Canberra boxer Steve Lovett is standing in nothing but his boxers and enduring exposure to -130 degrees Celsius, more than 40 degrees lower than the coldest natural temperature ever recorded on earth.
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And after just two minutes in a cryotherapy chamber, Lovett says he feels on top of the world.
"I feel 100 per cent afterwards," said Lovett, who is now professionally based in the US.
So what are cryotherapy chambers? Are they a miracle cure for fatigue and will they become the next big recovery method to catch on in mainstream Australian sport?
The solo chambers, about the size of a small shower cubicle, encapsulate athletes from the neck down. Originating in Europe and designed for medical purposes, they use dry ice to send temperatures plummeting as low as -170 degrees Celsius.
The theory is that extreme temperature forces blood to rush to the core, boosting oxygen levels, therefore reducing muscle soreness and fatigue.
Real Madrid soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo revealed in 2013 he'd purchased his own chamber for his home, while professional sporting teams in Europe have been using them for years.
The chambers are starting to spread globally too, with more photos popping up on social media of professional athletes smiling from the rising fog of the machines, their numbingly cold temperatures recorded for all to see.
While the Western Bulldogs AFL club has previously had access to a cryotherapy chamber in Melbourne, head of AIS recovery, Dr Shona Halson, said the treatment was still rare in Australia.
One reason is the price, solo units costing upwards of $60,000, while another is a lack of portability.
But Halson said some sport scientists were still cool about the physiological benefits.
"They originated out of Europe and were used in the medical world for diseases that involved inflammation, like rheumatoid arthritis," she said.
"They've become increasingly popular in sport; they're mainly in Europe but they're starting to pop up in places across the world.
"The rationale behind it is decreasing inflammation and therefore soreness, so the idea is that you can train and compete at a higher quality.
"There's not much evidence yet from a performance perspective that they actually help athletes. There's a little bit of evidence in terms of inflammation and general blood markers that might suggest enhanced recovery, but it's really early days; the science is quite limited," Halson said.
"For the AIS to put one in we'd need more evidence, a stronger scientific basis for it."
In terms of anecdotal evidence, Lovett endorses it. The undefeated light heavyweight is contracted to train at the Plex gym in Houston, Texas, used by NFL and NBA stars, therefore granting him access to a chamber.
"It would be the best recovery method I've ever used," Lovett said. "It's pretty intense, but it's so much better than an ice bath; you don't have to spend as long in there. It's not unbearable being in there, but you really feel that cold.
"We use it before conditioning sessions. If I'm feeling a little bit sore, I come out of it feeling so good, especially in my legs."
The humble ice bath remains a staple of Australian sports recovery, but Halson said that method could provide more benefit because water's hydrostatic pressure also countered muscle fatigue.
"They're both very cold, they both cool the body down, but there may be more advantages in water because you get hydrostatic pressure plus the temperature effects, rather than just the air exposure," she said.
"We still use hydrotherapy and the ice baths as the way of enhancing recovery. We're doing more research to understand how and when and why to use them."
