Cryotherapy Session Gone Wrong Leaves One Dead, One Hospitalized

The purpose of cryotherapy is to alleviate pain and swelling, not kill you. Sadly, that’s what happened in Paris.

A cryotherapy machine malfunctioned, killing one woman and injuring another badly enough that she needed to be admitted to intensive care. Cryotherapy, along with ice water plunges, is a trend that swept across the United States and, apparently, the rest of the world, too.

The process usually involves standing in a nitrogen-cooled tank. Temperatures drop to somewhere in the range of -100 degrees Fahrenheit to -200 degrees Fahrenheit, sometimes more, which is why sessions only last 2 to 3 minutes. It’s supposed to reduce inflammation, improve sleep, and reduce the risk of injury.

Cryotherapy Session Gone Wrong Leaves One Dead, One Hospitalized

Truth be told, there isn’t a ton of science to back it all up, as is often the case with whatever the latest health fad of the day is, but it is generally considered safe—that is, unless there is some major malfunction in the cryotherapy equipment.

The liquid nitrogen that makes it all possible is a colorless, odorless gas that, if leaked, could displace all oxygen in a room. That’s what Parisian authorities think happened here. When emergency services arrived, the 29-year-old gym employee and a second 34-year-old woman were both in cardiac arrest. Three others who attempted to revive the women were also hospitalized.

The machine had reportedly been “repaired” earlier that same day, though authorities are still looking into the cause of the tragedy. While there are inherent dangers to cryotherapy, accidents don’t seem to happen that often.

When they do, they do seem to end rather tragically. A similar case in a Las Vegas spa back in 2015 also ended in death by suffocation after a woman entered a cryotherapy chamber after hours, and her body was discovered by a colleague the following day.