The story of CINA is as vibrant and dynamic as the industry itself.

It all began in 2017 with an online forum created by Cryo1one’s Kelly Carden, one of the first cryocenter owners in the United States. Her trailblazing journey was marked by successes and setbacks, and the purpose of the Facebook group was to support fellow cryopreneurs by sharing the knowledge forged through trial and error.

In the early days of 2020, as uncertainty loomed over the cryo community with the onset of COVID-19, Kelly felt compelled to unite the industry beyond the confines of the online world. Enter Lars Lofstrand of RewireX, a seasoned business coach and sales trainer who breathed life into Kelly’s vision. Together, they laid the foundation for CINA, spearheading the inaugural CryoCON – a groundbreaking convention that would redefine the industry landscape.

Navigating the challenges of a pandemic-ridden world, Kelly and Lars enlisted the support of another industry frontrunner: Antra Getzoff, whose vast experience and extensive network helped infuse CryoCON with vitality.

The 2021 convention marked a pivotal moment, igniting a wave of momentum that has been increasingly reverberating throughout the industry ever since. By 2024, it was clear that the time had come to birth a professional association and to propel the field forward through a unified approach to education, training, safety, compliance, and business development.

Today, with Kelly Carden, Lars Lofstrand, and Antra Getzoff at the helm, the Cryo Industry Association stands as a testament to collective ambition and shared purpose. But at the heart of it lies the spirit of community – support of the hundreds of cryo center owners, equipment suppliers, and service providers, walking the walk every day.

JOIN US on the journey where expertise, innovation, camaraderie, empowerment, and shared success converge to build the future of cryotherapy and holistic wellness.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Cryotherapy and holistic wellness industry is still young and vulnerable. It lacks standards and regulation, which makes business building challenging and sometimes attracts fast money seekers, willing to cut corners in safety and customer care and endangering the great work of many other business owners.

With this in mind, CINA forges strategic partnerships with aligned businesses and organizations, identifies development opportunities, facilitates standard development and compliance, promotes safety, and offers comprehensive education and training programs. It also hosts industry-leading events and recognizes best practices and achievements.

As a robust network of cryotherapy industry participants, CINA takes pride in empowering every member to achieve professional, financial, and personal autonomy, thus fostering thriving businesses and a sense of fulfillment for their owners.

To fulfill the Association’s purpose, CINA has formed committees led by seasoned industry professionals. Each committee plays a vital role in advancing the goals of CINA, contributing to the growth, professionalism, and sustainability of the cryotherapy industry. Committee chairs serve as advisors to the leadership team and, together with the executors, collectively form the Board of CINA.

Participation in CINA is enabled through MEMBERSHIP.
We welcome individuals, businesses, organizations, and institutions that share CINA’s vision, mission, and values
and have a vested interest in the reputation, strength, and sustainable growth of the cryotherapy industry.

Our Offer to Cryotherapy and Wellness Businesses (B2C)

• Extra visibility and credibility (Cryo Industry Association Member Certificate and badge, being included in the member directory).
• Easy access to structured information and facilitated by CINA resources in the CINA Member Portal (member directory and library of studies, articles, visuals, how-to guides, and other materials save time and minimize risks).
• Evergreen access to the CINA Education Hub for the entire staff, which includes operator-level training on physiology, applications, safety, and compliance of all cryotherapy and other wellness modalities, customer service and sales training, and more (this makes training of recruits easy).
• Access to certification and recognition programs – Certified Cryotherapist, Industry Verified Service Provider (Blue Check), CINA Annual Awards.
• Access to the Mastermind.
• Member-only prices for advanced training, CryoCON and other CINA events, and store items.
• Special offers from vendors (VALUE PACK, including reduced insurance rates, access to better cooperation conditions, discounts on equipment and services, and similar).
• Member-only community (better structured than public groups, designed to organize conversations by topics of interest, region of operation, and other set criteria).

Our Offer to Vendors (B2B)

• Extra visibility and credibility (Cryo Industry Association Member Certificate and badge, being included in the member directory).
• Access to member directory
• Access to and a possibility to contribute resources to CINA Member Portal (library of studies, articles, visuals, how-to guides, and other materials), thus building the vendor’s reputation as an expert.
• Access to and a possibility to contribute to the CINA Education Hub (training for members), thus building awareness and reputation.
• Access to certification and recognition programs – Industry Verified Vendor (Blue Check), CINA Annual Awards.
• Access to the Mastermind.
• Member-only prices for advanced training, CryoCON and other CINA events, and store items.
• Priority access to event sponsorship and speaking opportunities.
• Member-only community (better structured than public groups, designed to organize conversations by topics of interest, region of operation, and other set criteria).
• Possibility to shape industry developments beyond one company’s reach by participating in committees and projects.

Affiliate Membership is synergistic in nature. The payment covers the administration costs and gives affiliate members extra visibility and access to external resources to run their projects. One-person access to the Member Portal and Education Hub and member-only prices are also included.

Individual Members have one-person access to the Member Portal and Education Hub and can use applicable VALUE PACK offers and member-only prices.

We are all CINA.  

What is cryotherapy

The word “cryotherapy” is often misunderstood and misused. Two people talking to each other about cryotherapy likely mean either slightly or, sometimes, totally different things. If you offer cryostimulation as a service, you should be able to explain the term competently and clear up any confusion in your audience's perception to ensure understanding and compliance.

The term “cryotherapy” comes from the Greek words “cryo,” meaning cold, and “therapeia,” meaning cure. Thus, it simply means “cold cure” or “cold therapy.”

The term does not refer to any specific cold source (like ice, water, air, or liquified gas vapor) or any specific application (like freezing a wart, putting a cold sleeve on an elbow, or undergoing whole-body cryostimulation in a cryo chamber). It does NOT apply to any specific temperature, either; so, technically, ANY USE OF COLD FOR THERAPEUTIC PURPOSES, including an ice pack on an achy joint, a plunge in an ice-cold tub, or cryosurgery IS CRYOTHERAPY.

CINA defines cryo industry as a set of all non-medical cold applications and unifies providers of cold-based modalities such as whole-body cryotherapy (WBC), sometimes also referred to as “air cryo therapy” (ACT); cold water immersion (CWI) of any kind, including but not limited to ice baths; localized cryotherapy; cryolipolysis-based body contouring; and all other applications of cold for aesthetic purposes.

Cryotherapy Industry and Global Wellness Economy

CRYOTHERAPY INDUSTRY is a subset of the global wellness economy. Research from the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has revealed that the global wellness economy was worth $6.3 trillion in 2023, has reached 5.9% annual growth, and is forecasted to surge to a record $9 trillion by 2028.

Cryotherapy and holistic wellness are not separate elements on this map but have a footprint in several. (a note under the picture)

General Trends in Wellness

Experts agree on the below macro factors that will keep shaping the wellness economy.

IMPORTANCE

“Wellness has never been such a high priority for people.”
Pandemic experiences have made people realize how little they can rely on conventional health care in times of crisis and how much depends on their bodies' physical status and mental well-being.
Also, the world has reached a turning point in the fight against obesity. Its impact on productivity, fiscal performance, economic growth, lifespan, and physical/mental well-being has finally been recognized, and lessening it has become an issue of competitive advantage with countries, institutions, and individuals, increasingly making the fight against obesity a priority.

GROWTH
“There is nothing but momentum for the industry.”
The global wellness economy, valued at $6.3 trillion at the end of 2023, is projected to reach $9 trillion by 2028, with a CAGR of 5.9%.

INCREASING DYNAMISM
“There have been more shakeups last year than in the last decade.”
New tech creates new categories.

FRAGMENTATION and POLARITY
“Bright but very different future of wellness.”
While biohacking has risen to fame and practicing biohackers have become authorities with large followings, we also witness a backlash.
“Soft care” as a low-pressure, relaxed, less expensive, and focused on emotional, spiritual, and social aspects of well-being appeals to younger people, especially women who resist hyper-optimized, high-pressure, uber-commodified approaches and turn to embrace ancient, slow, deeply human ways.
There is no longer one wellness narrative or unifying trend. The development of dramatically different markets and mindsets that we currently see will only widen in the future.
The future is both “harder” and “softer” care. The hard-core biohackers, super-men, and super-women will be opposed by “all that matters is peace, harmony, and happiness” people, and every provider of wellness services will have to define its stands on the spectrum between the two.
“Hard care,” where most wellness therapies belong, is increasingly complex and expensive biohacking, from longevity centers to weight loss drugs. “Medicine muscles in and is invading the wellness market,” and highly medical, high-tech, and high-price longevity clinics are the fastest-growing business genre in the field. 

Effect of the Global Trends on the Cryotherapy Industry

Below is a brief discussion of what the current trends MAY mean for cryotherapy and wellness businesses. Considering the range of business concepts, sizes, available resources and ambitions in our industry, see these points as open questions, relevance and impact of which only you can determine.

FROM GENERALIST TO SPECIALIZATION
Over the last decade, the number of services offered per wellness center has been growing to incorporate emerging wellness technology and capture a broader audience. Today, many try to tackle too many services, audiences, and communication channels at once, spreading themselves thin and underutilizing the potential of each category.
It may be time to start turning from a generalist into a specialist with a deeper understanding of the target audience’s problem, a fine-tuned promise, and a more specific, professionally presented solution.

PRESSURE ON EXPERTISE
Going deeper may also call for extra expertise (including even medically trained staff or certified counselors), especially when it comes to utilizing the gaining popularity drugs.
Wellness centers must prepare for working with a better-informed audience, asking more specific questions inspired by the numerous podcasts and feedback from their wellness watches, Oura rings, and accessible outside clinic tests. Therefore, we must prepare ourselves and the employees for interactions with clients at a more personal and more professional level.

THE RESEARCH CHALLENGE
As much as we would like to be backed by research in everything that we do, we must accept that, in most cases, there is none and likely will never be, for objective reasons (lack of sufficient interest to justify investing the time and money it takes and “too many moving parts” to establish clear causality).
Questioning the “truths,” like temperature and time requirements, combinations, the speed, and the degree of skin temperature drop, is legitimate. The only thing agreed upon is that physical stress is beneficial if it’s kept within safe limits, whether it’s whole-body cryotherapy, cold-water immersion, or heat exposure.
We must learn to answer these questions of the increasingly informed public without appearing ignorant or discrediting the treatment.

ADAPTABILITY
This is about choosing to compete smarter, not harder.
For example, it may be difficult for an owner-operated wellness center to stand against a newly emerged technologically super-equipped longevity clinic capable of designing personalized health plans tailored to an individual's genetic makeup, lifestyle, and specific health risks.
In technology, it may become harder to justify investments in expensive equipment that will take many years to recoup, as people’s attention shifts from one new thing to the next. However, it is possible to focus on getting the most out of the equipment already on hand, creating more sensory, immersive experiences, or adding a new angle of personal touch that no technology can offer.

TRUE PERSONALIZATION OF APPROACHES AND COMMUNICATION
People lean towards more personalized care and preventative “concierge medicine,” empowered by better-designed CRM systems and mobile apps. However, leaving it all to technology comes with a risk of putting clients into boxes where they do not belong and alienating them instead of improving their experiences.

BEING PREPARED TO COMPLY
Government intervention in the little-regulated space of non-medical wellness is happening slowly but surely. Depending on the market, specific license and staff credentials requirements to perform certain services may already be in place or imposed without warning.
Intravenous interventions and the use of prescription drugs outside medical facilities have always been under scrutiny.
In some markets, the health authority requires the registration of all devices before they can be used for business.
Numerous cases have been reported of not being able to open for months or being forced to downsize or close for non-compliance reasons, calling for in-depth research in the startup phase and continuous monitoring of regulatory processes post-opening.

BEING PREPARED TO COOPERATE
The latest wellness trends open new cooperation opportunities for equipment suppliers and wellness centers.

WORKING WITH DEVELOPERS AND GOVERNMENTS
Homes, cities, and public spaces are becoming high-tech wellness hubs.
This is an opportunity for suppliers to work with developers, but also for treatment providers to contribute to making their city more wellness-oriented, for which governments and businesses may have separate budgets.

REACHING TRAVELERS
It is not only athletes who seek places to go while away from home. The boundaries between travel and wellness tourism are disappearing. The hospitality industry's interest in pro-level fitness and recovery options offers equipment suppliers and service providers opportunities to partner with hotels, resorts, or travel agencies.

GOING B2B
Most workplace wellness programs have proven ineffective, but the pressure to improve employee well-being is on. There may be room for more niche, more creative, partnership–related approaches, away from purely transactional corporate discounts.

An interesting suggestion has been made that the age limits at wellness centers and spas must be lowered so that younger people can benefit from evidence-based treatments, especially for mental health.

For detailed data on the cryotherapy industry, read the supported by CINA 2024 Status of the Cryotherapy Industry Benchmarking Study and Trends report in the Free Resources section of our site.