As I approached Kollectiv, a wellness spa on East First Street in NoHo, there was a vague waddle in my stride.

I’d signed up to try whole-body cryotherapy — “WBC” for short — rumored to be a magic bullet for exercise-induced pain, joint inflammation, and even depression and anxiety. So I’d purposely engaged in a crushing workout that morning: Let’s see if cryo is really the physiological wizardry people make it out to be.