Hot and cold therapy and muscle recovery stole the show at HFA Las Vegas

Imagine walking into a bustling convention center in Las Vegas, the air buzzing with excitement and anticipation. Welcome to the Health and Fitness Expo (HFA) Las Vegas, where recovery took center stage, and hot and cold therapy stole the spotlight. If you're curious about how these therapies can work wonders for pain management and muscle recovery, you're in for a treat.

In this article, we'll dive into the world of hot and cold therapy, exploring their benefits, practical tips, and how they’re transforming the recovery game. So, grab a comfy seat and let's explore!

The HFA Las Vegas Experience

The HFA Las Vegas was the place to be for anyone interested in health and fitness. The vibrant atmosphere was complemented by stalls and exhibitions showcasing the latest in wellness technology and recovery methods. Among the most talked-about trends? You guessed it: hot and cold therapy.

From ice baths to heated saunas, the expo was brimming with exciting options for every type of athlete and wellness enthusiast. The aisles were filled with people eager to learn more about how these therapies could benefit them.

What is muscle recovery, and why does it matter?

Every time you exercise, you put your muscles through their paces in one way or another. The more intense the exercise, the more your muscles work. What you actually do by ‘working’ your muscles is damage them. But don’t fret too much, this is a type of controlled damage that can be fully repaired and even come back stronger, as long as your recovery is up to scratch.

During exercise recovery, your body aims to replenish energy stores, clear out metabolic waste, reset your central nervous system, and rebuild muscle fibres stronger than before.

All of this is important. Without the right amount of recovery, you’ll find yourself trapped in a cycle of diminishing returns - performance plateaus despite consistent training, you start to pick up more injuries, and you feel consistently low on energy.

If this sounds like you, it may be a good idea to implement some better recovery methods.

How does hot and cold therapy work for muscle recovery?

One of the most popular ways to speed along recovery is to put your body through some form of temperature therapy. Whether it’s hot or cold, temperature therapy has been shown to positively influence how your body recovers from exercise-induced stress.

Cryotherapy

Cold therapy, also known as cryotherapy, involves treating your body to temperatures well below normal comfort levels. Popular cold therapy methods include:

• Ice baths
• Cold water immersion
• Whole-body cryotherapy chambers
• Cold showers
• Cold plunge pools

In terms of science, cold exposure activates specialised sensors called thermoreceptors, which report back to the brain to spark a response. When it comes to cold, your body responds by constricting blood vessels near the skin's surface and redirecting blood flow to vital organs. It also stimulates the baroreflex mechanism, which is responsible for maintaining blood pressure. This explains why your head and heart feel alert during cold exposure, but your limbs and extremities feel numb.

Thermotherapy

Heat therapy, or thermotherapy, involves applying controlled warmth to your body. Methods for this include:

• Saunas - traditional Finnish-style, infrared or steam rooms
• Hot baths and heated pools
• Hot packs or heat wraps

Thermotherapy causes somewhat of an opposite response to cold treatment. With heat, your blood vessels dilate, resulting in greater volumes of blood flow around the body. This is good as it helps to circulate oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to muscle fibres, boosts metabolic activity within cells, and increases the production of heat shock proteins that support cellular repair.

Although we have a good understanding of the mechanisms, recent research has shown that the responses to hot and cold therapy are much more nuanced than previously understood.

For example, a comprehensive 2025 meta-analysis looking at over 3,000 participants found that cold water immersion initially increases inflammation markers – the opposite of what many expect. However, this spike in inflammation appears to trigger beneficial adaptations, such as stress reduction, a number of hours after exposure.

Cold therapy methods and their benefits

Let’s take a closer look at some of the more popular cryotherapy treatments and the science-backed benefits they may bring to give you a better understanding.

Cold water immersion and ice baths

One of the gold standards of cryotherapy is cold water immersion. This involves someone plunging themselves into very cold water, usually at temperatures of 15°C or less.

For the majority, this often involves a rather daunting-looking ice bath, which tends to be at a temperature between 10-15°C or slightly colder. The idea is to immerse yourself in the water for anywhere between 1-10 minutes to get the required benefits. As technology has moved on, you can even access ‘dry’ cold plunges, which take away the stress of plunging yourself into freezing water!

So, what are the benefits of cold plunges?

Cold water immersion is supported by multiple systematic reviews and has been shown to provide muscle recovery benefits without excessive stress on your system. For example, studies show 20-40% reductions in muscle damage markers alongside decreases in perceived muscle soreness within 24-72 hours after cold water immersion. The cold also helps to reduce tissue swelling by slowing metabolic processes and limiting secondary tissue damage that can occur after intense exercise.

It seems the key lies in consistency rather than intensity, so something like your cold shower morning ritual may be more valuable than one-off ice bath sessions.

Whole-body cryotherapy

Professional cryotherapy chambers go a little further than ice baths and expose your entire body to temperatures around -110°C for 2-3 minutes. 

The brief, but extreme, cold exposure in cryotherapy chambers can provide quick pain relief and may suit those who struggle with longer cold water sessions. However, the limited exposure time means you miss some of the deeper physiological adaptations that occur during sustained cold immersion.

For example, some research suggests that traditional cold water immersion often provides superior benefits for performance recovery than a cryotherapy chamber. It costs significantly less, too. 

Home cold therapy treatments

You don’t always need fancy equipment or cold water plunge pools. 

A good entry point is your shower. When starting to use cold therapy as a method for muscle recovery, first try turning your shower cold for the final 1-5 minutes. Gradually decrease the temperature as your tolerance improves. The beauty of this approach is that you start to develop good habits before investing in specialist equipment.

Recent research shows impressive benefits from regular cold exposure. For example, one study showed a 29% reduction in workplace sick days for cold shower users. Studies also show significant improvements in overall well-being markers and sleep quality - something that will certainly help when it comes to muscle recovery.

Hot therapy methods and their benefits

Now, let’s look at heat therapy treatments and the benefits they can have on the body.

Saunas

Traditional Finnish-style saunas have dominated the heat therapy landscape. And for good reason considering they’ve been the subject of extensive long-term research. 

The landmark Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease (KIHD) Risk Factor Study followed sauna users for decades and demonstrated remarkable health benefits. They found that high temperatures (80-90°C) create a cardiovascular-like workout effect, increasing heart rate to around the levels of moderate exercise whilst improving blood pressure and vascular function.

The heat from a sauna causes blood vessels to relax and dilate, improving blood flow and delivering oxygen and nutrients directly to recovering muscle fibres. Regular sauna use also promotes beneficial adaptations in thermoregulation, helping your body cool itself more efficiently during future workouts. An ideal time to use the sauna to reap the benefits is somewhere between 10-20 minutes.

On a wider front, men using saunas 4-7 times a week showed a 50% reduction in cardiovascular disease-related deaths compared to occasional users.

Although traditional saunas have dominated the heat therapy landscape, infrared saunas, which operate at lower temperatures, are emerging as the more practical option for post-exercise recovery. Research shows that 20-30 minutes of infrared sauna use significantly improves neuromuscular performance recovery whilst reducing muscle soreness after exercise.

It’s thought that the infrared heat penetrates deeper into muscle tissue compared to traditional saunas, promoting cellular repair without the extreme heat stress. Infrared sauna users also report better tolerance and less cardiovascular strain, making it suitable for more frequent use throughout training cycles.

Hot baths and localised heat

For targeted relief, hot packs can be highly effective. When applied within one hour after exercise, heat packs show remarkable effectiveness in relieving the dreaded delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The localised application of a heat pack helps muscle fibres to relax and increases blood flow to specific areas of tension.

Studies demonstrate that people using heat therapy within the first hour post-exercise preserve significantly more strength compared to those using passive recovery, losing only 4% strength versus 24% in control groups.

On a general front, you may be able to access the benefits of heat therapy from simple hot baths at 38-40°C. Research on athletes found that regular 20 minute hot water baths at 40°C significantly increased muscular recovery and strength performance.

Contrast Therapy - Can it offer the best of hot and cold therapy?

Contrast therapy is an approach to muscle recovery that alternates between hot and cold treatments. Can this offer the best of both worlds?

Many say it can.

The evidence suggests that contrast therapy results in cycles of vasodilation and vasoconstriction. The changing impact on blood vessels creates a pumping effect on blood flow.

Research has measured this effect, finding that contrast therapy can improve circulation and increase the volume of oxygenated blood going between muscles. The alternating temperatures also appear to enhance waste product removal and nutrient delivery. It’s been suggested that contrast therapy outperforms passive recovery for reducing fatigue 24-48 hours after exercise.

In terms of timings, an effective contrast therapy treatment takes place over 15-20 minutes, alternating between 2-5 minutes in heat and 1-2 minutes in cold for three to four cycles.

How to get hot and cold therapy right

• Timing considerations - For immediate recovery, cold therapy is best applied as soon as possible after exercise. Within 15 minutes if possible. However, if strength gains are your main goal, regular post-workout cold exposure may slow down your progress as it can interfere with the inflammatory processes necessary for muscle adaptation. Heat therapy offers more flexibility, proving effective whether applied immediately post-exercise or several hours later.

• Temperature and duration - Research consistently supports water temperatures between 10-15°C for cold therapy and 10-15 minute exposure periods for maximum benefits. Colder isn't necessarily better – temperatures below 5°C require shorter exposures and may increase injury risk. For heat therapy, 10-20 minutes at 80-90°C (traditional saunas), 20-30 minutes at 43-50°C (infrared sauna) or 38-40°C (hot bath) provides the best benefits.

• Safety considerations - Never attempt temperature therapy if you have cardiovascular conditions, are pregnant, or without medical clearance if you have underlying conditions. Always start gradually, keep well hydrated and listen to your body.

How to support muscular recovery beyond temperature therapy?

Temperature therapy works best as part of an all-round recovery strategy. 

One of the best things you can do for muscle recovery is to prioritise sleep - sleep is the best performance enhancer known to man. Aim for 7-9 hours a night and try to stick to consistent sleep and wake times. Yes, even at weekends.

Nutrition also plays a key role in recovery. Try to take in protein within two hours of exercise to support muscle repair. Over the course of a day aim for between 0.8g-1.6g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. Carbohydrates are essential in replenishing energy stores, whilst healthy fats form the final piece to the macronutrient puzzle. 

Alongside the major food categories, you can aid recovery by eating anti-inflammatory foods like berries and leafy greens. These will all help to complement temperature therapy benefits.

Active recovery methods that raise your heart rate modestly, such as walking, stretching and yoga, will help to speed up your recovery, loosen up your joints and get your muscles back to normal. 

When it comes to temperature therapy, it’s important to consider it as the cherry on top of the fundamentals of solid sleep, good nutrition and basic, daily movement.

Bringing It All Back to What Matters

Our visit to HFA Las Vegas reminded us why we do what we do. Amid the buzz around hot and cold therapy, the conversations about recovery, and the shared excitement over better ways to feel and perform our best, one thing stood out: people are ready for more meaningful wellness experiences.

At Stronger Wellness, we believe your body is the greatest gift—and that movement is essential. That’s why we don’t just follow trends. We create fitness and wellness environments that reflect real people, real goals, and real purpose.

Whether it’s a thoughtfully designed recovery zone, high-performance flooring, or bold, sustainable layouts, every element we craft is done with intention. Because cookie-cutter gyms and one-size-fits-all solutions don’t cut it anymore.

At Stronger we believe that wellness has to be  functional, personal, and inspiring. And we’re here for it. More than design. More than products. We’re building a movement—one that celebrates EVERY body.

Whether you're building a recovery space, upgrading your gym flooring, or designing a complete wellness environment, we’re here to help. Let’s create something bold, purposeful, and built to move—with you at the center.

Get in touch with us today to start your project.