Cryotherapy, one of the best kept healing secrets, is making big news this year as movie stars and athletes alike seek out this cool non-evasive therapy, which freezes parts of the body in a minus 180 C.
Do you feel like exposing your body to freezing temperatures resembling Antarctica, the coldest spot on Earth? Well, enter a cryotherapy chamber. This latest therapy to hit the Middle East involves entering a freezing chamber, with a temperature that can reach -180 C, using pressured liquid nitrogen vapors. Try holding an ice cube against your skin for half a minute; it’s unpleasant, but not unbearable. When the skin is exposed to liquid nitrogen the feeling is similar, just colder. What’s the point? Well, as the skin’s surface is frozen through exposure to the cold, blood is encouraged to rush from the skin and muscles to the care of the body, enhancing elasticity and soothing sore limbs. And after exiting the chamber, your red blood cells are flushed to the extreme providing anti-inflammatory properties. The concept to cryotherapy originated from Japan and was pioneered in Europe as a way to relieve chronic pain and arthritis for patients and to help speed up the healing process after surgery. The cold air helps control swelling and inflammation as well as reducing overall pain.
Chilly Cure:
Cryotherapy provides a non-invasive treatment, speeding the healing process for many ailments, including:
-Treats acne, eczema and psoriasis
-Cares for muscle inflammation, arthritis, headaches, migraines and osteoporosis
-Speeds up the body’s recovery after intense physical training
-Tightens skin reducing wrinkles and cellulite
-Promotes a deeper sleep
-Improves the inflammatory response, which leads to a better recovery
-Boosts metabolism, useful for weight loss and energy levels
-Increases neuro-muscular response
-Treats a variety of superficial benign (non-cancerous) lesions, warts and other benign lesions
Glacial Therapy
As a non-invasive treatment cryotherapy has become extremely popular in the field of professional sports and athletics. Actually, icy therapy is nothing new; using ice packs is one of the oldest therapeutic treatments used to accelerate recovery from an injury. But the cold in a cryotherapy chamber is far more intense than an icepack and can target the whole body relieving swollen joints and sore muscles, even providing an instant energy boost, which is why it is popular with football players during the Champions League season.
“The countless benefits of cryotherapy are sought out by all kinds of people from different age ranges and body types. From muscle and injury recovery, to weight loss, skin rejuvenation, fighting acne and scars... the list goes on,” says Benny Parihar, Managing Partner of CRYO Health in Dubai. With her partner, Kai Stubbe, she opened the first Cryo Health facility in Emirates Towers in Dubai 2013.
Beauty Boost
Cryotherapy facial
As a beauty treatment, cryotherapy works in a similar manner. The pressurized liquid nitrogen vapors activate increased production of collagen in the deeper layers of the skin, allowing it to regain elasticity. As the therapy tightens the skin, it can also combat cellulite with visible results after just one session. As the body freezes, the blood vessels widen, allowing more oxygen to reach the cells, and the extreme cold temperature leaves the skin looking smoother and tighter.
How it’s done: After cleansing the skin, a therapist applies a gentle acid peel. A stream of liquid nitrogen vapors delivers ultra-cold temperature from the cryotherapy machine to the skin. Afterwards a moisturizer is applied and skin is left radiant and tight, with blemishes minimized and pores closed. Non-intrusive and with fast results, cryotherapy is on its way to overtake treatments like Botox in popularity, simply because nothing is injected into the body.
Cryo Health
The concept is the first facility of it’s kind in the region. It is so successful they are looking to open eight new locations in the GCC in the next few years. Cryo Health offers localized treatments for specific areas like ankle and joints.
The feel-good factor
When the whole body is exposed to cryotherapy the immediate effect of skin cooling brings pain relief that lasts for minutes, but the resulting release of endorphins can reduce pain and inflammation in some people for weeks. Women who have just given birth or are recovering from surgery can benefit from it to manage pain as a non-intrusive treatment to cool down tissue temperatures and relieve muscle spams an swelling. The therapy is also great together with exercise and dieting to help speed-up weight loss results and to help women and men get into shape.
“Cryotherapy is a quick, painless and non-invasive way to reach numerous health and beauty benefits. The three-minutes ‘whole body cryotherapy’ treatment is known for benefits such as cellulite reduction and increased metabolism and caloric burn up to 800 calories in a single session, while the facials help with reduction of spotting and pigmentation, as well as reduction of fine lines and wrinkles for healthier, beautiful looking skin,” Parihat says. “Local cryotherapy on the other hand is used for muscle and injury recovery as well as helping with pain relief.” It is also a curative treatment for acne and scar removal.
Does it sound too good to be true? Well, go ahead and take a step into the cold. As the temperatures are on the rise in our part of the world, walk into a chamber chillier than Antarctica, the coldest spot on Earth. Seems like a good idea, especially when bearing in mind the cool results.
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Cryotherapy: A cool new trend that’s here to stay
Cryotherapy: A cool new trend that’s here to stay
Fantasia Barrino-Taylor flaunts Monot in New York
DUBAI: Helmed by Lebanese designer Eli Mizrahi, New York-based label Monot dressed US actress Fantasia Barrino-Taylor for a red carpet appearance at the 2024 Time100 Gala.
Barrino-Taylor showed off a custom look by the label, which featured head-to-toe sequins and wrist cuffs that flared dramatically to cover her hands. The backless number was figure hugging and Barrino-Taylor complemented the outfit with a black, sequined head wrap.
Mizrahi is no stranger to star power and made headlines in 2020 when he enlisted the likes of British supermodel Kate Moss, Italian star Mariacarla Boscono, British model Jourdan Dunn, US celebrity Amber Valletta and China’s Xiao Wen to star in a Monot campaign shot in Saudi Arabia.
The label has garnered a legion of celebrity fans, with US Olympian Simone Biles, model Kendall Jenner, Brazilian influencer Camila Coelho and US model Emily Ratajkowski donning Monot looks in the past.
“The Color Purple” star Barrino-Taylor also made headlines when she attended the Astra Film Awards in Los Angeles in January in a mandarin orange gown by Saudi designer Yousef Akbar.
Barrino, who is also a singer, most recently starred as protagonist Celie in “The Color Purple,” a musical period drama film directed by Blitz Bazawule. The film’s screenplay is based on the stage musical of the same name, which in turn is based on the 1982 novel by Alice Walker. It is the second film adaptation of the novel, following the 1985 film directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Spielberg and Quincy Jones.
The movie tells the story of Celie, who is torn apart from her sister and her children and faces many hardships in life, including an abusive husband. With support from a sultry singer named Shug Avery, as well as her stand-her-ground stepdaughter, Celie ultimately finds strength.
Barrino showed off Akbar’s gown at an event in Los Angeles and paired it with chunky gold jewelry and slicked back hair.
Guerlain’s Ann-Caroline Prazan on mixing cultures, Mideast inspiration
DUBAI: Ann-Caroline Prazan, the director of art, culture, and heritage at French luxury beauty brand Guerlain, shared her affection for the Middle East and shed light on why she is so keen to mesh together cultures when creating new products.
“The Guerlain family is totally in love with the region. I am in love with this region because it is like a paradise,” she told Arab News. “People here love fragrances and they are such experts. When Guerlain creates a fragrance for the Middle East, it is always with a French touch.”
For Prazan, who joined the Guerlain team in 2000, understanding the brand’s story has been pivotal, motivating her to craft fragrances over her 24-year tenure, prioritizing longevity over trends.
“It is important to understand the past to create a future,” Prazan said. “You know, a house is like a big tree. You need to know the roots to create the leaves and to create new flowers. Without roots, you cannot do anything if you do not understand the brand.”
“Innovation is our obsession,” she added. “Guerlain created the first lipsticks, the first lip liners, the first modern perfume, the first moisturizing Nivea cream was by Guerlain.”
Her regional knowledge shapes Guerlain’s tailored fragrances for its customers.
“You have the best perfumers here, local perfumers. What was interesting is to mix the roots with the leaves to mix different cultures. And for me, when you mix different cultures, when you mix traditions and modernity, you can create beautiful products,” she explained.
Guerlain has collaborated with regional creatives before. In 2023, the brand worked with Lebanese artist Nadine Kanso to design a fragrance bottle for the label, making her the first Arab designer to collaborate with the LVMH-owned perfume and beauty house.
She designed 30 limited edition bee-inspired bottles, decorated with 1,720 crystals, with Arabic calligraphy that read “Love.”
At an event in Dubai last week, the label chose to work with contemporary Tunisian artist Nja Mahdaoui, who showcased his abstract Arabic calligraphy with engraved Cherry Oud bottles serving as place cards for the invitees.
The brand also created a number of bottles, showcased at the event in Dubai, that celebrate Arab design elements.
The Parfumerie D’Art collection features the Bee Bottle by Baqué Molinié. Unveiled to mark Eid Al-Fitr this year, the bottle features hand-placed mother-of-pearl beads and moonstones, designed by the Parisian atelier as a tribute to the “wonders of Arab architectural art,” according to a released statement.
Emirati designer Hamda Al-Fahim dresses Anya Taylor-Joy for Tiffany event
DUBAI: US actress Anya Taylor-Joy this week was spotted at the Tiffany & Co. celebration of the launch of Blue Book in Beverly Hills wearing a dress by Emirati designer Hamda Al-Fahim.
The actress from “The Queen’s Gambit,” who is the ambassador for the American luxury jewelry label, impressed her fans in a head-turning dark golden brown dress that featured a corset-styled bodice paired with a fitted velvet skirt that flowed down, culminating in a short train trailing behind her.
The dress is called the Velvet Canyon and is from Al-Fahim’s Earthy collection.
Al-Fahim took to Instagram to share pictures of the star championing her design with her 498,000 followers.
“Anya Taylor-Joy (looks) stunning in our Velvet Canyon,” she wrote on her Stories.
For her jewelry, Anya chose a glitzy diamond necklace embellished with red rhinestones, accompanied by matching earrings and a ring. She completed the ensemble with a statement chunky silver bracelet.
She styled her blonde hair with a side part, which cascaded in soft waves past her shoulders.
Taylor-Joy was accompanied by a star-studded lineup of celebrities, including Olivia Wilde, Emily Blunt, Gabrielle Union, Quinta Brunson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Harrier, Suki Waterhouse and Aimee Song, among others.
Wilde flaunted a black figure-hugging dress with a plunging neckline, Blunt was radiant in a white sequin dress, Union opted for a custom-made Staud dress in black and white, Brunson wore a black velvet midi-gown from Roland Mouret and Huntington-Whiteley chose a white Carolina Herrera dress.
Al-Fahim is an Abu Dhabi-based designer known for her elegant and ethereal aesthetic, often featuring intricate embellishments, delicate fabrics and flattering silhouettes. Her creations combine femininity and sophistication, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern sensibilities.
Seen on red carpets, premieres and high-profile events worldwide, Al-Fahim’s creations have captured the attention of international celebrities including Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez.
Al-Fahim has also previously teamed up with US luxury handbag designer Tyler Ellis on a limited-edition capsule collection in 2022.
Birthday wishes pour in for Gigi Hadid
DUBAI: US Dutch Palestinian model Gigi Hadid turned 29 this week and the fashion and beauty crowd took to Instagram in droves to wish her a happy birthday.
Hadid’s younger sister, Bella Hadid, kickstarted the well wishes with a heartwarming message alongside a carousel of photos of the sisters, including several childhood snaps.
“Happy birthday princess of Genovia, I love you so much,” Bella captioned her Instagram post. “Life without you would be nothing, I would be nothing! You inspire me and make me feel strong.
“Watching you give birth and then raise the most perfect angel is the most magical gift a sister could ask for,” Bella wrote to the mother-of-one. “I feel so lucky. You are the best and coolest mama, best sister, best daughter, and best friend. Anyone who has the privilege to be in your orbit is lucky. I love you sissy, you make me feel proud to be your sister.”
Leading designers also took to the photo-sharing social media platform to celebrate the birthday girl, including Donatella Versace who wrote: “Happy Birthday to you, my girl @gigihadid. You are beautiful inside and out, Gigi. I hope you have the best day celebrating with Khai and all your loved ones. You deserve the best, always.”
Khai is Hadid’s three-year-old daughter with British singer Zayn Malik.
Fellow model Lily Aldridge, British designer and TV personality Tan France, stylists Elizabeth Sulcer and Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, celebrity makeup artist Partick Ta and many more all took to Instagram Stories to share touching messages.
Also paying tribute to the catwalk star on her special day was her father, Palestinian real estate mogul Mohamed Hadid, who shared a thoughtful birthday message on his feed.
“Happiest birthday to my beautiful smart elegant loving caring talented mother sister daughter one can ever be. Happy birthday my love,” he wrote.
Hadid has been occupied with her fashion label, Guest In Residence. Just last week, she unveiled the Spring/Summer collection both online and in stores. The collection introduces the brand’s inaugural cotton and silk blends, along with lightweight cashmere options.
Milan’s Istituto Marangoni to open campus in Riyadh
RIYADH: Milan-based Istituto Marangoni, in collaboration with the Saudi Fashion Commission, will open a Higher Training Institute in Riyadh offering courses specialized in fashion and luxury, with plans to inaugurate the institute in 2025.
According to a released statement, the institute’s mission in Saudi Arabia is to explore new avenues for local talent development and generate employment opportunities in the relevant industries.
“We are very excited to do a partnership with Istituto Marangoni. It's one of the leading global educational institutions focused on fashion and design. They have many campuses around the world, but for Saudi Arabia, it's the first time they are opening their campus. And they are also the first educational institution to come into Saudi Arabia as a foreign direct investment, which shows their commitment to the potential in the Saudi market, especially for creatives and businesses, and through this partnership, we'll be able to educate and provide employment to all the local creatives in the industry in Saudi Arabia,” Burak Çakmak, chief executive officer of the Fashion Commission under Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, told Arab News.
The new institute in Riyadh, to be accredited by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, will offer three-year advanced diplomas available in specific areas such as Fashion Design, Fashion Management, Fashion Product, Fashion Styling & Creative Direction, and also in the management of Fragrances & Cosmetics and Interior Design. Students will be able to choose whether to complete the advanced diploma in Riyadh, with the option of stepping into the fashion industry through a six-month internship during the last year of study, or complete studies for a bachelor’s degree at any international Istituto Marangoni campus.
The institute has campuses in Milan, Florence, Dubai, Paris, London and Miami.
In a released statement, Stefania Valenti, Global Managing Director of Istituto Marangoni, said: “We created this important partnership with the Saudi Fashion Commission because we believed that they are going to have a very strong agenda that is going to create a fashion (and) luxury system in Saudi (Arabia).
“We want to provide our knowledge and skills to the new generation, because there is a strong appetite here for the young generation, for the women, that they want to start to study in Saudi, they don't want to study abroad,” she added.
