Body Cryotherapy vs Body Contouring: Which Should You Do First?

What body cryotherapy targets: the look of tone

Body cryotherapy is the treatment we tend to suggest when the concern is the look of the skin itself. Clients describe it in different ways. The skin on the thighs looks loose. The upper arms look soft. The stomach looks a little slack after a change in body shape or after pregnancy. These are surface concerns, and the cold is aimed at the surface.

During a session, the chilled applicator moves over the area in short passes. The sensation is a brisk, clean cold, and it fades quickly once the applicator lifts. Many clients notice the area looking tighter and brighter right after a session, and some find it looks smoother for a few days after each visit. With a series, that smoother look may hold a little longer between sessions. It is a temporary cosmetic effect, and we are careful to say so.

A full body cryotherapy session runs 60 minutes and is priced at $420. It suits clients whose main goal is firmness, texture, and the overall look of tone rather than changing the look of one specific pocket. You can read more on our cryo body sculpting page.

What ultrasonic cavitation targets: stubborn areas

Cavitation is the treatment we tend to suggest when the concern is a specific area that holds its shape no matter how steady your habits are. The lower stomach. The sides of the waist. The inner thighs. The area under the bra line. These are places where many people feel stuck, and cavitation is designed to focus on them.

During a session, warm conductive gel goes on the area, and a handpiece moves in slow, overlapping passes. Most clients feel gentle warmth and a faint buzzing. Nothing pierces the skin. The aim is a softer, smoother contour in the treated area over a series of visits. Any change from cavitation tends to build over a series, so a single session is a beginning rather than a result. Many clients notice a difference in photos around the midpoint of a series, and some need the full series before they feel confident in any change. For more on the method, see our body contouring page.

A full cavitation session on one area runs 60 minutes and is priced at $400. An Express Body session of 30 minutes is $245 and is the lowest-commitment way to try the treatment.

Which one first? How we decide at your first visit

We do not ask you to decide before you walk in. Your first visit begins with a short conversation. With your permission, we may take a before photo in consistent light, and we suggest taking your own at home in the same light each week. We ask which area is on your mind, what you hope to see, and how long you have been thinking about it. Then we look at the area together and talk through what each treatment can reasonably do.

A simple way to think about it. If you press on the area and your main complaint is that the skin looks loose, soft, or crepey, body cryotherapy is usually where we suggest starting. If your main complaint is the shape of the area, a pocket or a fullness that does not seem to change, cavitation is usually the first recommendation. If both are true, which is common on the stomach and thighs, we talk about the combination.

We also consider your schedule and your budget. A series takes commitment, usually one visit a week on the same area. If you can only manage a few visits, we would rather point you toward the single treatment most likely to show a difference than split your time between two. We say that plainly. We would rather you book less and be pleased than book more and feel unsure.

Combining them in one visit

Many clients choose the combination, and there is a reasonable logic to it. Cavitation is aimed at the contour of the area, and body cryotherapy is aimed at the look of the skin over it. Done back to back in the same visit, the two approach the same area from two directions. Clients who have both concerns at once often find this the most straightforward path.

The combination session runs 60 minutes and is priced at $540 for a single visit. Combination bundles and our body packages bring the per-session price down when you commit to a series; see our packages page for the full list. The combination is not automatically better for everyone. If your concern is purely the look of tone, or purely a stubborn pocket, a single treatment may be the smarter spend, and we will tell you if we think so.

What a typical series looks like

For body cryotherapy, a series of six to ten sessions spaced about a week apart is a typical starting point. For cavitation on one area, six to eight weekly sessions, sometimes more, is a typical starting point. For the combination, we usually suggest beginning with six and reviewing how the area looks at the midpoint. These are starting points, not promises. Some clients need fewer sessions, some need more, and some find that one treatment is doing most of the work and the other can be set aside.

Our body packages run from 8 treatments on one area up to 24, with a 16-treatment option built for two areas. Ask us at your first visit how a package maps to the treatment you have chosen, and we will lay the sessions out on a calendar with you.

Between visits, the habits are the same for both treatments. Drink water steadily on session days, take an easy walk afterward rather than a hard workout, and keep meals and sleep as regular as you can. Neither treatment replaces your routine. They work alongside it, and clients who keep their habits steady through a series tend to be the ones happiest with how an area looks at the end.

Who should talk to a physician first

Both treatments are gentle, but neither is for everyone. If you are pregnant, have a pacemaker, have cold urticaria, have an active skin infection, or have had recent surgery in the area, talk to your physician before booking either one. If you have a skin condition in the area, such as eczema, a dermatologist is the right first step. We ask about your health history during the consultation, and we will tell you honestly if we think you should wait.

We are inside Hulen Mall in Fort Worth, and the consultation is part of your first visit rather than a separate appointment. If you are not sure which treatment to book, book the one that matches your main concern and let us adjust from there. If we think the other treatment, or the combination, fits better, we will say so and help you book it for a later visit, or on the day if the schedule allows.