Athletes Have Been Using Palm Cooling for Years. Is It Finally Worth Trying?

The Therabody Cryopalm promises to bring lab backed palm cooling technology to everyday athletes. We dug into the research and tested it ourselves to see if it lives up to the hype.

While Coach Amanda thrives on summer training, I am not that runner. I do not love running in the heat, the humidity the scorching death rays of the Colorado sun. I’m your girl for sports bras in 30 degree temps. So the idea that this tiny device held in my palm could make summers less brutal, there’s really no one better to put it to the test.

Lately, my training has been focused on shorter, faster workouts at the track. Add in the summer heat, and my core temperature climbs pretty quickly, which means a sky high heart rate.

That made this the perfect time to test out the Therabody CryoTherm Palm.

Therabody CryoTherm Palm Overview

The idea behind palm cooling is actually pretty simple. The palms of your hands are one of your body’s best places to exchange heat, so cooling them may help cool your body more efficiently than simply pouring water over your head.

Studies have found it may help reduce perceived effort while supporting performance during strength training, interval workouts, and endurance exercise.

That doesn’t mean it’s going to magically make running in the heat feel easy, but it suggests there’s more to palm cooling than just feeling refreshing.

Cooling yourself down before or after a workout isn’t a new idea. Plenty of runners use ice towels, ice packs, or frozen hats to take the edge off on hot days (we’ve tested out a lot of cooling options).

The problem is that they don’t stay cold for very long. Unless you’re carrying around a cooler, most of them have warmed up long before you actually need them.

That’s where the CryoTherm Palm is a little different.

Instead of relying on melting ice, it maintains one of three cooling temperatures (46.4F, 53.6F, 60.8F), so you get consistent cooling from the moment you turn it on until you’re finished using it.

I wanted to give this every opportunity to enhance my summer training, so I brought it along to a number of track workouts and to an evening mile race where the temps were well over 90 degrees.

My husband and I were both reaching for it between warm-up strides and after racing. Turns out every runner wants to know what will help improve performance!

So, did it actually make a difference?

Offers Both Heating and Cooling

While the cooling feature was what initially caught my attention, the CryoTherm Palm is actually a 3-in-1 device. In addition to cooling, it also offers heat therapy to help increase circulation and ease sore muscles, plus a contrast mode that alternates between hot and cold.

Therabody recommends using it for 1-3 minutes at a time. More isn’t necessarily better, though, since temperatures that are too cold can cause your blood vessels to narrow, making heat exchange less efficient.

One feature I appreciated was the built-in timer. It makes it easy to keep track of each session and experiment with what works best for you, whether you’re using it before a race, between intervals, or after a hard workout.

With summer in full swing here in Colorado, it felt like the perfect time to see how much of a difference it could actually make.

What You Get

There aren’t many extras included in the box, but that’s really all you need to get started.

Inside you’ll find:

• CryoTherm Palm device
• USB-C to USC-C charging cable

Battery and Charging

Battery life will depend on how you’re using the CryoTherm Palm.

On a full charge, Therabody says you can expect up to 120 minutes of use. Crank up the heat or cold to the highest settings for longer sessions, though, and that drops closer to an hour.

It’s also easy to keep an eye on the battery. Just tap any button, and the small LCD screen will display how much charge you have left.

How to Use Therabody CryoTherm Palm

Getting started with the Therabody CryoTherm Palm is super simple. There are just three buttons: one for cooling, one for heating, and one for the timer.

To activate cooling mode, press and hold the cold button. From there, you can tap the button to cycle through the three cooling levels.

If you’re using it outside on a hot day (around 75F or warmer), you’ll want to start with the highest setting.

A checkmark appears on the display once the device reaches the selected temperature, which only takes a few seconds.

The timer button is straightforward as well. A quick press starts or stops the timer so you can keep track of your session, while a long press resets it back to zero.

For the best results, place the entire palm of your hand against the cooling or heating surface, making as much contact as possible. The raised bumps on the sides naturally give your fingers a place to rest, making it comfortable to hold.

One thing to be aware of: avoid covering the air vents while using the CryTherm Palm.

I noticed that this area gets surprisingly warm during longer sessions, so you’ll want to keep your fingers away from the vents while using it.

When To Use Therabody CryoTherm Palm

The CryoTherm Palm can be useful in a handful of different situations, especially when you’re training or racing in heat. Therabody says it can help manage your core body temperature, reduce how hot you feel, and improve your performance during demanding workouts.

Some of the best times to use it include:

• Before a race: Cool down before starting to help manage your core temperature
• Track workouts or speed sessions: Use it between intervals or high-intensity drills
• Strength training: Apply it between heavy lifting sets
• Before a workout: Use it before your warm-up or first working set if you’re training in hot conditions

I really liked how simple it is to use the CryoTherm Palm. If you’re using it between track intervals or strength sets, you don’t have to spend time fumbling with settings.

My Experience with Therabody CryoTherm Palm

My biggest test with the CryoTherm Palm was before my recent 1-mile race on a very toasty Colorado evening.

I didn’t start until after 6 pm, and there wasn’t much shade around the course. After a 10-minute warm-up and a few strides, I was already dripping with sweat and wondering how the race was going to feel at an all-out effort.

While waiting to head to the start line, I grabbed the CryoTherm Palm, turned it to the highest cooling setting, and spent a few minutes using it to cool down.

Did it noticeably improve my race performance? Honestly, I’m not sure.

What I can say is that it definitely felt refreshing and helped me feel cooler before toeing the starting line. Whether that translated into faster running is hard to say, but it did help me feel more prepared heading into a hot race.

I almost think of it the same way I think about my other race-day routines. Some things may have a physical benefit, while others simply help you feel more ready and confident before you start.

If it helps get you into the right mindset, that’s valuable too.

My husband had an even better experience with it. He struggles with the dry Colorado heat even more than I do, and after finishing his mile race, he immediately reached for the CryoTherm Palm to help cool him down.

Compared to dumping water over your head or holding ice against your neck, I liked that the cooling was consistent and lasted as long as I wanted to use the device.

It felt like a more controlled way to cool down before or after a hard effort.

Is the Therabody CryoTherm Palm worth it?

I do think it helps you feel cooler before, during, or after a hard workout. Whether that translates into a measurable performance benefit for the average runner is a little hard to answer.

For elite athletes who are looking for every possible advantage, I can absolutely see this becoming part of their race-day routine. When every second matters, small gains can add up.

For the rest of us, though, the nearly $400 price tag is hard to ignore.

If you’re someone who loves trying the latest recovery and performance tech, you’ll probably enjoy using the CryoTherm Palm. But if you’re deciding between this and upgrading your running gear, I’d probably put that money toward a couple pairs of running shoes first.

That said, I do enjoy using it. It’s easy to use, genuinely feels cooling, and I can see myself continuing to bring it to hot track workouts and summer races.

What to read next?

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