Heather’s Favorite Things: Cocoon Wellness Pro

The body is a tricky vessel to get under control — believe me, I know all too well. I have been having some problems with my heart for the past year, and trying to keep my heart healthy has become an important part of my day-to-day life. Managing stress and what I put into my body are two factors that play a major role in maintaining my heart health. While I have gotten better at paying attention to signals my body sends me, there have still been times in the past when I just felt overwhelmed.

I’ve started using the Cocoon Wellness Pro Pod at Sunlimited Tanning Salon & Day Spa, and I feel so refreshed. This machine uses infrared light to heat the body at four different settings: relax, fitness, wellness and hypothermic.

The owner of Sunlimited, Becky Chrestman, is much better at explaining how this machine works than me. “The Cocoon uses infrared which is on the invisible light spectrum. 54 percent of the light the sun emits is infrared, so on those days when it’s cloudy but you still feel heat from the sun, it’s the infrared light,” Becky says.

I was nervous going into the pod for the first time because I am not a fan of heat. I use the pod at the relaxation heat level which is just enough heat to reset my body and soothe me, but not enough to feel like my skin is melting. My skin is sensitive to temperature and different pressures due to my naturally red hair, but the pod only covers the body below the neck so the head stays out of the heat. There are fans blowing on the face to help regulate, and you also have complete control over the temperature while you are in the pod. If you start out at one level and decide it might be too hot for you, you can change the setting to a lower level.

Relaxation is the lowest level and the perfect setting for me and what I want to accomplish in the pod, but I know somebody that uses the highest setting with the highest heat available in the pod so that she can have the results that she wants; it can be different for everybody.

The Cocoon pod includes vibrating massage, heated stones, Himalayan salt stone and the option for aromatherapy. I tend to go for the more tropical scents, but Becky has every scent under the infrared sun to choose from depending on how you’re feeling or what your favorite is.

This pod can be used for a never-ending list of goals or health-related issues. I personally use the pod to help relax my body for my heart and to relieve my muscles after a workout. Basically the same concept as a heating pad but 10,000 times more effective, the infrared therapy soothes the muscles and eases tension that may have built up. I come out of the pod feeling like a brand new woman ready to take on the world.

“There are so many things the pod can be used for: weight loss, cellulite, water retention, arthritis, muscle recovery, improved quality of sleep, detox, inflammation and a lot more. Many people will come in to use the pod as a pre-workout because it helps increase flexibility and range of motion,” Becky says. “Using the “Relax” and “Wellness” settings can burn up to 300 calories, and the “Fitness” and “Hypothermic” settings can burn up to 600 calories.”

Like a sauna, you get sweaty. The sweat is part of the process for losing calories and water retention, so in the end you feel better and more energetic. Sessions can run from 15 to 20 minutes for your trip to the pod or 30 to 60 minutes for your following trips. With that being said, make sure you are completely hydrated before you go into your session.

“Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Prepare to be sweaty and lose a lot of water, so it is very important to drink plenty of water beforehand. For individuals that are wanting to sweat more, we sell special suits that you can wear in the pod that generate more heat. You can take those suits home, wash them and bring them back for your next time in the pod,” Becky says.

The salon recommends that you come in about twice a week for the Cocoon pod to achieve the best results. Since I have been using the pod, my body feels the most relaxed it has ever been. You don’t realize how a problem in one part of your body can affect another, but when every part is working as they should, you feel brand new.

Sunlimited Tanning Salon & Day Spa offers Wellness Packages for customers to get the most out of the experience. Rather than paying for each session individually, you can pay one monthly fee that will allow you unlimited access to the Cocoon Wellness Pro.

Visit the Sunlimited website for more information or call them at 501- 261-6095 for the West Little Rock location and 501-381-5598 for the Riverdale location.