Contrast therapy — or exposing your body to alternating hot and cold temperatures — is a long-established recovery tool. Generally, it takes place in tubs: Immersing yourself in hot water causes your blood vessels to expand, then jumping into a cold tub causes them to narrow, creating a pump effect that’s linked to improved circulation and reduced soreness. Except, who has multiple tubs, or even just the time to frequent gyms, physical therapy offices or other recovery spaces that offer this kind of treatment?
Recently, companies have been harnessing the power of hot and cold therapy in wearable devices that deliver instant spot treatments using infrared and cryotherapy technology. The latest device: Therabody’s RecoveryTherm Cube, a compact, versatile wearable that applies contrast therapy via easy-to-use preset treatments anywhere you need it for just $149.
But is it legit? Obviously, you’re not getting the same kind of immersive treatment as you would soaking in a tub when you’re strapping on a wearable device. But the combo of infrared and cryotherapy technologies may be more effective in improving blood flow than contrast bath therapy and has the same effect on muscle tone and pain, a 2020 study published in the Medical Science Monitor found. We put it to the test this week to see how it handled post-workout soreness as well as the aches and pains of daily life.
The Therabody RecoveryTherm Cube is a compact, simple-to-use wearable device that harnesses the alternating hot and cold temperatures of contrast therapy for use at home. A helpful recovery product that will let you slow down and relax, it’s also fairly affordable for just around $150.
What we liked about it
The variety of temperature levels
Therabody’s proprietary cryothermal technology allows the device to heat up and cool down almost instantly. When switching from the hottest setting over to the cooler settings, I felt a noticeable difference in just about 10 seconds. The Cube has three scientifically calibrated presets available at the touch of a button, each with specific temperature settings: The heat treatment lasts 24 minutes, and you can toggle between 95° Fahrenheit, 102°F and 109°F, while the cold treatment can be set at 61°F, 54°F and 46°F, and lasts 18 minutes. Holding both buttons down simultaneously starts the contrast therapy treatment, which lasts 20 minutes and alternates between 46°F and 109°F. (The rechargeable battery lasts 120 minutes for hot and cold treatments, and 60 minutes for contrast therapy).
The versatility
I tried Therabody’s RecoveryTherm Knee sleeve last year, which uses the same cryothermal technology. But as someone without knee issues, I didn’t have much use for it after testing. The Cube, however, is multitasking: I wrapped it around my calf after a morning track workout, wore it like a belt to get at my lower back after a long plane ride, like a sling to reach my right trapezius muscle (which always gets irritated when I’m on my phone too much) and even just held it in my hand to spot-treat areas like my knee or ankle for testing. It was significantly easier — and longer-lasting — than the ice packs I keep in my freezer, or microwaving a wet washcloth to create a warm compress.
What we didn’t like about it
The size and shape are a little awkward
The cube itself measures around 4.5 inches long by 3 inches wide by 2 inches high. That doesn’t sound big, and it’s very portable if you want to carry it with you, but the boxy shape does sit a little awkwardly on certain areas of the body. It comes with one 23.6-inch strap and one 39.4-inch strap; I used the shorter strap around my legs, and the longer one when treating my back or shoulders. After attempting the sling method multiple times for my tight trapezius, I finally gave up and just pressed the device to that spot, which wasn’t a super-comfortable position to hold for the 20-minute contrast therapy treatment.
How it compares
Therabody’s RecoveryTherm Cube is a variation of the brand’s RecoveryTherm Knee, a joint-specific device that combines cold, heat and vibration therapy, but it’s more than half the price, and can be used all over the body. (The Hyperice X works similarly.) From a usage perspective, it reminded me more of the Hyperice Venom Go, a $149 reusable stick-on patch that connects to a rechargeable pod that generates heat. The RecoveryTherm Cube is much bulkier (around six times the size of the pod, although the patch covers about the same surface area), but without the patch it’s even more reusable and has the added bonus of cold therapy. There are also massage guns that deliver contrast therapy — like the $230 Therapist Select Hot & Cold Percussion Massager — but the constantly moving head doesn’t deliver the same kind of consistent, targeted treatment.
Bottom line
The thing about contrast bath therapy is that it forces me to slow down and relax — two aspects of recovery that are equally as important as anything happening physiologically. I’m not sure if Therabody’s RecoveryTherm Cube can replace all that for me, but I did think that this was a neat at-home solution for hot and cold therapy. Contrast therapy aside, I will definitely be using it to replace ice packs and warm compresses. It’s more portable, more versatile and way less of a mess.
