By George McManus (TIMESONLINE)

MAYO footballers have been doing some cool training in advance of the All-Ireland football semi-final against the Dubs. Several of the county’s players have been helicoptered to a deep-freeze in Wexford as part of their preparations for today’s game.

Ireland’s first cryotherapy chamber, where athletes from around the world can have a revolutionary treatment, is now attracting GAA teams who want an edge before games.

The Mayo footballers, including Kieran McDonald and Billy Joe Padden, were joined there last week by Niall McCarthy of Cork and Michael Kavanagh of Kilkenny, who will be competing in next Sunday’s All- Ireland hurling final.

American golfers — including Tiger Woods — are understood to have booked a session in the €1m ice chamber during their preparations for next month’s Ryder Cup. Temperatures in the chamber, located in the Tranquillity Spa in Whites Hotel, are -110C. Athletes wear only gloves, a cap, socks and underpants in the ice box.

The hottest therapy in sport, the cryotherapy chamber is credited with reducing the muscle soreness and tissue swelling which occurs after hard exercise. Dubbed a “miracle cure”, players such as Brian O’Driscoll have also reported a phenomenal energy boost after using the chamber. Athletes from around the world, who used to make the journey to a cryotherapy clinic in the Polish town of Spala, are now making inquiries about the Wexford facility, which has still not officially opened but is already doing brisk business.

The Irish rugby team, GAA county boards and a number of British football teams have made inquiries about signing contracts to use the chamber, which was part of a €60m overhaul of Whites hotel.

The Irish rugby team has sent players such as Gordon D‘Arcy and O’Driscoll to Spala, where the waiting list for a team session is 18 months. Jonny Wilkinson, the English rugby star, has also used the facility.

Twice a day for a week, players immerse themselves in the freeze chamber for three minutes at a time. Four minutes is the maximum exposure time in the main chamber for elite athletes — usually runners. Any longer and the fluid in the eyeballs would freeze. Five minutes in the ice room would mean death. “It is a long three minutes,” O’Driscoll has said.

PJ Long, administrator of the chamber, said: “Going through the chamber has a positive effect on the healing process as it decreases recovery time by helping to clear toxins such as lactic acid from the body.”

Owned by Michael Burke, the hotelier, the clinic is the first of its kind in Ireland and Great Britain and only the second in Europe. “It offers a world-class rehabilitation and training facility,” said Long.

The treatment is also credited with helping sufferers of osteoporosis, rheumatism, back pain and cellulite. It works by encouraging the body’s molecules to move and generate heat, thus creating internal warmth. For athletes trying to recover after a hard training session, the ice room releases toxins and reduces lactic-acid build-up.

Once the body senses the temperature drop, it also sends more blood supplies to any injured areas, boosting circulation and speeding up healing. The ice also helps to heal tiny tears in muscle fibres caused by hard training sessions.

Liam Hennessy, fitness director of the Irish rugby team, said: “The cold penetrates so deep, it’s a massive hit. Players come out in a state of euphoria, happy just to be out. Then they’ll exercise immediately for about 20 to 30 minutes. The rejuvenation is huge, amazing.”

Taking a dip in a bath tub filled with ice-cold water is among the most popular therapies in sport. A recent documentary about Dublin football team revealed that ice baths are a core part of its preparations before big games, indicating that Mayo may not have gained that much of an advantage for today’s game.