Woman Says Cryotherapy Treatment Gave Her Frostbite and Permanent Scars

A 50-year-old woman in Armonk, NY, says she was severely burned and left with permanent scars after a cryotherapy treatment gone wrong. Cherie Glassman says she was asked to try cryotherapy treatment at her Equinox gym in June, but instead of providing her with the promised muscle recovery and pain relief, she says she experienced frostbite and scarring, which resulted in her having to undergo several skin grafts.

You May Also Like: CoolSculpting Just Got FDA Cleared for A Whole New Use

Cryotherapy, an often-lauded, celebrity-endorsed treatment, exposes your body to super low temperatures (around minus 250-300 degrees below Fahrenheit) and is said to have a slew of benefits including anti-inflammatory, stress reduction, accelerated healing and weight loss (you can burn up to 800 calories in just three minutes). Just last year the FDA cracked down on cryotherapy and stated that many of its purported benefits could not be proven and there wasn't enough evidence to support claims that it actually does help the body in the way it is being advertised. 

When Glassman underwent the treatment at a mobile Nordic Cryotherapy treatment center at her gym, instead of experiencing any health benefits, she says she suffered severe burns on her body and limbs and is now suing Equinox Gym and Nordic Cryotherapy for what she says is a botched treatment. “They’re putting people in this chamber, which is supposed to help them as far as recovery and health benefits; it did the exact opposite,” Glassman’s attorney Ben Rubinowitz told The New York Post. “The skin can’t tolerate that type of freezing. She was complaining and they ignored her complaints. It was just so poorly run." 

According to her attorney, Glassman says she has permanent scarring to her arms and torso and she is not completely healed. “She’s still trying to recover,” added Rubinowitz. Equinox Gym and Nordic Cryotherapy have yet to comment on the suit.