I recently found myself ensconced in a curious calorie-zapping contraption called the SlimDome at the Natural Vitality Center in Manhattan.

Why? Winter can be tough on your body: The endless shoveling. The wind chill-abused skin. The one-too-many comfort meals consumed in front of the flatscreen, instead of slogging through snow banks to get to the gym. As a self-professed workout junkie, even I've found Jack Frost to be a serious motivation killer this season.

SlimDome's promise: Just one, 40-minute session inside this sauna-like tube burns between 400 and 600 calories. Thanks to its infrared technology, the heat generated within the dome penetrates about two inches beneath the surface of the skin, inducing an oil-based subcutaneous sweat that expels toxins from the body at a higher rate than a standard-issue sauna. Added bonus: SlimDome's peak temp is 140ºF, so the makers claim you won't experience that "get me out of this unbearably hot, faint-causing sauna right now!" moment.

Skeptical, I decided to give the human canister, which has been popping up in cities like Bethesda and Atlanta, a go. There was just one problem: I don't break a sweat easily -- even when I'm running on a treadmill at top speed. So as I stripped down to my birthday essentials and watched the technician slide the unit up to my neck, I began to wonder if my Houdini-like experiment was really worth the $60.

For the first ten minutes, nada happened. Elena Rusakova, the director of the center, peeked in to check on my progress, encouraging me to sip the greenish, cleansing chlorophyll water she'd left beside my practically immobile head. (Despite the drink's sci-fi appearance, it tasted simply like spearmint-laced water.) As she explained the additional benefits of regular sessions in the dome -- better skin tone, increased circulation and oxygenation of the blood, and the release of pent up metals, which is great for people like myself who inhale vast amounts of mercury-packed sushi -- I felt an unmistakable trickle of sweat travel down my side.

By the 30-minute mark, I was sweating. Profusely. Yet, as the pamphlet touted, I wasn't feeling all that over-heated. There was also something meditative about the process, no doubt helped by the fact that the dome wasn't exactly electronic-gadget friendly. Once I'd toweled off post-session, I did have that light-on-your-feet feeling that accompanies a satisfying workout, and my skin gave off a nice glow the next morning. Bottom line: I'd shimmy into the SlimDome again -- after a sweet, endorphin-releasing cardio session at the gym.


Liz Ozaist has never resorted to such extreme measures to burn calories before. Usually she just steady dates the old-fashioned treadmill.








More on weight loss:
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