We had the good fortune of connecting with Alli Chambers and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Alli, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think risk is the foundation for making big moves. Without risk you seldom get to find out if there is reward waiting on the other side. I was raised to follow my passions and go for it! Not in a reckless sense, but more for the adventure and the chance of doing something really inspiring and rewarding. We started The Cryo Spa in the infancy of Whole Body Cryotherapy becoming available to the public and nobody knew what we were trying to sell! Snake oil? It’s just a fad, a trend…we heard it all! Now, almost 10 years later there are professional athletes swearing by it and larger companies starting cryotherapy businesses across the country. There’s only a handful of people left who haven’t at least heard of it, and the likelihood of finding a location near you is pretty good. The biggest challenge, as a small business after surviving the pandemic, has been when those bigger companies, that have just started, open up shop right next door or in the same area. We have to hope our clients appreciate a smaller operation with a more personal touch and the experience we bring with it. I guess that’s all part of the risk though isn’t it?
Without taking the huge risk we did, Michelle and I would never have known how many people’s lives we would be able to better by starting The Cryo Spa. We’ve helped thousands of individuals heal from injuries and surgery, lose weight, conquer serious autoimmune diseases, heal naturally, and recover from active lifestyles and extreme exercise. I’ve taken several risks throughout my life and so far they are paying off! You know what? So what if they don’t? I like to live my life knowing I at least tried. Not being afraid of failure makes it a little easier to just go for it! I’m more afraid of not trying than failure and that seems to be the right recipe for success…or not. Luckily for us, it’s working!
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Cryo Spa is owned by Michelle Grosse and myself, Alli Chambers. We are both former bartenders who tended our way through college getting our degrees in Theatre Arts and Psychology, respectively. Once out of school our lives soon became intertwined through a collection of mutual friends. Collectively, we have over 20 years of customer service experience under our belts. Working super long hours as high-volume bartenders, the wear and tear on our bodies was inevitable. As we both got older it was only getting worse. Unfortunately, I had been struggling with some debilitating back issues that often left me unable to function at my full capacity. In 2010 it became so overwhelming I had to hang up my bartending hat and limp away. The next 4 years were completely dictated by my back pain and inability to walk. I never knew how much I’d be able to accomplish in a day before my body said, “Nope. You’re done.” It was devastating. Through the years I had tried every alternative therapy to try to help alleviate my pain so I could have my life back. I would find relief in short spurts then soon be right back to where I was. Until one glorious day in early 2013, I read Michelle’s facebook post … -250 degrees? What? What on earth are you doing? She explained it to me. Her tired feet and back had led her to a cryotherapy location where she tried it and loved it. Immediately, she tells me I have to try it for my back. Of course I had to go check it out, I’ll try ANYTHING at this point. Cryotherapy is intended for athletic recovery, chronic pain, and natural healing. The modern technology, using liquid nitrogen as the cooling agent, has similar effects of an ice bath, but many more benefits. By the third day of a short, little 3 minute session I couldn’t control the tears. I hadn’t felt that good in years! Was it a miracle or was it cryo? I’ll give you one guess. Timing is everything and we knew what we had to do. We combined our super powers and before we knew it, The Cryo Spa became the first Whole Body Cryotherapy location to open in Fort Worth. We have learned so much over the years and our passion for cryo and holistic health and wellness has only grown! We are in a unique position to spend our days helping people reach their goals and feel their best! What a life! When your day is committed to helping others, it’s virtually impossible to have a bad day. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be in this industry. Fast forward to 2022…
We are in the 9th year of business at our location on Foch St in the heart of the Cultural District in Fort Worth. We were one of the first cryotherapy locations in the country to open back in 2013, and in 2020 we were finally ready to bring the COOLEST cryotherapy experience to Dallas! We scoured the “coolest” neighborhoods and shopping centers all over the city for over 5 years and nothing ever felt totally perfect until we happened upon a vacant space on Lovers Ln … the birds started singing and the sun shone a little brighter. We’d found it. Plans were put into action and we started construction in January of 2020. Everything was moving along great. Permits were being pulled, demo had begun, and then like the rest of the world, we were blindsided by COVID-19. Looking back, it seems like it all happened so fast. We’d heard a buzz about a virus in China and then before we knew it, there was a mask shortage, stay at home orders were being put into place and shortly after, businesses were asked to close across the state.
Everything came to a screeching halt except for actual time. We were closed for 2 full months at our Fort Worth location, but remained positive it would all work out and we’d survive. Thankfully, we’re still hanging in there. We have incredibly loyal clients and a community that knows how amazing cryo is for your health, mentally and physically. During these times both have proven to be crucially important. By increasing our serotonin levels cryo can help regulate our sleep and help manage symptoms of anxiety and depression. It also gives our immune systems a boost while improving skin and hair health. Whole Body Cryotherapy ultimately encourages our bodies to heal naturally from the inside out based on what each of us need. It meets us where we are and improves upon it. The only real question at this point is why aren’t you doing cryo?
Now it’s summer of 2022, we’re seeing new faces everyday and are here to help people get back into their self-care routines. Everyone is so eager to get their lives back and we’re here and ready to help them do just that! It’s time to reclaim our lives, health, and happiness! With so much bad news coming at us from all directions it’s nice to know dreams are still coming true and small businesses like ours are thriving and growing despite the world seeming as if it will never be the same. If 2020 taught us anything it’s that we just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, stay true to our goals, and look towards the future.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to The Vegan Food House and hunt down wherever The Vegan Sushi Spot (food truck) was at the time. We would visit the Perot Museum, I really want to go check out the Jane Goodall exhibit that’s out right now. We like going to concerts in Deep Ellum and just saw The Dirty Heads on Wednesday at The Factory.
Owning a farm animal sanctuary these days I don’t have a whole lot of time for wandering around and doing touristy stuff. Right now we have 39 animals in our care with 2 more rescues coming up this month so it’s keeping us pretty busy. If my best friend came to town we’d be doing farm chores and scooping lots of poop! Lol! Every second I’m not at The Cryo Spa I’m at home at the farm with our residents spending time with them. They’re all pretty darn cool!!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh wow…so….My business partner, Michelle Grosse, is the one who introduced me to cryotherapy back in 2013. I had suffered from chronic back pain for almost 10 years and she took me to my first session. That first week changed my life! For real! By the next week we had a business plan in place and had started looking for the perfect location in Fort Worth to open the first Whole Body Cryotherapy spa in the area. We’ve been a great team for the last 10 years and continue to grow our brand and provide our clients with the best equipment in the industry.
My mom has played an incredible role in our success. My father had died suddenly about 2 years before in 2011 and she had received his life insurance policy that ultimately financed our first location being built and us getting the business off the ground. We paid her back a handsome return on her investment and there’s a good chance we wouldn’t be here without her generosity and faith in us. Michelle’s mom also helped us with some funding when it came to securing a loan for our second location in Dallas back in 2020. Her father, Jack, has also been our go to craftsman and “Jack” of all trades. He’s built both of our front desks and multiple pieces of furniture for our locations. His craftsmanship is brilliant and it’s been nice to have a father figure by our side during this journey especially since mine is gone. When we were first getting started 3 of our closest friends and my husband got trained with us and helped us run the spa until we were able to start hiring staff. Our families and friends have been constant beacons of encouragement and support. We are forever grateful for that and hope they know how much they mean to us.
Once we became established a HUGE part of our success is because of the incredible staff we’ve hired over the years. As a small business hiring and retaining an awesome staff has been one of the challenges, but our girls make our brand what it is by insuring our clients have a pleasant, memorable, and effective experience when they walk through our doors. We make people feel good every day and it’s one of the COOLEST things I’ve ever done, but we wouldn’t be where we are today without the many people who have helped us by being amazing and supporting and growing our brand!
Website: www.ilovecryo.com
Instagram: thecryospa & thecryospa_dallas
Facebook: The Cryo Spa & The Cryo Spa Dallas
Image Credits
Jason Shane Photography-