PF BLACK CARD® CRYOLOUNGE:
Hot and Cold Recovery Without the Ice Bath
CryoLounge at Planet Fitness is a PF Black Card® recovery amenity that uses contrast therapy, alternating targeted cold and heat while you relax in a self-guided recovery chair. It is not a whole-body cryotherapy chamber or an ice bath. Instead, CryoLounge gives Black Card members a more accessible way to experience hot and cold recovery inside selected Planet Fitness clubs, with no separate recovery studio session needed.
Our CryoLounge is exclusive to PF Black Card® members & available at select clubs
CryoLounge Benefits: Targeted Recovery After Your Workout
Upgrade to Black Card*CryoLounge is available at selected clubs only.
CryoLounge is built for members who want recovery to feel simple, accessible and easy to add to their routine.
It gives you the contrast of hot and cold therapy without the intensity of an ice bath or cryotherapy chamber, making it a practical recovery option after training.
Upgrade to Black Card
*CryoLounge is available at selected clubs only.
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Helps reduce muscle soreness
CryoLounge gives worked muscles a hot-and-cold recovery session after training. In preliminary research, participants reported lower perceived muscle soreness after using CryoLounge+ compared with no recovery treatment.
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Targets areas that worked hardest
With six thermal zones, you can focus hot or cold therapy on specific parts of the body rather than treating everything the same way.
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Built-in leg compression
Many chairs add compression for your calves and lower legs alongside the hot and cold, supporting circulation in the areas that usually feel it most after leg day.
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Gets your blood moving
Alternating between cold and warm triggers your blood vessels to constrict then expand, a cycle that’s the whole idea behind why contrast therapy is used for circulation.
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Easy to get started
No contrast therapy protocols to figure out or timing to get right. Sit down, and the chair runs the session for you.
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A more comfortable way to use cold therapy
No ice baths, no getting wet. And all included in your PF Black Card® membership!
A More Comfortable Way to Experience Hot & Cold Therapy
Cold therapy has a reputation. Ice baths. Cryotherapy chambers. Deep breathing through the shock of the cold while trying to convince yourself this was a good idea.
That kind of recovery can work for some people, but it is not exactly everyone’s idea of a relaxing post-workout moment.
The CryoLounge at Planet Fitness takes a very different approach. Use it after leg day, after cardio, after a PE@PF class, or anytime your body feels like it deserves a reset!
What CryoLounge is (and what it isn’t)
CryoLounge is a self-guided recovery chair that uses targeted hot and cold therapy to support post-workout recovery.
Unlike whole-body cryotherapy, where most of your body is exposed to intense cold inside a chamber, CryoLounge keeps things much more targeted. You stay seated, fully clothed and dry while six thermal zones deliver heat or cold to different areas of the body.
That means you can customise the experience around how your body feels after training, focusing cold on areas that feel worked while using warmth elsewhere for comfort.
You may also come across terms like cryo lounge bed, cryo chair or CryoLounge Plus when exploring this type of recovery. Features can vary, but they generally describe the same style of seated hot and cold recovery experience.
It’s hot and cold recovery without the ice, the plunge, the panic or a separate recovery studio booking.
At selected Planet Fitness clubs, CryoLounge is included with PF Black Card® membership at no extra cost. There’s no separate appointment needed, so you can simply check availability during staffed hours and work a recovery session into your regular gym visit.
What to Expect During a CryoLounge Session
CryoLounge puts hot and cold recovery into one self-guided chair, with settings you can tailor to how your body feels that day.
Instead of exposing your whole body to one temperature, the chair uses six thermal zones that can be set to hot or cold independently. That means you can focus cold on an area that feels worked while keeping another area comfortably warm.
Six Thermal Zones
CryoLounge has six thermal zones that can be set to hot or cold, giving you more control over where you want to focus your session. That might mean targeted cold through your legs after a lower-body workout while another area stays comfortably warm.
Hot, Cold or Contrast
You can choose heat, cold or a combination of both. Contrast mode alternates between hot and cold, bringing both sides of contrast therapy into the same session.
Leg Compression
Where available, built-in leg compression adds a soothing massage-style experience around the calves and lower legs.
Flexible Auxiliary Pad
The auxiliary pad can help target areas that are harder to position against the main chair, such as your shoulders or knees.
Fully Clothed and Dry Experience
No ice or getting wet, and no changing into swimwear. You stay fully clothed and seated throughout the session.
*CryoLounge available at selected clubs only.
Is the CryoLounge the same as Cryotherapy?
Despite the name, CryoLounge is not the same as whole-body cryotherapy.
Traditional whole-body cryotherapy usually means stepping into a chamber where most of your body is exposed to very cold air for a short period. The experience is centred around intense, full-body cold. An ice bath is different again: full-body immersion in cold water.
CryoLounge is a much more targeted experience. Rather than exposing your whole body to intense cold, it lets you use hot and cold therapy on specific areas while staying seated and comfortable.
So while CryoLounge, cryotherapy and ice baths all use cold in some form, the experience is quite different.
- Whole-body cryotherapy: intense cold, most of the body exposed at once, usually in a chamber.
- Ice bath: full-body immersion in cold water.
- CryoLounge: targeted hot and cold, seated, dry, fully clothed, self-guided and customisable to different areas of the body.
Think of CryoLounge less like stepping into a freezer and more like choosing where your body gets cold, where it gets warmth and where you want to focus your recovery.
Upgrade to Black Card
*CryoLounge are available at selected clubs only.
What Is Contrast Therapy?
Contrast therapy is the term given to a recovery approach that uses alternating hot and cold exposure, and it’s not a new idea; athletes and physios have used versions of it for years, moving between an ice bath and a sauna to get the benefit of both in one recovery session.
Cold therapy causes vasoconstriction. vessels narrow, creating that cooling, numbing sensation people associate with ice baths. It is used to cool worked areas and may help reduce the feeling of muscle soreness
Heat therapy does the opposite, causing vasodilation, which widens the vessels and helps the area and muscles feel warmer, looser and more relaxed.
When used together, hot and cold therapy can form part of a post-workout recovery routine. It is commonly used after training, when the focus shifts from working hard to winding down and recovering.
Upgrade to Black Card
*CryoLounge available at selected clubs only.
HOW TO USE THE CRYOLOUNGE AT PLANET FITNESS
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Step 1: Check your club
CryoLounge is available to PF Black Card® members at selected Planet Fitness clubs. Check your nearest club’s Black Card Perks to see whether it is available at your location.
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Step 2: Check in with
the teamWhen you’re ready to use it, head to the front-desk during staffed hours to check availability. If it is your first time using CryoLounge, you may want to ask the club team to show you how to use the settings.
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Step 3: Choose your session
Stay in your gym clothes, settle into the chair and choose the areas you want to focus on. Select hot, cold or contrast settings and add features such as leg compression or the auxiliary pad where available.
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Step 4: Sit Back and Recover
Once everything feels right, let the self-guided session run. Use the time to slow down, relax and give your body a recovery-focused finish to your gym visit.
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Step 5: Wipe down after use
When you are finished, wipe down the chair using the cleaning products provided in-club.
Ready to try CryoLounge?
CryoLounge gives PF Black Card® members a more accessible way to try contrast therapy inside selected Planet Fitness clubs, without booking a separate recovery studio session.
*CryoLounge available at selected clubs only.
With PF Black Card®, you get:
- CryoLounge access at selected clubs
- 24/7 access
- Access to 30+ Planet Fitness clubs nationwide
- Access to 2,700+ Planet Fitness clubs worldwide (with club team coordination and up to 10 visits per month)
- Bring a guest during staffed hours (gym floor only)
- Black Card Spa access during staffed hours
- HydroMassage beds
- Massage chairs
- Red light technology
- Weekly private spray tanning
- Wellness pod access at selected clubs
- PE@PF classes
CRYOLOUNGE FAQS
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about CryoLounge at Planet Fitness.
Have another question? Feel free to message us on socials, give us a call, or speak to your friendly team in-club next time you’re in.
Build Your Own Recovery Routine
CryoLounge is just one part of the Black Card Spa experience.
Use the HydroMassage beds when you want a water-powered massage experience. Use massage chairs when you want seated comfort after training. Use Red Light Technology when you want another wellness-style recovery session. Use spray tanning when you want your weekly glow perk.
CryoLounge adds something different: targeted hot and cold contrast therapy.
Together, they give PF Black Card® members more choice in how they recover, relax and feel good after a workout.
CRYOLOUNGE at SELECT
PF Clubs
CryoLounge is exclusive for PF Black Card® members.
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