepinephrine resulting in the feeling of extreme focus and sense of euphoria. The process of thermoregulation occurs to protect vital organs from the cold temperatures, promoting increased blood flow and delivery of nutrients throughout the body via vasoconstriction and vasodilation of the blood vessels.
Electric cryo chambers use refrigeration as a cooling agent providing a safe, breathable environment, not exposing the client to any dangerous gases such as nitrogen.
Cryotherapy is a specific type of low-temperature treatment used to reduce inflammation and its associated pain.
Cryotherapy was developed in the 1970s by Japanese rheumatologist Toshima Yamaguchi and introduced to Europe, US and Australia in the 1980s and 1990s (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryotherapy).
The main benefits of the cryotherapy chamber are:
Reduction of pain and inflammation
Improve athletic recovery
Mental health benefits
Our first cryotherapy chamber experience at The Istana:
Perched on Uluwatu’s cliffs, The Istana specializes in advanced biohacking treatments such as sensory deprivation tanks, cryotherapy, hyperbaric chambers, and sound-dome infrared saunas. They also offer yoga and meditation sessions with ocean views.
We have been welcomed at The Istana by a lovely concierge who took care of us from the first moment. She explained everything we needed to know before getting to the changing room making sure that we had no conditions that could be affected by the therapy.
We spent few minutes asking her questions while she handed us a pair of thick socks, some heavy flip flops, snow gloves, hear protector and a forehead wool band.
Finally, it was the moment of truth, the steps are simple and quite fast as the chambers are all connected internally from heavy doors.
3 minutes in the first chamber at -10℃
3 minutes in the second chamber - 40℃
3 minutes in the last chamber at -110℃
To then going back 2 minutes each on the previous chambers before making our way out.
Our guide would communicate to us through the glass and with a microphone.
The first 3 minutes felt chilly as expected, we were kind of excited and started laughing and kidding about the experience. We never been in a walking freezer before, half naked was making it even funnier.
The body feels pretty refreshed, the mind is reacting with excitement and awakening sending new impulses of energy towards the nervous system.
Second step as we pulled each other into the second room felt already challenging. A feeling of wetter cold prevailed to our body turning our laugh into suspicious grims. 3 minutes felt already intense.
We started to wonder what was coming next as the skin started to feel more susceptible to the cold as we entered the third chamber.
Let me spell it again loud and clear - 110℃, not even in Antarctica the temperature drops so abruptly.
The cold is so intense that put your entire body and mind into survival mode. Don’t get me wrong, we were not scared of dying or anything but the body start toughening into a position to preserve energy while the mind goes into alertness mode questioning how many seconds have past and how many more need to pass before going back.
This process is incredibly beneficial as first, forces your mind to be present with all its strength. Secondly, the skin promotes fast healing as a reaction to the extreme cold temperature resulting in smoother skin.
As our guide checked on us a couple of times, we motivated each other to resist until the end of the timer until she gave the green light to return to the previous chambers and gradually warmed up the body while avoiding a termo shock. The first (and last) chamber at -10℃ felt almost like a sweet treat after the hardcore sister. When we finally got out our frosty hair quickly resumed to normal and our skin felt immediately soothed.
The cryotherapy chamber has been a one of a kind experience. We tried after few hours of an intense Muay Thai training where we proved our bones and mussels. The therapy resulted as a recovery accelerator, giving us the chance to speed body cooling down benefits.
Would we doing it again?
Certainly yes! An experience that we would totally recommend to anybody looking for longevity therapies, body recovering and mind hacking.
Our First Cryotherapy Chamber Experience at The Istana, Bali
It’s not every day you find yourself locked inside a chamber at -110°C, wearing just a bikini or shorts. Frosty hair, frozen eyelashes, and tingling skin — this experience was nothing short of extraordinary. Especially when you’re doing it from the hot, humid tropics of Indonesia, not somewhere like Antarctica.
Let’s dive into our incredible experience at The Istana. If you’re heading to Bali, we highly recommend giving this a go!
What Is Cryotherapy (and Why Would You Do It)?
Cryotherapy involves stepping into a fully enclosed, walk-in chamber cooled down to ultra-low temperatures for 2–3 minutes. It’s designed to trigger the body’s natural response to extreme cold, resulting in a variety of therapeutic and health benefits.
Once inside, your body kicks into fight or flight mode, boosting dopamine and norepinephrine levels. The result? A crazy sense of focus, euphoria, and an all-over energy rush. Plus, thermoregulation kicks in — your body works overtime to protect your vital organs, improving blood flow and nutrient delivery through the magical dance of vasoconstriction and vasodilation.
Unlike older models that use nitrogen, modern electric cryo chambers (like the ones at The Istana) use refrigeration — meaning no dangerous gases and a totally safe, breathable environment.
Originally developed in the 1970s by Japanese rheumatologist Toshima Yamaguchi, cryotherapy has spread across Europe, the US, and Australia over the decades (source).
Top Benefits of Cryotherapy:
Reduces pain and inflammation
Speeds up athletic recovery
Boosts mental clarity and mood
Stepping Into the Freeze at The Istana
Perched atop Uluwatu’s dramatic cliffs, The Istana is a dream for biohackers and wellness seekers alike. They offer everything from sensory deprivation tanks and hyperbaric chambers to sound-dome infrared saunas, yoga, and meditation with jaw-dropping ocean views.
The experience started with a warm welcome from a lovely concierge who explained everything and ensured we didn’t have any conditions that could be affected by the cold. She handed us thick socks, heavy flip-flops, snow gloves, ear protectors, and a wool forehead band — basically prepping us for an indoor Arctic adventure.
The Freeze Timeline:
3 minutes at -10°C
3 minutes at -40°C
3 minutes at -110°C
Then stepping back gradually through the previous chambers for 2 minutes each to avoid thermal shock.
Throughout the experience, a guide communicated with us through the glass using a microphone — keeping an eye (and an ear) on us at all times.
How It Actually Felt (Moment by Moment)
First Chamber (-10°C):
It felt chilly but manageable. We were giddy, laughing at the absurdity of being half-naked in what was essentially a giant walk-in freezer.
Second Chamber (-40°C):
Things got real. The cold felt heavier, wetter — our laughter turned into suspicious grimaces. Three minutes started to feel like an eternity.
Third Chamber (-110°C):
Let me say it loud and clear: minus one hundred and ten degrees Celsius.
Not even Antarctica gets that cold so suddenly.
The cold slapped us straight into survival mode. Our bodies instinctively tried to conserve energy, while our minds snapped into razor-sharp alertness, counting every second.
It wasn’t scary — but it was intense. The best part? It forced complete presence. No phones, no distractions, just you, your body, and the cold.
Meanwhile, the skin kicked off a supercharged healing response. Hello, smoother, rejuvenated skin!
Our guide kept checking in, motivating us to push through. When we finally got the green light to step back through the warmer chambers, it felt like pure bliss. That final -10°C room actually felt… warm.
Stepping out, our frosty hair quickly thawed, and our skin felt immediately soothed.
Final Verdict: Would We Do It Again?
Absolutely YES!
This was a one-of-a-kind experience, especially after an intense Muay Thai training session. It helped our muscles and joints recover faster, boosted our mood, and left us feeling supercharged.
If you’re chasing longevity, faster recovery, or a serious mind hack, you have to add cryotherapy at The Istana to your Bali bucket list.
