FREEZING SHOCK TREATMENT

There’s nothing quite like lying back and being stroked and patted, fondled and smacked to make a man feel better.  And with such comforts being in perhaps short supply at home, spas meeting this primal need in the male to be cosseted have been mushrooming throughout the country, with curiouser and curiouser new treatments being introduced.

The latest seems a long way from the cossetting concept.  Stepping into a freezer, with the temperature minus 135 degrees, is enough to make any man shiver and shrivel but evidently all sorts of he-men have been discovering its benefits, including the two pictured here, Tony McCoy and Frank Bruno.

Not surprisingly, Kriotherapy, as it is called, started in Japan, the home of no-gain-without-pain procedures, and went from there to Germany. In many parts of Eastern Europe it has now become a mainstream treatment, we are told, used to treat ailments such as osteoporosis and arthritis, and it is said to be especially popular with Olympic athletes and professional sportsmen. Champneys Tring is one of the first places where it is available in the UK. 

Just to make sure you are healthy enough to take this health treatment, there’s a medical consultation, and then you have to put on socks, wooden clogs, mouth mask, gloves, a top and shorts, and a headband to protect your ears and foreheads.

Nicola Doe, Champneys spa manager, who has tested the treatment, found it completely exhilarating and refreshing. She explains that you start off at -60degrees and then go into the second part of a chamber, where the temperature drops a further 75 degrees.

“Small exercise has to be carried out to keep the circulation moving!  After the maximum time of 3 minutes has passed, you must leave the chamber.” Then, there’s 30 minutes of exercise, presumably to make sure no parts are frozen, and you must drink lots of water for the rest of the day.

Those anxious to experience this short, sharp shock can benefit from an introductory special offer price of £24 for a session or £99 for five, which may or may not seem a bargain. Alternatively, Champneys does also offer some wonderful cosseting. For full info www.champneys.com/resort_tring.asp

SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT

UK gnashers are generally regarded as inferior by our cousins across the pond, where an immaculate smile is a prerequisite for success in life.  No expense is spared in pursuit of displaying white, even, perfectly matched teeth by American men and women and they have long thought the British in general neglect their ivories quite dreadfully.

But we are catching up.  Demand for whitening services has soared (though there are now reports that such can have a detrimental effect) and recourse to cosmetic dentistry is no longer the preserve of celebrities and the wealthy.

Veneers are helping to give crooked, discoloured teeth a whole new appearance that will bring a smile to many faces. Lumineers is the latest development to hit these shores, from America of course, and this provides what is claimed to be a thinner and stronger porcelain veneer, that bonds firmly to the teeth. That’s it.  Said to be ideal for misaligned, misshapen, stained, discoloured or widely spaced teeth and without any need for grinding down tooth structure, the Lumineers veneers are now available through approved cosmetic dentists in the UK and come with a 5 year guarantee – though they are claimed to last up to 20 years. Prices start from around £400 to £1000 per tooth.

Rather less of an outlay will buy a tube of the latest toothpaste, Sensishield,  that will ‘re-calcify the dentine and tooth surface enamel’, say the manufacturers. Based on surgical bone regeneration, it contains an active ingredient that is supposed to copy the way mouth saliva naturally re-calcifies teeth, making the teeth smoother and brighter and less sensitive. Stocked in Boots and other chemists, it costs £5.95 for a 50ml tube.