Reset in 3 Minutes: The Science, Benefits and Safety of Whole Body Cryotherapy
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13 October 2026Whole body cryotherapy (WBC) owes much of its public profile to famous names: footballers who installed chambers at home, basketball stars who list it in their recovery routines, and actors who mention it for skin and wellbeing. This article lists ten public figures that mainstream media have reported using it, explains where each report comes from, and then asks the more useful question: what does research say about the sports they play? For the treatment itself, see whole body cryotherapy.
These are media reports, not endorsements. None of these people is connected with Aeva, and reports may be dated or second-hand.
Table of Contents
Key Points
- Football: Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribéry have been reported as fans, and Ronaldo reportedly installed a chamber at home in 2013.
- Basketball: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Stephen Curry have all been named in media coverage.
- Boxing and baseball: Floyd Mayweather Jr. reportedly made daily visits while preparing for a 2015 fight, and pitcher C.J. Wilson described the experience publicly.
- Screen stars: Demi Moore and Jennifer Aniston are frequently named in lifestyle coverage, mostly for skin and wellbeing.
- Research reality check: trials in football and basketball players show mainly better perceived recovery, with little change in performance tests.
The 10 Public Figures at a Glance
| # | Name | Field | What was reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Football | Regular sessions and a private chamber at home |
| 2 | LeBron James | Basketball | Cryotherapy within a wider recovery routine |
| 3 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. | Boxing | Daily sessions during training for a 2015 fight |
| 4 | Kobe Bryant | Basketball | Named as a fan in Los Angeles coverage |
| 5 | Franck Ribéry | Football | Reported as a fan at Bayern Munich |
| 6 | Dirk Nowitzki | Basketball | Listed among athletes who tried it |
| 7 | Stephen Curry | Basketball | Described as using it for post-game recovery |
| 8 | C.J. Wilson | Baseball | Said he preferred it to ice baths |
| 9 | Demi Moore | Film | Reported to use it for skin and appearance |
| 10 | Jennifer Aniston | Film and television | Reported in lifestyle coverage |
What Was Reported, One by One
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (football)
Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported in 2013, via Yahoo Sports, that Ronaldo was having twice-weekly sessions at a gym near Madrid and had decided to install a private chamber, at a reported cost of around €45,000. A 2018 Irish Daily Mail profile said a walk-in chamber was part of his post-match routine at home, and Men’s Health Australia reported he has one at home.
2. LeBron James (basketball)
In 2015, NPR relayed ESPN reporting on LeBron’s day-off routine, which included a session in a liquid-nitrogen-cooled chamber. More recently, Olympics.com reported that he and his team use cryotherapy alongside hyperbaric and red light chambers and cold plunges, while he stressed that sleep is the best recovery.
3. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (boxing)
Black Enterprise reported in 2015 that Mayweather made a daily visit to a Las Vegas clinic for full-body cryotherapy during his preparation for the Manny Pacquiao fight.
4. Kobe Bryant (basketball)
The Hollywood Reporter named Kobe Bryant, along with dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, as a fan of whole body cryotherapy at a Los Angeles clinic. Bryant died in 2020.
5. Franck Ribéry (football)
The same 2013 Yahoo Sports piece described the then Bayern Munich winger as a fan of the sessions, and the Irish Daily Mail said Ronaldo installed his chamber after hearing it had worked well for Ribéry.
6. Dirk Nowitzki (basketball)
A report based on Los Angeles Times coverage listed Nowitzki with Kobe Bryant, sprinter Tyson Gay and others as athletes who had used the sessions at times.
7. Stephen Curry (basketball)
The South China Morning Post described Curry, with LeBron James, as a player for whom cryotherapy forms part of post-game recovery.
8. C.J. Wilson (baseball)
In the same Los Angeles coverage, the pitcher said he disliked ice baths and found the dry chamber easier to tolerate than sitting in cold water.
9. Demi Moore (film)
IBTimes cited a 2012 Daily Mail report that she used cryotherapy to maintain her youthful appearance.
10. Jennifer Aniston (film and television)
The same IBTimes roundup, citing Shape magazine, listed Aniston among Hollywood women reported to use it for skin and body goals. This is second-hand reporting and she has not been quoted here.
Celebrity Use Versus Evidence
Famous users are an interesting signal of how widely recovery technology has spread, but they do not prove it works. Elite athletes also use sleep specialists, nutrition teams and several other tools at once, so credit is hard to assign, and LeBron James himself named sleep as his best recovery. The research to date is more modest: the Cochrane review judged evidence on soreness insufficient, a 2026 network meta-analysis ranked WBC best for lowering creatine kinase at 48 and 72 hours, and a 2023 safety review found adverse events rare when people are screened. See the muscle recovery research for the markers.
Sports Examples With Evidence
Here is what studies say about the sports these public figures play.
| Sport | Study | What was found |
|---|---|---|
| Football | 14 English Premier League academy players after repeated sprints (single-session crossover trial) | No significant differences in physiological, performance or soreness measures after one session. The authors said WBC may still be useful during congested fixture periods. |
| Football | 16 senior Premier League players tracked over two seasons (Malone et al., 2022) | Higher chronic exposure levels gave no additional benefit on perceived wellness or salivary alpha amylase, which suggests a modest exposure is enough. |
| Basketball | 17 high-level youth players after simulated matches (crossover trial, 2024) | Perceived recovery scores were higher with WBC, while jump, sprint, change-of-direction, heart-rate variability and soreness measures did not differ significantly. |
| Boxing and baseball | No WBC trials found in the sources reviewed | Closest analogues are combat and court-sport block studies described in cold recovery for athletes. |
The pattern across these sports is that WBC most reliably changes how recovered athletes feel, which is why many report liking it, while performance tests change less in single-session designs. Repeated sessions are where the more encouraging results appear, as described in whole body cryotherapy in Kuala Lumpur.
If You Are Curious: Safety First
A 2023 scoping review found documented adverse events rare and preventable with screening, and an expert consensus lists contraindications, including arterial hypertension. Speak to your doctor first if you have high blood pressure, heart or circulation problems, cold sensitivity or a long-term condition, or if you are pregnant or unwell. For the physiology, read the science and safety of whole body cryotherapy, and for a wellness-focused guide see the complete guide.
FAQ
Which athletes use whole body cryotherapy?
Media have reported footballers such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribéry, basketball players including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Stephen Curry, and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Do celebrities really use it?
Several are reported to, usually by lifestyle media, but many reports are second-hand and not confirmed by the person.
Does celebrity use prove it works?
No. Research is the better guide, and it shows clearer benefits for perceived recovery and some biochemical markers than for performance tests.
How long is a typical session?
About three minutes in dry air at roughly −110°C in many research protocols.
Is it only for elite athletes?
No. Active adults use it too, although most trials involved trained or active men.
Who should avoid it?
People with uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart or circulation problems, cold sensitivity or pregnancy should get medical advice first.
Sources
- Yahoo Sports (Dirty Tackle). Cristiano Ronaldo buys his own cryotherapy chamber because he is “hooked” on treatment. 2013.
- Irish Daily Mail. Profile of Cristiano Ronaldo’s recovery routine. April 2018.
- Men’s Health Australia. Cristiano Ronaldo just turned 40: here’s how he stays in shape.
- NPR. To keep going during the Finals, LeBron James can’t take a day off. 2015.
- Olympics.com. Nearly 40 years young: LeBron James’ fitness routine.
- Black Enterprise. Working with the champs: Mayweather and cryotherapy. 2015.
- The Hollywood Reporter. Spa day: 5 new treatments.
- KOWB 1290 (citing Los Angeles Times). Kobe Bryant, C.J. Wilson cryotherapy treatment.
- South China Morning Post. We try whole-body cryotherapy, used by LeBron James, Jennifer Aniston and others.
- IBTimes. What is cryotherapy? 13 celebrities who swear by the controversial treatment.
- Costello JT et al. Whole-body cryotherapy for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise in adults. Cochrane, 2015.
- Impact of different cryotherapy interventions on post-exercise acute delayed-onset muscle soreness, athletic performance, and inflammatory biomarkers: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2026.
- The effects of a single whole body cryotherapy exposure on physiological, performance and perceptual responses of professional academy soccer players following repeated sprint exercise. PubMed ID 27227791.
- Malone JJ et al. Effect of alterations in whole-body cryotherapy exposure on post-match recovery markers in elite Premier League soccer players. Biology of Sport, 2022.
- Perazzetti A et al. Chill without thrill: a crossover study on whole-body cryotherapy and postmatch recovery in high-level youth basketball players. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2024.
- Legrand FD et al. Evaluating safety risks of whole-body cryotherapy/cryostimulation: a scoping review. European Journal of Medical Research, 2023.
- Capodaglio P et al. Contraindications to whole-body cryostimulation. Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, 2025.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Whole body cryotherapy is not a treatment for any disease, and results vary between people. Public-figure details come from media reports and may be dated or second-hand. Speak to your doctor before trying it if you have a health condition.