An ice-cold fitness craze is driving growth at CryoBuilt Inc., which manufactures cryotherapy chambers in Sacramento.
Professional athletes have long used cold cryochambers to recover after strenuous workouts. In more recent years, cryotherapy chambers have spread to health clubs and treatment centers.
“The bulk of the use now is everyday people,” Marcus Wilson, CEO of CryoBuilt, told the Business Journal.
Customers go into the booths for two- or three-minute sessions. The process has the benefits of dipping into an ice bath without the potential health shocks.
“It is quick, efficient and dry cooling,” Wilson said.
CryoBuilt was the 990th fastest-growing company in the country on the 2022 Inc. magazine 5,000 list of fastest-growing companies. CryoBuilt had 656% growth over three years. The company had 2021 revenue of $12.5 million, Wilson said.
“What shocked me is that we were 16th in manufacturing in the whole U.S.” on the Inc. list, Wilson said.
CryoBuilt has sold 220 systems across the country. It has 15 units working in the greater Sacramento region and about 30 in Los Angeles. The units cost $130,000 each, which includes installation by CryoBuilt technicians.
The cryochambers, which are each about the size of two phone booths, are built at CryoBuilt's facilities in North Natomas. The company has 38 employees.
Founded in 2015 by veterans of the commercial and industrial refrigeration industry, CryoBuilt focused on research and development for its first couple years, and then sales ramped up, Wilson said.
One of the selling points of the company's chambers is that they are all electric, Wilson said. Some earlier models from other manufacturers used liquid nitrogen, which makes the devices harder to service and comes with potential dangers associated with handling liquid nitrogen.
The extreme temperature of a cryochamber triggers bodily responses that restrict blood flow to the extremities and send it the torso. The cold on the skin also triggers involuntary fight or flight responses that cause the body to release dopamine and stimulate immune responses and action of white blood cells. There is also a slight caloric burn associated with the body fighting off the cold.
“There is a lot more to it than just muscle recovery,” Wilson said.
CryoBuilt’s units locally are in locations of US Cryotherapy in Sacramento, Davis and Roseville, along with customers including the Sacramento Kings and Absolute Flex Appeal, a training center and gym in Rocklin.
Since CryoBuilt's growth exploded during the pandemic, the company has faced supply chain constraints and increased raw material costs. It's also experiencing some growing pains with its fast sales in recent years, including issues with hiring, logistics and increased inventory needs.
