Cryotherapy of Bethlehem offers popular cold therapy to Lehigh Valley athletes

Cryotherapy of Bethlehem, a new business located at 2223 Linden St. on Bethlehem’s North Side, offers treatments that use cold therapy to help relieve soreness or pain throughout one’s body, a practice that has become increasingly popular. 

Kathleen Jobes, a former competitive athlete and now the owner and operator of the business, decided to begin a new chapter in her life a few months ago.

Jobes’ mission is to give back to athletes in the area by assisting them with pain relief from tension and soreness. She has been tackling that mission ever since opening Cryotherapy of Bethlehem earlier this year.

Many of Jobes’ clients are athletes, and — as a former athlete — she said those are the clients she most closely relates to.

“When the runners come in, or any athlete for that matter, as an athlete myself, it resonates with me,” Jones said. “I understand what their bodies are dealing with, and that’s what I really like… I enjoy helping them.”

Her business currently treats Freedom High School football players, Liberty High School football players, Southern Lehigh High School runners, Moravian College runners and Liberty High School runners, among other athletic teams.

Cryotherapy of Bethlehem also has packages with discounted prices, specifically designed for collegiate and high school athletes.

Jobes explained that affordability was an important piece of her mission to give back to athletes, as people were very supportive with her when she was an athlete.

Sam McCloskey, ‘20, a fifth-year student on the Lehigh football team, is no stranger to sore and aching muscles. 

McCloskey had seen other athletes do cryotherapy, but he had never tried it himself. 

He decided to Google it and see what was nearby. After he found Cryotherapy of Bethlehem, he decided to go there.

“I’m in the tank for only about three minutes, and when I get out, my muscles feel a lot colder than they do when getting out of an ice bath,” McCloskey said. 

McCloskey said he does not find the cold immersion to be that bad.

“It’s pretty smooth, but when it gets to the last minute or so, it may begin to get uncomfortable, since it has a build up to it,” McCloskey explained.

Although his busy schedule as an athlete makes it difficult for him to visit Cryotherapy of Bethlehem as frequently as he would like, he said he tries to stop by every couple of weeks.

And, so far, he said he’s loving the experience.

“I prefer it over a normal ice bath, so I try to get there more often, time permitting,” McCloskey said.

Mike Fegley, another Cryotherapy of Bethlehem client, visits once a week, occasionally bringing his two kids with him to receive treatment. 

Fegley works out five days a week, and is extremely satisfied when he uses cryotherapy.

“After cryotherapy, I feel very refreshed and I find that it aids in my recovery from weekly workouts,” Fegley said.

There is one other cryotherapy facility in the Lehigh Valley, but Cryotherapy of Bethlehem primarily concentrates on serving college and high school sports teams.

“Sports teams are really where my focus is,” Jones said. “What I really want to create is a wellness center for Bethlehem, that helps athletes stay healthy, and be able to perform.”