Whole body cryotherapy is mainly performed either by immersion in cold water or in a cryotherapy chamber. Practiced since Antiquity and considered as a « natural » method, cryotherapy is attracting more and more followers. Beneficial health effects have been described in the literature. However, interpretation of its effects is difficult due to low quality of current studies. Cryotherapy could however be useful in addition to conventional therapies in various pathologies and situations, provided that the risks, contraindications and rules of good practice are known.