At Revive Cryo Spa, the body is exposed to negative 150 degrees which drops a person’s core temperature by approximately 40 degrees.

Too cold or too hot? That is the question.

Athletes famously soak in ice-filled tubs to reduce muscle inflammation following a strenuous workout or game. Traditional and infrared saunas have emerged as a proven method to remove body toxins and heavy chemicals and treat long-term health issues, including high blood pressure.

And now, boutique wellness concepts – such as Perspire Sauna Studio, Restore Hyper Wellness, Revive Cryo Spa, SweatHouz, and HOTWORX – are cashing in on the craze, with many making their way into Maryland retail centers.

TRIBE, an innovative movement and wellness school, offers a full spectrum of transformative practices designed to achieve the optimum mind-body connection. It recently opened in the Mount Vernon section of Baltimore City.

According to co-founder Lola Manekin, most people live their lives “from the head up” and do not fully understand the power of the body to “heal itself, positively impact every aspect of their wellbeing, and achieve overall wellness.”

Most people, however, don’t know where to turn for a holistic approach to health and healing. TRIBE offers cutting-edge recovery and healing programs, such as infrared saunas and cold plunges.

Brick Bodies Padonia completed a $3 million renovation of its Broad Street Market location in Timonium, highlighted by the opening of its new “Recover” area. The space, which was designed to promote recovery of the mind and body from stress and exertion, features infrared saunas, compression equipment, and CryoLounges.

Brick Bodies Padonia’s $3 million renovation included the addition of both infrared saunas and cryotherapy equipment.

“The fitness industry was severely impacted by the pandemic,” said Chuck Cavolo, Chief Operating Officer, Brick Bodies Fitness Services, Inc. “As Brick Bodies began to emerge from this period and regain our customers, we wanted to introduce a revolutionary concept to the market that integrated all our knowledge about the health and wellness space.”

Cavolo said the use of infrared saunas over the long term “helps with the stimulation of collagen production, which prevents premature skin aging, improves blood circulation, creates the efficient delivery of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, reduces symptoms of depression, and contributes to improved sleep quality.”

Revive Cryo Spa is expanding its health and wellness concept into expanded space at Freedom Village Shopping Center in Eldersburg.

Owner Brian Taylor says that cryotherapy is getting a great deal of exposure based on its use and endorsement by professional athletes and celebrities, but Revive Cryo Spa was created to counter the premise that this process is only available to the rich or famous.

Cryotherapy exposes the body to temperatures hovering around negative 150 degrees dropping a person’s core temperature by approximately 40 degrees. The average time spent in cryotherapy is approximately three minutes per session and Taylor recommends visiting the spa two to three times each week.

HOTWORX, with Maryland locations in Bethesda, Bowie, Owings Mills and Frederick, is a 24-hour exercise studio featuring a virtually instructed exercise program within a 125-degree infrared sauna. It is expanding nationally. The concept enables users to experience the benefits of infrared heat absorption while completing a 30-minute isometric workout of yoga, Pilates, Barre, or a 15-minute High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session.

Atlanta-based SweatHouz bills itself as an Infrared Sauna and Cold Plunge studio which helps people recover from a strenuous workout or injury by reducing inflammation. Take your choice of sitting in a sauna that reaches temperatures upwards of 155 degrees, or taking a cold plunge that chills the body with 50-degree technology — or both. Goldilocks would approve.