Hot and Cold: The Benefits of Extreme Temperature Therapies + A Review of the Glacial Revive Facial at the Fairmont Spa Austin

By Kaci Baez 

In the neverending quest for peak wellness and longevity, many rely on the proven science-backed benefits of heat therapy and cryotherapy to “level up” their health, performance, or recovery. But what exactly is going on in these extreme hot and cold therapy scenarios? What does extreme heat or cold do to the mind and body? And can a cryo-facial really turn you into Joan Rivers? 

Let’s dive in. 

It’s Getting Hot in Here: The Benefits of Heat Therapy for the Body and Mind 

From hot barre to hot yoga to regular saunas to infrared saunas to heated ancient bath spas, the chance to set yourself on fire in the name of wellness is abundant. Especially in dark and cold winters, there really is nothing quite like heat therapy, which has been shown to reduce whole body insulin resistance, improve cardiovascular function, ease muscle pain, reduce muscle stiffness, and promote circulation to optimize healing and recovery. This is especially beneficial to those with certain medical conditions or to endurance athletes. While using heat to improve physical and mental health is not a new concept, it has received renewed attention in recent years as a growing number of scientific studies have proven the robust and widespread positive effects of heat therapy on cardiovascular and hormonal health.

According to a recent Harvard study, hot yoga might help reduce moderate-to-severe depression, according to a randomized controlled trial published in late 2023 by the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Harvard Medical School researchers randomly assigned 65 adults with depression (ages 18 to 60, some on antidepressants) to one of two groups. People in the first group were told to attend at least two 90-minute hot yoga sessions (in local hot yoga studios) per week, for eight weeks. People in the other group were placed on a waiting list for eight weeks. Compared with people on the waiting list, people in the yoga group had significantly reduced depression symptoms by the end of the study, even if they averaged only one yoga class per week. 

Heat therapy, or thermotherapy, on the face has also been shown to offer a range of benefits, including improved skin texture, reduced puffiness, reduced toxins, and enhanced collagen production.

Cold as Ice: The Benefits of Cold Therapy 

Ask anyone who likes to jump in freezing water on the regular, there’s just nothing like that electric cold shock to the system. Cold therapy has been shown to reduce muscle soreness, decrease inflammation, improve circulation, boost the immune system, improve moods, and increase metabolism. I can personally attest to the benefits of ice therapy and ice baths for the body and sore muscles after very long runs (more than 90 minutes to two hours). But I had yet to try the benefits of cold therapy on my face, until a trip to the Fairmont Austin Spa where I got the Glacial Freeze Facial with aesthetician Erica Clark. 

I was really excited to try out the glacial/ice facial: The benefits of a cryofacial are said to include increased collagen production, decreased wrinkles, reduced inflammation, firmer skin, smoother, and brighter skin, and more. And the Neveskin Facial-powered Glacial Freeze Facial at the Fairmont Austin Spa felt like Olaf and his friends were ice skating my skin to frozen luminosity. I highly recommend this facial 100% and I enjoyed the amenities of the Fairmont Spa, which include sauna, steam room, rooftop pool open year round, and more. You can’t go wrong here, this is a must do spa in Austin, so treat yourself to a little wellness self-care gift!