London-based CryoAction is expecting to quadruple its business in the next year or so, as demand for "freeze therapy" increases among the leisure sector.

Cryotherapy is most commonly used as a way to relieve muscle pain, sprains and swelling after soft tissue damage or surgery.

The application of extremely low temperatures on the problem areas can deaden irritated nerves, ease areas of discomfort or even treat skin conditions.

The simple act of freezing an area numbs it – which is why ice packs are so often applied to sports injuries – but it also has shown to help regenerate skin cells and encourage faster healing.

CryoAction currently has sites in Colwyn Bay, Wales and two locations in London, England with a chamber also in the Harpal Clinic and Wroclaw, Poland.

A spokesperson for the company said: "We envisage the number of sites with a CryoAction cryotherapy unit to be increasing greatly over the next year with over 400 per cent year on year growth.

"As the UK's largest provider of cryotherapy chambers, we see interest from a wide range of sectors such as spas, hotels, gyms and an increasing amount of vertical cryotherapy-only businesses.

"For operators, the addition of cryotherapy is an attractive draw to customers looking for differentiation between individual venues and also provides a highly lucrative source of revenue for the business."