What did @remedilondon actually say?
The creator defines biohacking as "the process of changing your chemistry and physiology through science and self experimentation to increase energy and vitality." They then pitch two methods: whole-body cryotherapy, which they say brings "vitality, health, virus and immunity" while affecting mind and body, and infrared saunas, which they claim "detoxify and heal the body," burn calories, reduce joint and muscle pain, alleviate stress, and penetrate deep tissue. It's a breezy overview, not a deep dive, and the language is optimistic to the point of being imprecise in several places. A few claims are defensible. Others are not.
Does the science back this up?
Partially, depending on which claim you're looking at. For infrared saunas, there's genuine peer-reviewed support for cardiovascular and pain-related benefits, though "detoxify" is doing a lot of unsupported work. For cryotherapy, the evidence base is thinner and more contested than wellness content typically admits.
On infrared saunas: Laukkanen et al. (2018, Mayo Clinic Proceedings) found regular sauna use associated with reduced cardiovascular risk and improved arterial compliance. Beever (2009, Canadian Family Physician) found infrared sauna modestly reduced pain in fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis patients. The mood and stress claims have some backing too, with studies linking heat therapy to endorphin release and reduced cortisol.
On cryotherapy: Bleakley et al. (2012, Cochrane Database) found limited high-quality evidence supporting whole-body cryotherapy for muscle recovery after exercise. A 2021 review in Frontiers in Physiology noted inconsistent results across trials, with many suffering from small sample sizes and lack of blinding.
What did they get wrong (or right)?
The infrared sauna claim that it will "detoxify and heal the body" is the most egregious overreach here. Detoxification is primarily handled by your liver and kidneys. Sweating does eliminate trace amounts of certain compounds, but framing a sauna as a detox tool is marketing language, not physiology. No credible study supports sauna use as a meaningful detoxification intervention.
The calorie-burning claim is technically true but misleading in context. Your metabolic rate does rise during heat exposure, but the effect is modest and temporary. Presenting it as a weight management strategy without that nuance is irresponsible.
Where they get credit: the claim that infrared saunas can "reduce joint and muscle pain" is reasonably supported. The framing of biohacking as self-experimentation grounded in science is also a fair working definition, even if the content that follows doesn't always live up to it. Saying cryotherapy affects "both the mind and the body" is vague but not wrong, given some evidence for mood effects from cold exposure.
What should you actually know?
Both of these modalities have legitimate uses, but neither is a wellness silver bullet. Infrared saunas appear to have real cardiovascular and pain-related benefits when used consistently, particularly in people with chronic conditions. The evidence is stronger here than for cryotherapy, which is more popular than it is proven.
Whole-body cryotherapy is not the same as cold-water immersion, and it's worth noting that much of the cryotherapy hype outpaces its clinical evidence. The FDA has explicitly stated it has not cleared or approved whole-body cryotherapy devices for treating any medical condition.
- Infrared sauna is generally safe for healthy adults. People with cardiovascular conditions should consult a clinician first.
- Cryotherapy carries real risks including frostbite, numbness, and in rare cases, asphyxiation from nitrogen vapors in poorly ventilated chambers.
- "Biohacking" as a category is largely unregulated. Self-experimentation without clinical oversight can range from harmless to genuinely dangerous depending on the intervention.
- If you're exploring these modalities for specific health outcomes, speak with a healthcare provider who can assess your individual risk profile.