There are two types of operators in today’s fitness industry: those with recovery and wellness services, and those thinking about adding them.
“Recovery isn’t an amenity anymore; it’s infrastructure,” said Marcu Wilson, CEO of CryoBuilt. “Members are training harder, they’re more educated and they expect solutions that help them feel and perform better immediately.”
CryoBuilt, a leading manufacturer of electric, whole-body cryotherapy systems, is proud to be at the forefront of this trending concept turned industry staple. With its Everest, Polaris and ChillyBox chambers, the brand delivers simple cold therapy solutions that boost recovery, performance and overall wellness.
However, the consistent momentum behind recovery and wellness is just one factor influencing fitness facilitators right now. Those services are helping operators address the pressure to create new, high-margin revenue streams right now.
“Recovery sits at the intersection of those two forces,” Wilson went on. “At CryoBuilt, we’ve seen this transition firsthand — our partners aren’t just adding recovery as a perk, they’re building it into their core offering because it directly impacts both member outcomes and revenue.”
Making Recovery Non-Negotiable
Strength training represents another booming concept already well-woven into the fitness industry with no signs of slowing down. And, along with it, comes a greater demand for recovery therapies.
“As strength training grows, recovery becomes even more non-negotiable,” Wilson said. “You can’t scale intensity, volume and frequency without addressing how the body adapts and recovers. The best operators understand that performance and recovery are two sides of the same system. Cryotherapy provides a structured, repeatable way to manage that load.”
Having worked with the UFC, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, MLB and NCAA before, CryoBuilt’s seen this formula take place before and has confidence in its efficacy.
“We’ve seen this model in professional sports for over a decade, so it’s encouraging to see fitness operators embracing it,” Wilson said. “They’re now bringing the same caliber of recovery tools used by elite athletes into everyday gym environments, making high-level recovery accessible to anyone who needs it.”
CryoBuilt’s products also help operators leverage new consumer mindsets — ones where longevity, wellness and overall well-being trump how you look in the mirror.
“People are no longer training just for aesthetics or short-term goals,” Wilson said. “They’re training for longevity, resilience and long-term health. Recovery is now viewed as a foundational pillar of that lifestyle.”
Driving Profit
As such, recovery offers inherent advantages for both users and owners.
“When recovery is implemented correctly, it often becomes the highest-performing square footage in the building,” Wilson said. “The reason is simple: recovery is service-based, repeatable and premium by nature. It allows operators to generate incremental revenue without significantly increasing labor or footprint. Unlike traditional gym space, which is typically bundled into a membership, recovery can be packaged, tiered and monetized in multiple ways.”
Structured recovery experiences also benefit operators beyond direct revenue, spurring member retention, engagement and long-time value.
“Recovery fundamentally changes how members interact with a facility,” Wilson said. “It increases frequency of visits, extends time spent on-site and creates additional touchpoints beyond training. More importantly, it helps members feel better, and when people feel better, they come back more often, stay longer and engage more deeply with the brand.”
Wilson noted operators have even reported seeing members come in on non-workout days to use recovery services. They bring people inside who might not have a large appetite for their main service yet, but that introduction can eventually turn them into full members.
“It’s also acting as a front door that creates a powerful pipeline for new customer acquisition,” Wilson added.
Making the Right Investment
For operators still looking at adding recovery and wellness services, Wilson believes they’ll need to weigh their needs with an eye toward what will best serve their members for years to come.
For example, cold plunge offerings are a common alternative to Cryotherapy, but for those looking to spur long-term, consistent revenue generation, they might fall short.
“They create very different user experiences,” Wilson said. “Cryotherapy is positioned as a premium, time-efficient and highly repeatable service. You don’t get wet, sessions are fast and it’s easy for members to integrate into their routine multiple times per week. Cold plunge, on the other hand, is effective but more friction-based with longer sessions, more setup and less accessibility for the average user.”
Prioritizing price point over quality often burns operators in the long run as well.
“Not all cryotherapy is created equal,” Wilson said. “Lower-cost systems often struggle to reach or maintain true cryotherapy temperatures, which directly impacts results, user experience and ultimately repeat usage. If an operator is going to invest in cryotherapy, it needs to be a high-performance, properly engineered system that consistently delivers the intended outcome.”
These callouts aren’t just advice for operators, but serve as the foundation for an ethos CryoBuilt follows when developing its products.
“At CryoBuilt, we’ve built our systems around those principles — premium components, U.S.-based manufacturing and long-term service support, because in this category, the real difference shows up after installation,” Wilson added. “Operators should choose a solution that’s built to perform consistently for years, not just one that looks good on day one.”
