How Sheikh Hamdan resets after travel with -110°C ice chamber

Dubai: When Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai checked his fitness tracker after a recent international trip, the numbers weren't pretty. His Whoop device showed a recovery score of 31, a clear sign his body needed attention.

But instead of reaching for caffeine or sleeping it off, Dubai's Crown Prince turned to something far more intense. In a series of Instagram stories, he walked his millions of followers through his personal reset ritual, one that involves temperatures ranging from minus 110 to plus 90 degrees Celsius.

"When recovery is low after travel, I don't panic, I adjust," he wrote, introducing what he calls his exact reset protocol.

The routine begins relatively gently with 20 minutes of red light therapy. Then things get serious.

Next up is the icelab, where Hamdan spends three to five minutes at minus 110 degrees Celsius. This isn't your average cold exposure. The system, a professional whole-body cryotherapy chamber, uses three progressively colder rooms to prepare the body for the extreme final temperature.

It starts in a chamber cooled to minus 10 degrees Celsius, move through a second room at minus 60 degrees, before entering the main chamber at minus 110 degrees (minus 166 Fahrenheit). The gradual progression helps the body adapt while any moisture on the skin evaporates in the initial chambers.

What makes such extreme cold tolerable is the near-zero humidity. Without moisture in the air, the temperature feels less brutal than the numbers suggest. There's an unexpected benefit too: the air contracts so much at minus 110 degrees that each breath delivers roughly twice the normal oxygen intake.

You need to wear protective gear; swimwear, gloves, socks with shoes, a headband covering the ears, and a paper mask. Inside, you can walk slowly around the chamber for one to three minutes. It's not about endurance; the experience is designed to be manageable.

Stepping out triggers an adrenaline surge and tingling sensation across the skin. Within minutes, this shifts to deep relaxation as endorphins flood the system.

After the icelab comes 26 minutes in a sauna heated to 80-90 degrees Celsius. Sheikh Hamdan notes the first five minutes "don't count" as the body is still adjusting from being frozen. Only then does the real heat therapy begin.

The final step? A five-minute plunge in a cold pool, bookending the entire experience with one more dose of cold exposure.

This dramatic temperature cycling isn't just a wellness trend. The extreme cold triggers cascading responses through the nervous, circulatory, and hormonal systems.

Professional athletes use cryotherapy chambers to slash recovery time, some research suggests it can cut the healing period to a third of normal. The therapy shows promise for reducing muscle soreness, managing inflammation from arthritis, and supporting rehabilitation after injuries or surgery.

Beyond physical recovery, the cold prompts the release of endorphins and dopamine, potentially helping with sleep problems, persistent fatigue, and burnout. Some practitioners also claim aesthetic benefits, including improved collagen production and skin tightening.

Medical supervision matters. Blood pressure and pulse should be checked before each session, and the therapy isn't appropriate for people with certain conditions including uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart disease, or Raynaud's syndrome.

Sheikh Hamdan's openness about his wellness routine fits his broader approach to social media. Through his Instagram account @faz3, he's built a connection with millions of followers by sharing both his official duties and personal pursuits.

His recent international travel was part of a high-level delegation accompanying President Sheikh Mohamed to India, the President's third visit in three years and fifth in the past decade. Between diplomatic responsibilities, Sheikh Hamdan makes time for fitness, adventure, and travel, regularly posting everything from adventure photography to practical lifestyle tips.

For those curious about optimising recovery, the Crown Prince has provided a detailed blueprint; if you can handle minus 110 degrees.